Steve Calvin, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist from the Twin Cities, will begin offering high-risk pregnancy care to patients in Northfield and the surrounding area in July through the Northfield Hospital Outpatient Clinic.

Dr. Calvin is a board certified obstetrician and perinatologist who specializes in the care of patients with maternal-fetal complications. He also provides genetic counseling. Patients will see him by referral from their primary provider.

This new consulting service will facilitate the expansion of obstetrical care at Northfield Hospital. Mayo Clinic Outreach maternal-fetal medicine specialists currently offer care once each month in the Women’s Health Center at Northfield Hospital to referred patients.

Dr. Calvin is an independent maternal-fetal medicine specialist who brings 30 years of obstetrics experience to the community. He received his medical degree from Washington University in St Louis and completed his OB/GYN residency at the University of Minnesota. He performed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Arizona. He and his wife own a small farm in Rice County.

The first death attributed to the H1N1 novel influenza virus has been recorded in Minnesota.

A Twin Cities area child with underlying health conditions died late last week after a brief hospitalization. Laboratory tests subsequently determined that the child had the H1N1 novel influenza.

According to State Epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield, in most cases, the H1N1 flu is causing mild illness; however, she said it can still be very serious, especially for people with underlying health conditions.

“This flu is very widespread, and we expect to see many more cases across the state,” Dr. Lynfield said. “That’s why we continue to urge people to take simple precautions to prevent getting it or spreading it.”

To date, MDH officials have confirmed 274 cases of the novel virus in Minnesota, including this case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 45 deaths from the virus across the country. There still have been no confirmed cases of H1N1 novel influenza A in Northfield, but officials at Northfield Hospital & Clinics are actively monitoring the situation and taking standard precautions to deal with an outbreak should one occur.

Standard prevention recommendations for influenza include:

• Cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
• Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly – with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub solution.
• Clean your hands after shaking hands or having other close contact with other people – before eating or preparing food, or touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Limit your contact with others who may be ill.
• Stay home from work or school – and generally avoid going out in public – if you are sick, remain home for seven days, or until 24 hours after your symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.
• Make sure to take enough fluids while you’re sick.
• If you are an employer, encourage your employees to stay home if they are sick.
• If you do develop possible flu symptoms and you want to consult your health care provider, call before going in for an office visit. You may not need to go in, and if you do need to be seen, a time should be set up when you will not risk exposing others to influenza in the waiting room.
• People at risk for severe flu or flu complications should contact their health care provider if they have flu symptoms or have been exposed to people with flu symptoms. Those individuals include people with an underlying medical condition, pregnant women, young children (especially under age two) and people 65 or older.

For more information about novel influenza, please visit the MDH Web site at www.health.state.mn.us or contact your health care provider.

In response to the ongoing spread of the novel influenza A virus (H1N1), the World Health Organization (WHO) Thursday declared the outbreak a global pandemic. The designation reflects the geographic spread of the virus, not the severity of its illness, health officials said.

Seventy-four countries are now reporting some 28,000 cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu and 144 associated deaths. In the United States, there have been 13,000 confirmed cases and 27 related deaths. These numbers have been steadily increasing worldwide over the past few weeks.

According to WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan, no previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely

“The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness,” she said in Thursday’s prepared announcement.

In the early going, Dr. Chan predicted the pandemic will be of moderate severity, however she cautioned that countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection.

There still have been no confirmed cases of H1N1 novel influenza A in Northfield, but officials at Northfield Hospital & Clinics are actively monitoring the situation and taking standard precautions to deal with an outbreak should one occur.

People are advised to follow standard recommendations for preventing the spread of the flu virus – if you are sick.:

• Cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
• Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly – with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub solution.
• Limit your contact with others who may be ill.
• Clean your hands after shaking hands or having other close contact with other people – before eating or preparing food, or touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Stay home from work or school – and generally avoid going out in public.
• If you are an employer, encourage your employees to stay home if they are sick.

