What's New

New OB/GYN joins Women’s Health (05/08/08)

Christine Braun, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist, has joined the women’s health practice at Women’s Health Center of Northfield Hospital.

Dr. Braun will see patients at the Women’s Health Center in Northfield and at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic in Farmington. She will deliver babies and perform surgeries at Northfield Hospital

Dr. Braun earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. She performed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Medical Center. Her services are provided by Cannon Valley Clinic --- Mayo Health System.

OB/GYN specialists provide comprehensive care for women of all ages, including preventive healthcare, education, prenatal care, routine and high-risk obstetrics, infertility, urinary incontinence and gynecological surgeries.

For an appointment call, Women’s Health Center at 507-646-1478 or FamilyHealth Medical Clinic --- Farmington at 651-460-2300.

Mayo Clinic specialist provides rheumatology services at Northfield Hospital
(05/08/08)

Thomas Osborn, MD, a specialist in rheumatology from Mayo Clinic, now provides care at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic in Northfield.

Dr. Osborn will provide services on selected Tuesdays once each month at the clinic on the Northfield Hospital campus. He will work closely with community physicians to provide care for patients with diseases and disorders of the joints, muscles, bones and tendons such as arthritis and degenerative joint disease.

“The addition of a Mayo Clinic rheumatology specialist in Northfield significantly expands local access to these services,” said David Oliver, clinic operations administrator for Northfield Hospital. “It will give local residents access to specialty care not previously available this close to home. Any time we can provide more specialty care locally, patients and their families benefit.”

Patients can make an appointment with Dr. Osborn by calling 507-646-1494.

Hospital launches ‘I Promise’ campaign
(04/28/08)
Northfield Hospital is giving its word. Staff members in the hospital and clinics pledge to give patients their best effort, every day, every patient visit.

The “I Promise” campaign, launched earlier this year as part of a patient safety initiative, is designed to reduce medical errors. Tammy Hayes, Nursing Division Administrator, at Northfield Hospital, says this is the right thing to do for patients.

“In recent years, there’s been a real push nationally to reduce medical errors,” said Hayes. “Patient safety has always been our first priority at Northfield Hospital and we want to do everything in our power to make sure patients receive the best care possible.”

The campaign has three parts. One is to remind caregivers to be vigilant with the basics, such as washing hands before giving care, matching the patient’s name with the medical record before giving medicine or performing a procedure and explaining the care and medications before they are delivered. The second part extends the campaign to auxiliary personnel, from Housekeeping and Dietary to Pharmacy. They are promising to provide a clean, comfortable environment and to honor patients by treating them with respect.

The third part is inviting patients to be partners in care. This idea builds on a national “Speak Up” campaign launched in 2002. It urges patients to take an active role in preventing health care errors by becoming involved and informed participants in their healthcare team.

The “I Promise” pledge includes a commitment to listen to patients’ questions and concerns and to stop any procedure if it doesn’t seem right to the patient.

“No system is perfect,” Hayes said. “But if patients feel comfortable working together with caregivers there will be better patient outcomes and fewer safety issues.”

Center for Sports Medicine opens rehab clinic in Lakeville
(01/18/08)

The Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (CSMR), a service of Northfield Hospital, is bringing rehabilitation services to the Lakeville-Farmington area.

The new clinic will open Monday, Feb. 4, in 5,000 square feet of customized space in the new Train America facility located off County Road 70, near Jacquard Avenue. CSMR will offer physical and occupational therapy and athletic training services. It will be supported by a full range of rehabilitation services, including speech and pediatric therapy, offered at its clinic in Northfield.

“This new clinic will make rehabilitation services more accessible to those who live and work in the Lakeville and Farmington communities,” said Kevin Johnson, co-director of CSMR. “This will allow patients to spend more time on their rehabilitation and spend less time away from school or work.”

If you want more information, call 952-985-2020 or stop in for a visit. All major health plans are accepted.

CSMR offers the largest and most comprehensive rehabilitation services between the Twin Cities and Rochester. Their progressive rehab programs focus on injury prevention, recovery from injury, surgery or illness and coping with chronic illness. Services include: physical therapy, sports medicine, occupational therapy, pediatric rehabilitation, industrial rehab or injury prevention, hand therapy, speech and language therapy.

Mayo Clinic provides cardiology services (01/18/08)

Cardiologists from Mayo Clinic are now providing care for adult patients at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic --- Northfield.

Six cardiologists will provide outreach services on a rotating basis on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at the clinic on the Northfield Hospital campus. They are Donald Johnston, MD; Farris Timimi, MD; Wayne Miller, MD; David Foley, MD; David Hayes, MD and R. Thomas Tilbury, MD.

