Northfield Hospital and Clinics have been discussing the future of senior care in the community for a couple of years. CEO and President Steve Underdahl said they’re questioning if the current level of services match what they think will be asked to provide as the first wave of baby boomers requires geriatric services. They’ve just commissioned a feasibility study. They’re trying to sort out whether the future will be more or less traditional nursing care beds or other types of services such as memory care units or assisted living with advanced services where people are in a more home-like atmosphere and the services are brought to them? With all the
considerations, Underdahl said, they want to “put some rigor into studying it”. The thinking is that those youngest baby boomers will want to age in place. Technology will make it easier with monitors to see if a person has fallen or languished in bed too long. There are lots of ways to keep people in their homes longer. He said it’s a complex issue and what’s difficult for Northfield hospital and clinics is that they have an outstanding nursing home. He said, “so it makes people nervous as we’re trying to think about the future. I think there’s some anxiety that somehow we will abandon this good thing that we have now. And we’re trying to be sensitive to that but at the same token really be putting our gaze to the future to say how do we prepare”. We’ll be hearing more from Underdahl in the coming months.
Faribault man gets prison for sex with a child
A Faribault man was sentenced this week to 7.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under 16. In the criminal complaint from August of 2016, 25 year old Richard George Meza, was accused of multiple incidents and ndicated that Meza sometimes babysat these children and is somehow related to them. Law enforcement was alerted when one of the children made a remark to her father. Meza reportedly admitted to a 3rd party that he had sexually abused 2 of the children and that his mother and sister were aware of it. After serving his sentence he’ll be on probation for 10 years and must register as a Predatory Offender. Meza REDACTED COMPLAINT
Local Officers honored amid national tension but local support
Yesterday afternoon, the Northfield Police department honored some of their own but first, each officer introduced themselves to Mayor Pownell, Councilors DeLong and Ness, the only councilors in attendance, as well city staff, Ben Martig and Michelle Mahowald. Before the awards, Police Chief Monte Nelson commented about the national atmosphere saying,”Allegations related to police use of deadly force and racism have created an atmosphere of mistrust, animosity and unrest. Across the United States, police officers are being painted with a broad brush of these allegations”. He continued, “We’re now seeing a rise in ambush and assault of officers around the nation. On a local level, all over the country, the negative thoughts, words and actions directed at police officers take a very personal toll”. And yet, each day, Officers put on their badge and go out to protect the community. Nelson said, “they sacrifice their time, their health, their family life, their emotional well-being to go out and work in a toxic environment”. They don’t get called when things are going well! While nationally, it would seem there’s much animosity toward police, but in Northfield, Chief Nelson says, they’ve seen the opposite, “We’ve always enjoyed local support but over the last year we’ve seen that support multiply and show itself in many ways. Whether it’s food, donations, a hug, a handshake”. He added, “we could lost that if we don’t maintain good relationships and continue to treat people well. It’s on us, not our community, to make sure we have good relationships”. Chief Nelson’s full address: NPD2016Awards-ChiefAddress.docx
And with that, Sgt. Scott Johnson and Officer Josh Nelson were recognized with a Medal of Merit in Dakota County for their assistance with an armed, suicidal male on the Waterford Bridge. Officers Drew Wierson and Steve Klostermeier were presented with Life Saving awards for reviving a man in full cardiac arrest. Those two also received Letters of Recognition for safely resolving a disturbance involving an armed person suffering a mental health issue and drug abuse crisis. Klostermeier also received a Meritorious Service Award for his lifesaving efforts in rescuing a man from the Cannon River.
Northfield Police Awards Ceremony
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