by Rich Larson
Northfield Hospital & Clinics announced last month that Covid vaccinations would be a condition of employment for all current
and future employees moving forward. This is a growing trend across the country. At least eleven states, including New York, California, Illionois and Massachusetts, along with the District of Columbia are all requiring health care workers and those who work in health care facilities to be vaccinated. More locally, Mayo, Sanford, Fairview and Allina are among the hundreds of health care systems across the country who have all put vaccination mandates in place.
NH+C President and CEO Steve Underdahl said that instituting the policy is not something he or the hospital board and administration took lightly. However, he believes that it’s the right thing to do. The first principle of NH+C’s philosophy, he said is that they have to keep people safe. He has heard concerns from patients, families and members of the public that, at a moment when they are completely in the care of someone else, that person might be unvaccinated, leaving them vulnerable.
Underdahl said the majority of the NH+C employees are already vaccinated and agree that the requirement is the right thing. But he said not everybody feels that way. Perhaps surprisingly to some, and not surprisingly to others, like every other workplace in the country, there are NH+C employees who are reluctant to get vaccinated, and some who simply refuse to do so. He said, the new requirement is disappointing to many of them.
“I expect that we’re going to lose some people who are going to move on from our organization because they aren’t going to comply. I’ll be really sad about that, and I think it’s really unfortunate, but I think it boils down to an ethical question about how we are protecting the safety of our patients, our guests and our other employees.”
Underdahl said NH+C employees have until October 1st to receive their first vaccine dose, and until October 31st to complete the cycle. Additionally, the influenza vaccine will also now be required. Employees will have until the end of November to receive their flu shot.
Northfield Police Department looks to add another patrol position
The Northfield City Staff and the City Council have spent the past few months considering the budget for 2022, and a tax levy that will have a substantial increase. The Current estimates say the levy could increase anywhere from 11.8% to 15.9% depending on several different factors.
Among things being considered is adding one more officer to the Northfield Police Department.
A 2019 study of the Northfield Police Department recommended the addition of one more patrol officer to the ranks, based on Northfield’s size, the number of calls the department receives, call response times, and shift schedules. Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said his department has made several adjustments based on the study, but they have yet to add the patrol officer position.
Northfield patrol officers typically work ten-hour shifts. While that is not an unusual amount of time for any profession, Elliott pointed out that the work of a police officer is a little more demanding, especially from a public viewpoint. There is a tacit understanding that an emergency 911 call will bring a police response in a short amount of time, and staffing is a key component to that agreement. Elliott said as it is right now, the department can get stretched from time to time.
“A lot of times that means out officers have to pick up that additional slack, but it also means that sometimes we need to force somebody in or have somebody work an overtime shift. Of course, we’re all working under stressful times right now, and that time off and time to recharge is important.”
The council has shown mixed support for the new position. Some have indicated that they see it as a top priority, while others do not see a need for another patrol officer. The determination for 2022 will be made in the next few weeks as the council continues its budgeting work.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Rice County Habitat for Humanity carries on through the pandemic
Like most non-profit organizations, Rice County Habitat for Humanity found it difficult to operate under a business-as-usual 
philosophy during the pandemic last year. The way they went about finding volunteers to help with home construction projects, and how those volunteers had to be scheduled, changed from the way they would normally do things.
What did not change last year, said Rice County Habitat executive director Dayna Norvold, was the need for housing. In fact, she said, the need for homes became that much more acute during the pandemic, and because of that, her organization could not stop the work they do and had to keep moving forward.
In 2020, Rice County Habitat for Humanity, with the help of volunteers from Americorps, built three homes in Faribault, which according to Norvold, now house twenty-five people between them. In 2021, she said, they are building five housing units in Northfield, one single family home and one quad plex. The housing shortage in Northfield has been well documented, she said, and while the high-profile apartment buildings that are planned or have recently opened are important and necessary, Norvold said the work Habitat does is equally as important. The money they raise to build a home for a family in need, doesn’t just go toward the cost of building materials, but it also helps to structure mortgage payments that will allow that family to own their home.
“Fair market rent or a three-bedroom in Northfield is $1200. That means that your income would have to be over $50,000 to afford that. We’ve got 27% of households in Northfield with incomes of less than $35,000 a year. So, we really need to create housing opportunities that are less than $1000 a month for it to be affordable.”
Norvold said they have been able to do this in Northfield through generous donations made by Thrivent, St. John’s Lutheran Church and other organizations across the State of Minnesota.
There are families in need of housing all across Rice County, she said, and there is always room for more donations and more volunteers. For more information visit habitatricecounty.org
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
