Minnesota Physician

“We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Richard and Nilla Stennes for stepping forward to launch this project. Their generosity and their love for this community is such an inspiration,” Caron said. “We are also thankful to all those who gave in support of this effort at Pours for a Purpose.” Construction timelines are yet to be released.

One category of impact deserves special attention: what happens to children. Research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has established over decades that traumatic events in early life can affect health and well-being long into adulthood, raising the risk of depression, anxiety, substance use and physical health problems.

Asking the Right Questions One of the first observations the HCAATF reached was that Minnesota lacks a shared definition and common understanding of what "health care affordability" means. Most people recognize that health care is expensive and, too often, unaffordable. Yet we lack commonly accepted benchmarks for determining what constitutes affordable health care for individual households or for the state’s health care system as a whole.

In the hypothetical case above, her lower back pain compounded into reduced mobility, loss of physical conditioning, disrupted sleep, social isolation, depression and diminished quality of life. The pain affects not only the body but also the patient's confidence, independence and ability to engage in meaningful activities.

Clinical training does not happen only in classrooms. It happens in exam rooms, hospital units, home care settings, behavioral health environments, community agencies, rural clinics and long-term care facilities. Learners develop by watching, practicing, receiving feedback, making decisions and gradually taking on more responsibility. Yet the people asked to support that learning are often already carrying heavy loads.

Trump Tightens Screws on Medicaid Exemptions CMS recently issued an interim final rule related to the Medicaid work requirements that are part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The new policies, which become effective 7/31/26 put significant additional strain on people with mental illness.

Please tell us about the work Wold does in health care and how it has grown since the firm started in 1986. Health care has been a core part of Wold’s practice for years. What started as a regional architecture and engineering firm has grown into a national health care practice that partners with organizations of all sizes, from critical access hospitals and community health centers to large health systems and senior living providers.

When designing either a brand-new ED, or updating an older one, the first step is to interview the people who will be using the facility. This includes everyone from providers and staff to patients and members of the community. We ask a wide range of questions; from what they would like to see improved, to what they have seen work well in other facilities, to what was not working.

The scale and arrangement of spaces matter as much as the finishes themselves. Adolescents often respond positively to environments that offer choice and a sense of control, something they may feel they have lost during a behavioral health crisis. Rather than relying solely on large, open gathering spaces, successful facilities incorporate a variety of settings that support different emotional needs.

HealthPartners Announces New Como Park Clinic At its recent annual meeting, HealthPartners announced that it was moving forward with a major new construction project in St. Anthony Park. The new facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027. It will replace the existing Como Clinic, the first HearthPartners clinic that opened in 1957, when the company was called Group Health. The new facility will be well over 50% larger than the existing clinic and cost around $80 million.