A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
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Picture a surgery room. A neurosurgeon is performing surgery on the patient's spine. But only after a state-of-the-art X-ray machine does a 360-degree scan of the patient - creating an interactive picture, or template of the person's spine that allows the surgeon to see precisely where his surgical tools are going inside the patient's back. "It's like GPS for the spine," neurosurgeon Dr. Matthew Davies explained, pointing to a large screen that shows the spine model on the table before him and...
Jordan Rau KFF Health News Jon Guckenberg's rent for a single room in an assisted living cottage in Cloquet was $4,140 a month before adding in a raft of other charges. The facility, New Perspective Cloquet, charged him $500 to reserve a spot and a $2,000 "entrance fee" before he set foot inside two years ago. Each month, he also paid $1,080 for a care plan that helped him cope with bipolar disorder and kidney problems, $750 for meals, and another $750 to make sure he took his daily...
Virginia is lying on her back in a hospital gown, about to have her second baby. "She's 39 weeks pregnant," explains Melissa Seibert, inpatient services director at Cloquet's Community Memorial Hospital. "And she couldn't make it to Duluth hospital because she thinks she's gonna have her baby sooner." Virginia doesn't have anything to add to the conversation - because she isn't a person. She's a life-like birth simulator that can replicate a wide range of birth scenarios from a cesarean section...
Breast cancer is the second- most common cancer among women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in eight women will develop breast cancer, which claims the lives of an estimated 43,600 women each year. In September 2019, then-18-year-old Kelsey Knutson of Virginia decided to get screened. That might seem young, but Knutson knew it was time, due to her family history. "My mom had breast cancer and my grandma had both breast and ovarian cancer,"...
A new Essentia Health clinic, located at the former Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake at 4572 County Road 61, opened Tuesday. According to an Essentia press release, there are two family medicine physicians solely dedicated to this clinic, with plans to eventually double that number. The clinic utilizes already existing lab and radiology resources. “We’re excited to expand our offerings in Moose Lake,” said Dr. Tom Witt, family medicine physician and administrator at Essentia Health- Moose Lake. “Providing comprehensive care close to home isn’t j...
Health insurance helps individuals and families prepare for life’s unexpected challenges. To enable more Minnesotans to gain the security of health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic, MNsure has offered a five-month special enrollment period (SEP) that closes this Friday, July 16, 2021. If you’re uninsured or are currently enrolled in a health plan outside of MNsure, the COVID-19 SEP is a unique opportunity for you to find affordable, comprehensive health care coverage for 2021 through MNsure. The next open enrollment window won’t be until...
Do bad things really happen in threes? This was definitely my third bad Memorial Day. On May 31, I had just traveled home with my mom from visiting family in Illinois, about a seven-hour drive. It was a beautiful afternoon and since I had been sitting all day, I decided to wash my car. This was no surprise to my husband, Sean. He knows my mind is constantly processing what I can accomplish next. Plus, I am self-diagnosed with a "little" obsessive compulsive disorder and living on a dirt road...
Minnesotans looking for health insurance coverage starting Jan. 1, 2021, have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, to enroll in coverage through MNsure.org. The federal health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, ends its enrollment period today, but Minnesotans have an extra week to enroll through MNsure. MNsure is Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace where individuals and families can shop, compare and choose health insurance coverage that meets their needs. MNsure is the only place you can apply for financial help to lower the cost of y...
The snow has melted, the grass is turning green, and the weather is warming up. This can only mean one thing: It's tick season. Ticks can be out at any time of year, but they have surges in the spring and fall. Although ticks can infest any mammal, dogs seem to be at a higher risk. This may be due to a combination of reasons. Dogs run through the bushes and grass where ticks are found, their fur makes it harder to see the ticks, and they are not the fastidious groomers that cats are. Cats can...
Over the past 20 years, we have made tremendous progress in promoting and supporting breastfeeding, and you are much more likely to encounter a mother breastfeeding her child in public now than in years past. It is important that our community embrace this progress and make it easy for moms to feed their babies anytime and anywhere with ease and without restriction or negative remarks. Breastfeeding has many health benefits for children and mothers, and the Centers for Disease Control and...
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over the age of 50. It is estimated that more than 2 million people have been diagnosed with macular degeneration nationwide. During the month of February, the American Optometric Association educates the public on facts about age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. AMD occurs when there are changes to the macula, a small portion of the retina that is located on the inside back layer of the eye. The loss of...
I have to say it has been a great winter. There’s been plenty of snow and overall the temperature has been very agreeable. I am still expecting some cold blasts to come. With this mind, I thought it would be good to talk about cold-weather injuries. Excessive cold plays a role in most of the natural-weather-related deaths in the United States. There are certainly groups at higher risk. Older adults, homeless and intoxicated individuals, and outdoor enthusiasts are at higher risk out in the cold....