According to WHO, the novel H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years. In some of these countries, around 2 percent of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia.

Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years. This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people.

Officials say many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.

At the same time, officials note that around one-third to half of the severe and fatal infections are occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people. Pregnant women are at increased risk of complications.

The 2008 Annual Report for Northfield Hospital & Clinics is now available on the hospital website.

It can be accessed from the drop-down menu under “News” by clicking on the front page of the report.

The report provides a summary of activity during 2008, including longitudinal data on key activities, expenses and revenue and community benefit.

If you have questions, please contact Scott Richardson, director of Community Relations, at 507-646-1034.

Dr. Charles Reznikoff provided an in-service to nearly 20 staff at ARTech Charter School on Monday. Last month, Dr. Reznikoff led a similar in-service with over 125 staff from the Northfield Middle School, Northfield High School, and Northfield Area Learning Center.

The in-services focused on issues of addiction, signs and symptoms of chemical use issues, and potential interventions. During both in-services, Dr. Reznikoff presented for approximately an hour, followed by nearly an hour of questions and answers. Dr. Reznikoff plans to provide additional trainings to youth in the local schools this spring and next fall.

The trainings were made possible through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. The grant, which is focused on addressing heroin/opiate abuse in the Northfield area, was awarded to the Northfield Hopsital and a collaborative of other community partners, including the Northfield Public Schools, ARTech, Northfield Police Department, Rice County Sheriff’s Office, the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use, the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition, the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, and the St. Olaf College Center for Experiential Learning.

If you are interested in scheduling a presentation with Dr. Reznikoff on these topics, please call the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative at 507-664-3524 or email info@northfieldhci.org.

Charles Reznikoff, MD, is an Addiction Medicine specialist at Northfield Hospital. Dr. Reznikoff began seeing patients with opiate addictions in Northfield last fall. He spends two Mondays a month at the Northfield Hospital’s Opiate Agonist Therapy Clinic. Many of his clients are individuals addicted to heroin or other opiates and working to stop their use.

To access a medical appointment with Dr. Reznikoff, Rice County residents should call 612-873-9780. Leave your name, date of birth, phone number, the town you are living in, and a message stating you are calling for the Northfield OAT clinic. Dr. Reznikoff will return your call personally.

Northfield Hospital & Clinics will be expanding its rehabilitation center in Northfield this year with a $2 million addition. The Northfield City Council approved the project earlier this month.

The project, scheduled to begin this spring and be completed early in 2010, will add 6,400 square feet to the Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation’s existing 10,000 square feet at the intersection of Jefferson Parkway and Jefferson Road. It will provide space for a new rehabilitation gym, 15 treatment rooms for physical therapists and a larger, more efficient reception space.

Once the addition is complete, the physical therapy department will move into it; and the existing space will be refurbished to accommodate the Children’s Therapy & Speech and the Work Systems programs, both of which are currently located in a separate location on Professional Drive.

Three urology specialists who see patients at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic — Northfield and perform surgeries at Northfield Hospital have been named to Mpls.St. Paul Magazine’s Top Doctors List.

Jeff Twidwell, MD; Neil Skemp, MD; and William Utz, MD; all affiliated with Urology Associates, Ltd., made the magazine’s 13th annual Top Doctors List. The results were announced in the January issue.

The rankings are based on recommendations from 2,500 physicians and 2,500 nurses randomly selected by the magazine from the metropolitan area. They are asked whom they would recommend to family in 70 different areas of medical specialty. Physicians with 15 percent or more of the recommendations make the list.

Drs. Skemp, Twidwell and Utz, along with their partner, Karl Kemberling, MD, have been providing urology services in Northfield since the fall of 2007. They see patients at the Northfield Family Health Medical Clinic each Monday on a rotating basis. Patients can call to make their own appointment at 507-646-1494. A physician referral to see the urologists is not required.

