Northfield Hospital + Clinics announced yesterday that it will discontinue Hospice services, due to financial challenges at NH+C and what was characterized as “chronic low demand for the service.”
A statement issued by the organization said the staff will work with patients to transfer their care to another local hospice provider, and they will make the transition as comfortable as possible.
Hospice nurses will continue to provide in-home care, which will allow for expansion of the Home Care schedule. That will, in turn, increase the capacity for Home Care services to meet local needs.
The announcement comes at a time when Northfield Hospital + Clinics is making major changes. In August, the organization announced it would be shutting down its nursing home facility, and just last week it was announced the NH+C Clinic in Lonsdale will be closing at the end of this month.
The decision by NH+C’s Administration and Board, according to the statement, is part of a comprehensive review of services to “ensure the organization can serve the community for generations to come.” NH+C, that statement said, like healthcare organizations across the state, is facing significant challenges. NH+C President and CEO Steve Underdahl admitted earlier this year that the organization lost several million dollars in 2022 as expenses significantly outpaced revenue from services.
While several steps have already been taken to solve the problems, there could still be more changes to come. Administrators and the Hospital Board expect to complete their review of service lines by the end of the year. The statement said they consider several criteria as they analyze service lines: finances, mission, and commitment to serving local communities. They also consider whether a service is available from other providers in the region.
“An organization can’t sustain ongoing heavy losses and continue to operate effectively,” Underdahl said in the statement. “We need to make sound business decisions so we can continue to thrive into the next generation.”
Healthcare organizations across the United States continue to struggle as worker shortages, increased costs, flat payments, and an imbalance of government and private payers play major roles in health care troubles. Similar actions, the statement read, are occurring across the state and around the country.
The announced plan is to end the hospice service in early November. Home Care services, the statement said, will continue.
Some Studio ArTour venues will be open on Friday afternoon
The 19th Annual South Central Minnesota Studio ARTour will take place this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, with some studios opening early on Friday. Patrons and fans of the visual arts are invited to visit area artists in their studios, where they will be able to talk to them and see how their work is done.
This year the tour will feature 30 artists in 18 locations ranging from Eureka Township to Faribault. The work done by the participating artists includes pottery, painting, weaving, jewelry, woodworking and more.
Lyn Rein, a potter and a rosemaler who shows her work with her mother who is also a potter and a rosemaler, said each location will feature the home artist and many will feature guest artists as well. Not all the participating artists have the studio space that would be appropriate for an event such as this, so they have been invited to show their work in one of the larger, more accommodating studios. Rein’s studio is one that will be open this year, as has been the case in years past. She said that she and her mother don’t technically work out of the shed where she will be set up, because she does her art in various locations in her home, but the shed’s purpose has evolved into being a Studio ArTour venue.
“The shed was built for more utilitarian purposes than what it’s being used for right now, which is to basically keep it nice for ArTour. It was built to house our works. It’s very well lit. It’s very pretty.”
Many, but not all, of the studios will be open on Friday evening, which can be a benefit because getting to all 18 locations in one, or even two days, can be a challenge. Not only are the studios spread out over three cities, and many points in between, but it is not difficult to find oneself in conversation with one artist that can become much more than five minutes of small talk. The artists are excited to show their work, which is of course available for purchase, and after coming through a pandemic where many spent their time evolving and expanding what they do, those conversations can become rather in-depth. Jessica Prill, a jewelry artist and longtime participant in the event said those conversations can have long term benefits to the artists on many different levels.
“It’s just grown every year. I know my artwork has changed over the years and I’ve had people that have followed me that specifically come just from [out of town] the for the tour. I don’t even see them except for on the tour. And it’s fun to just kind of hear them talk about having watched my work evolve.”
The Studio ARTour of South-Central Minnesota will run Saturday from 10am-6pm and Sunday from 10am-5pm, with some studios open Friday from 4-8pm. Maps and brochures are available at many local retailers, as well as the KYMN Studios. All the information can be found online, as well, at studioartour.com
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