A Nesting Place at Cloquet’s Community Memorial Hospital is a group for new moms with infants up to a year old and anyone in their third trimester of pregnancy. Mothers are welcome no matter where they live or delivered their baby. The free service strives to provide a safe and supportive environment to discuss all postpartum issues: breastfeeding, baby blues, anxiety, depression, sleep, relationships, exercise and nutrition. Meetings are facilitated by healthcare professionals, and the content will be dependent on the group’s needs. Ref...
Minnesota health officials have confirmed an infant death related to pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The infant was diagnosed with pertussis in August 2019 and died in November after being hospitalized for three months. The last pediatric death related to pertussis in Minnesota was in 2013. “We were extremely saddened to hear that this child passed away,” said Kristen Ehresmann, director of infectious disease at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). “Pertussis continues to be a concern in Minnesota, and we want to do every...
Hospital has hotline number Community Memorial Hospital has a new Nurse Hotline number that can be called 24 hours a day if you have health related questions. That number is 218-499-6799. A staff of professional registered nurses will assist patients in answering medical questions and guide the patients to the medical source most appropriate for their needs. ******* Hospital receives breastfeeding friendly award Community Memorial Hospital has earned a Five-Star designation for its breast feeding program by the Minnesota Department of Health....
In August, the Mercy Hospital board of directors voted unanimously to request proposals to partner with a larger health care system. On Tuesday, leaders from Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake and Essentia Health announced plans for a formal partnership. Mercy’s board of directors voted on the affiliation at a meeting Monday night. According to a press release, board members chose Essentia for its aligned mission and values and Essentia’s plan to grow primary- and specialty-care services in Moose Lake, along with hospital and emergency care. “A...
Last Saturday morning marked the fourth time in five years that the Borske family — mom Samantha, daughters Dallas, Makayla and Alexis — and their friends and family made their way to Carlton for the annual Suicide Awareness Memorial Walk. It’s a short walk, but a long journey for nearly everyone there. They come together each fall at Carlton High School in memory of loved ones who have died by suicide. Nearly 200 people participated in this year’s walk around downtown Carlton, which was col...
During another busy day in the clinic, as I see an elderly patient in a wheelchair who is accompanied by family member or members, I am reminded at how lucky the patient is. It is estimated that 80 percent of the adults who require some level of care live at home. Unpaid family members provide 90 percent of that care. This means that the majority of the care of the elderly is falling on the shoulders of family members. A caregiver is defined as a family member or friend who is providing unpaid...
Medicare open enrollment began Tuesday and runs through Dec. 7. With it comes the opportunity for beneficiaries to make changes to their Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, if they choose to. The Minnesota Board on Aging’s Senior LinkAge Line can help Minnesotans on Medicare navigate changes and ensure they have a plan Jan. 1 that meets their needs. Each year brings changes to Medicare rules and regulations and to the plans themselves. This year’s most notable change is the revamping of Medicare’s Plan Finder tool, which people use to enroll i...
Community Memorial Hospital and Raiter Clinic are joining forces, with the goal of keeping independent local health care thriving in the Cloquet area. The merger came as a surprise for many, some who assumed that the two entities were already operating together. The two have a long history of collaboration, said Raiter Clinic administrator Craig Ward. "This partnership is a natural fit for the community," Ward said. Dr. Jim Rogers, a Raiter Clinic physician, sees it as a positive move for...
Community Memorial Hospital and Raiter Clinic will will join together as one organization as of Jan. 1, 2020. Negotiations leading up to this partnership have been ongoing for many months, according to a press release from the hospital. Through these talks it became clear that the combination of Raiter Clinic family physicians and Community Memorial Hospital’s family physicians and specialists would greatly strengthen healthcare in our community, and ensure patients are able to continue r...
Community Memorial Hospital’s advanced wound clinic in Cloquet has received the 2018 Center of Distinction award from Healogics, the nation’s largest wound care provider. The clinic is for individuals with wounds that have not responded to traditional therapies. To receive the Center of Distinction recognition the clinic was required to meet or exceed the following criteria: 92 percent patient satisfaction, 92 percent healing rate; less than a 16-percent outlier rate (wounds that haven’t healed in 14 weeks); and achieve a median days-...
I would say my number is about 20 this year. That is the number of ticks which I have taken off my legs, socks and pants this year. I love to be outside, either running or walking my dogs but there is a downside. The ticks are around and they are hungry. After every trip out into the woods or fields, it is time for a tick check. Tickborne disease are mostly diagnosed in the summer months of June, July and August. There has been a rise in diseases, based on data collected by the Centers for...
