The victim of an apparent suicide in Waterford Township has been identified.
A report filed by the Minnesota State Patrol said 33-year-old Eric Bartholomew Prinsen of Farmington was killed at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 8th, at the intersection of Highway 3 and 321st Street when he was struck by a construction dump truck. It is believed Prinsen stepped in front of the vehicle and intended to cause his own death.
Highway 3 was closed for more than three hours during peak traffic time as authorities worked to clear the area and piece together what had happened.
Dakota County Sheriff’s Deputies and members of the Minnesota Highway Patrol responded to the call while Northfield Police assisted with traffic diversion.
The driver of the truck was uninjured.
Long Term Care Centers finding some assistance, still have substantial problems
When Northfield Hospital + Clinics announced last week that the Long-Term Care unit, a service that had been offered for sixty years, would close in October, it was saddening, but not surprising.
Over the last ten years, medical professionals have been trying to sound the alarm over funding for skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. Most of those organizations depend on government reimbursements through Medicare and Medicaid for the majority of their funding. However, as is the case with all entitlement programs, the economic models upon which those programs are based no longer work. The formula is based on a robust workforce that would be in place to fund Medicare and Medicaid, which would account for a relatively small part of the population. But today, there are more people on Medicare and Medicaid than at any other point in the history of those programs, while the American workforce has receded and is struggling to grow.
The problem has been a growing one for many years, and over the past decade that has meant the state and federal government payouts have declined.
NH+C President and CEO Steve Underdahl has been warning for more than a year that nursing homes across the country would begin to close at an alarming rate, which indeed they have. Unfortunately, in his view, because of the political climate, elected officials have not felt strong motivation to fix the issue.
“This has become a political football where, you know, there’s the old Groucho Marx song, ‘Whatever It Is I’m Against It.’ That’s kind of been our political approach to healthcare solutions.”
Laura Baker Services Association, which offers services to the developmentally challenged and disabled, has been another local organization deeply affected by the problem. During the Covid-19 pandemic, several of the group homes they run had to be shut down, and only now are those homes beginning to re-open.
Executive Director Sandi Gerdes was part of a major lobbying effort this year, asking the State of Minnesota to raise the rates of reimbursement by 30%. The state responded with an increase of 18% and a mandate to look at those rates every year with respect to inflation. Gerdes said the increase, while not the number they asked for, will be very helpful. But, because the changes will not go into effect until the beginning of 2024, there are still problems her organization must overcome.
“Our rate increases are not going into effect until January 1st of 2024. So, while we’re very grateful for them, we would have loved to have seen them as of July 1st. We made changes to our salary schedules to be able to attract staff and reopen those homes, and so now we’re waiting now for those dollars to come through.”
Both Underdahl and Gerdes acknowledge that the problem has been noticed by the state and federal governments, but it is clear the problems will persist without a complete overhaul of the funding system. The American economy clearly has the strength to support this country’s Healthcare System. Underdahl said, however, as is the case in so many sectors of the economy, there are “Haves” and “Have Nots,” and that can leave many people unable to get the help they need.
“There are some very, very large insurance products that are making record profits; quarterly profits in the billions. I don’t begrudge them they’re good business experience. But at some point, with those healthcare dollars, the amounts that actually make their way to people that need their appendix out and need their cavities filled – I think we have to be able to reshape that.”
The Northfield Hospital + Clinics long-term care facility will close in early October. Laura Baker Services Association hopes to re-open the last remaining home closed during Covid sometime in 2024.
City Council budgeting process gets underway tonight
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the 2nd Floor Training Room at City Hall for the annual Budgeting Work Session.
The heads of all the city departments, including the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service, will be in attendance to discuss the specific budget requests for each of their departments, including staffing additions, new initiatives, and projects that are projected for the coming year. This meeting will begin the City Council’s 2024 budgeting process in earnest, and will help to determine the increase, if any, to the property tax levy.
As always, the City Council and the Northfield City Staff are eager to hear the opinions of the public on any matter, whether the subject is on the Council agenda or not. The meeting tonight is a work session, so the Council will not hear from the public. However, those who do wish to make a point, air an opinion or ask a question can email their councilor directly or make use of the eComment function which can be found in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The meeting will begin tonight at 6pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