Northfield Hospital is one of only three Minnesota healthcare institutions to receive four Patient Safety Awards of Excellence this year from the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA).

The hospital was recognized for its campaigns on behalf of the MHA’s Safe Skin, Safe from Falls, Safe Site and Safe Count initiatives. Northfield Hospital implemented best practices in all of these areas to prevent pressure ulcers in patients, wrong site surgeries, patient falls, and objects from being retained in patients after giving birth. An award of excellence is earned when a hospital has implemented at least 90 percent of the best practices endorsed by the MHA.

MHA Patient Safety Vice President Tania Daniels said hospitals that receive these awards should be commended because the bar is set quite high.

“Hospitals that qualify have achieved measurable and meaningful progress toward implementing best practices to drive down adverse health events,” she said.

Mary Quinn Crow, vice president and chief operating officer for Northifeld Hospital, said patient safety is a top priority for Northfield Hospital and other Minnesota hospitals

“I am very pleased that Northfield Hospital is among the very few hospitals in Minnesota to receive these awards,” said Quinn Crow. “They recognize our commitment to patient safety and the dedicated work of our staff to achieve the best practices established by MHA. These new initiatives will ensure safe patient care in these areas and that is what is most important.”

The Northfield Hospital Auxiliary has committed $100,000 over three years to help the hospital expand its Breast Care Center into a center of excellence.

The auxiliary donation provides momentum for the development of an integrated service that blends state-of-the-art technology with critical information and counsel that helps patients better understand their diagnosis and treatment options.

Jose Fulco, MD, a general surgeon at Northfield Hospital, said the expanded center will allow for more timely diagnoses and will streamline the decision-making process in a personalized, patient-centered setting.

“One out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime,” he said. “What we are trying to avoid is the delayed diagnosis and the anxiety that goes with it.”

Jane Gelle, Co-President of the Northfield Hospital Auxiliary, said this project is a great fit for her organization.

“This is a service our members can embrace and promote,” she said. “Our hope is that our financial commitment will accelerate the development of this center and make these services more accessible and more convenient to the community.”

With the auxiliary’s commitment, the hospital will create dedicated space where patients’ privacy needs can be honored as they access information on best practices and referrals. It will also contribute to future technology needs and the collection of important educational material, referral information and treatment protocols.

Kathleen Meier, Division Administrator for Ancillary Services, said she is thrilled the auxiliary is adopting this project as a major focus of its fundraising over the next few years.

“This donation allows us to expand the services available through our Breast Care Center sooner than we thought possible,” she said. “Now we are quickly moving from simply having a vision to providing services we know will make a difference in the lives of patients.”

Northfield Hospital nurses are using bar code technology at the bedside to ensure patients receive the right medication at the right time.

The initiative, called “Ready, Set, Scan,” is part of an ongoing effort to increase patient safety and minimize medical errors. According to Gary Anderson, RPh, chief pharmacist at Northfield Hospital, preventable medical errors in hospitals often revolve around the administration of medication. Hospitals that have employed bar code technology have seen a dramatic reduction in mistakes.

“Bar coding medications at the bedside will ensure accuracy and allow our nurses to deliver on the “Five Rights:” Right patient. Right medication. Right route. Right time and Right dose,” Anderson said.

Each patient room in the hospital now has a computer and a bar code imager. When it is time to administer a medication, the nurse will scan the patient’s identification wristband and then scan the meds. If there isn’t a match, the nurse will back up and correct the issue. The system is integrated seamlessly into the hospital’s electronic medical record and allows for real time documentation, eliminating the need for manual documentation, another opportunity for error.

Northfield Hospital dispenses more than 200,000 doses of medication annually. Anderson said this brings a level of safety not previously available. Only 5 percent of the nation’s hospitals use this technology, but Anderson says its time has come.

“Retail stores have done it for years,” Anderson said. “Why not healthcare?”