By Rich Larson, News Director
While most of the public health focus remains on the Covid-19 pandemic, the Northfield Hospital
& Clinics are still open and available to treat all other ailments.
Northfield Hospital and Clinics President Steve Underdahl said the hospital’s capacity to treat people is not as stretched as other facilities in other parts of the country.
“Most of the time, we are not up against physical capacity limits. Certainly, there are hospitals around the state and around the country that are, but we’ve been able to have a good balance of our ability to take care of the regular sick and surgical folks, and Covid people as well.”
Underdahl said that the hospital has created a Covid-19 wing in which to treat patients so anyone coming to the hospital for a non-Covid situation can feel relatively safe. And for CLINIC patients, NH&C has created a variety of options.
“Another difference between now and last spring, is that we’ve got better drills for how to bring people into clinic. If there are times when we don’t need to have you come in, we can do something with a video visit, or some other kind of interaction where you don’t need to physically come in. We can do that now, much, much easier. So, the opportunities to get what you need and not put yourself at additional significant risk… we’re in really good shape.”
Noting that it is very easy to both overestimate or underestimate one’s health, Underdahl said the important thing is that people are taking care of themselves and are making sure they receive the care they need.
“What we have in place are just a lot better systems to accommodate folks. One of the downsides that we saw from the spring was people putting off things for their health that they probably shouldn’t have. And in some cases, it was okay to kick the can on these things, but for other things, their conditions really did get worse. So, we encourage people to reach out to us and let us know how we can help you and get the [treatment] you need. Covid-19 isn’t the only disease, and it isn’t the only threat to people’s health.”
With all this said, the hospital is still strongly recommending that everyone adhere to the Covid-19 health protocols. Dakota County, where the Northfield hospital is located had an 8.8% positivity rate in testing as late as Thursday, which is quite high. NH&C believes this spread is mostly coming from asymptomatic people with the virus. They strongly recommend that people stay distanced, wear a mask and stay home whenever possible.
Steve Underdahl’s full conversation with Jeff Johnson can be heard here.
Peterson moving on from Guild
As this is the last week of the year, it is also Tim Peterson’s last week as Executive Director of the Northfield Arts Guild. The Guild announced in October that Peterson, who has led things since 2017, had accepted the position of Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Maine Center for Contemporary Art, and would be leaving on December 31st. Peterson said the position he is stepping into is something for which he is uniquely suited.
“For me it allows me to get back into curating, so that was very exciting. At this point in my career, to be able to take on the dual title of Executive Director and Chief Curator is wonderful. And it gives me a more focused artistic slate, in that it’s just exhibitions and education and related programming.”
Peterson’s tenure at the Guild has been a successful one. He has overseen three consecutive years of budget surpluses, increased both foundational and individual donor support and expanded efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion at the Guild. He said he has learned much from his time at the Guild that will serve him well in the future.
“The Guild sets a very high standard for how they get the business done, and how they never forget the people that they are serving. How, for instance, Heather Lawrenz, our Visual Arts Manager runs the Gift Shop, and how all our staff has run our programming. When we’re fully staffed at four staff and [the Executive Director], we’re rallying hundreds of people for opportunities and making sure everyone has access. These are the things that will stay with me. The way we run our membership program and the way people are connected to the membership program will stay with me.”
While he is leaving, Peterson said he will remain a strong supporter of the Northfield Arts Guild and gave a glowing endorsement to his announced interim successor.
“I’m really happy that we’ve announced Rachel Haider, who is our former Performing Arts Manager, as the Executive Director. So, I’m really happy with our board and our staff that I’m leaving the Guild in really great hands.”
Rachel Haider will assume the interim Executive Director position on Monday
Tim Peterson’s full conversation with Jeff Johnson can be heard here.