They will work closely with the community physicians to provide care for patients with cardiovascular problems. The Mayo Outreach Services of echocardiography and nuclear imaging also will be available. If needed, Mayo Clinic could provide more complex cardiovascular and diagnostic testing in Rochester.

The addition of Mayo Clinic cardiology services in Northfield significantly expands the local access to these services, said David Oliver, clinic operations administrator for Northfield Hospital.

“The opening of this practice will reduce wait times and give local residents more flexibility for scheduling testing if it is needed,” Oliver said. “Any time we can provide more specialty care locally, patients and their families benefit.”

This is the third specialty practice established by Mayo Clinic outreach at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic --- Northfield. A Maternal-Fetal Medicine practice for high-risk pregnancies and a medical oncology practice opened last fall. Mayo Clinic will begin providing pediatric cardiology services at FamilyHealth in Northfield in February.

Patients can be referred by their primary physician by calling 507-646-1494.

Mayo Clinic provides medical oncologists (09/27/07)

Medical oncologists from Mayo Clinic will begin seeing patients at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic—Northfield in October.

Robert Dalton, MD, a Mayo Clinic physician with specializations in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology, will be the primary provider in the practice. He will be in clinic in Northfield every other Thursday. Kevin Cockerill, MD, Mohammad Ranginwala, MD, and Glenn Harman, MD, will support the practice.

Medical oncology is a specialty practice for treating cancer with medications. Medical oncologists develop a patient’s plan of care and oversee the administration of chemotherapy. Dr. Dalton and his colleagues work closely with Judy King-Harvey, and other oncology nurses at Northfield Hospital, to provide outpatient chemotherapy at Northfield Hospital.

King-Harvey said the addition of Dr. Dalton to the clinic significantly expands the oncology services available locally.

“Dr. Dalton’s clinic hours will reduce wait times for appointments and provide patients with another local option for oncology and hematology services,” she said.

David Oliver, Clinic Operations Administrator for Northfield Hospital, said the development of this practice is a direct result of Northfield Hospital’s partnership with Cannon Valley Clinic --- Mayo Health System. Many physician services at the hospital’s FamilyHealth Medical Clinic are provided by Cannon Valley Clinic --- Mayo Health System. This partnership paved the way for Mayo Clinic specialists to see patients in Northfield.

“We’re delighted to be able to bring additional high-quality oncology services to the community,” Oliver said. “Any time we are able to make more medical care available locally, it is a benefit to patients and their families.

Mayo Clinic specialists provide care locally for high-risk pregnancies (9/12/07)

Mayo Clinic physicians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies are now seeing patients at the Women’s Health Center of Northfield Hospital.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists William Watson, MD, Carl Rose, MD, and Norman Davies, MD, now visit Northfield on a rotating basis on the first Wednesday of each month. They work closely with Deb Suppes, MD, Ann Friedmann, MD, Melanie H. Dixon, MD, and Justine Politz, WHNP, to provide care locally to women with more complicated pregnancies.

“This is a real benefit to our patients,” said Dr. Dixon. “With Drs. Watson, Rose and Davies coming to Northfield, patients who need more specialized pregnancy care no longer have to travel to the Twin Cities or Rochester to receive that care. Even patients who may need to deliver at a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit can have their prenatal visits and regular consultation closer to home in Northfield.”

Generally high-risk pregnancy refers to pregnant women 35 years or older or those with a variety of medical conditions that have the potential to complicate a pregnancy. Those conditions include pre-pregnancy diabetes; heart disease; cancer; renal disease; women with a history of obstetric complications, such as pre-term labor, women with twins or triplets; and women carrying fetuses with known or suspected medical problems, such as genetic disorders or birth defects.

Advanced ultrasonography is an important tool for managing these pregnancies. Northfield Hospital has the same ultrasound equipment used at the Mayo Clinic. Northfield Hospital sonographers have been trained by their counterparts at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Watson said less than 5 percent of pregnancies fall into the category of high risk. But the number is increasing as more women delay childbirth until later in life.

Mayo Clinic specialists coming to Northfield is more convenient for patients. But Dr. Watson said it also means a closer working relationship with local physicians.

“Seeing them face-to-face will help us develop a good coordinated care plan for each patient,” Dr. Watson said.

Women’s Health Center of Northfield Hospital is owned and operated by Northfield Hospital. Physician services are provided by Cannon Valley Clinic—Mayo Health System. To make an appointment, call 507-646-1478.

Back to top of page