The Minnesota Department of Health is honoring a slate of rural health care professionals for significant contributions to the health and well-being of their communities.
The recognitions coincide with National Rural Health Day, which is Thursday, Nov. 16.
Honorees include rural community health advocate Ann Bussey of Side Lake; family nurse practitioner Shannon Shaw of the Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota in Bemidji; Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin; and Ted Matthews of Minnesota Rural Mental Health in Hutchinson.
Bussey’s advocacy work ensures the needs of older adults on the Iron Range and across rural America are reflected in policy decisions.
Shaw provides comprehensive, age-appropriate and culturally sensitive care for victims in her work at the Family Advocacy Center. This includes those who’ve experienced child abuse, sexual assault, neglect, trafficking and intimate partner violence in northern Minnesota.
Riverwood Healthcare Center is recognized for its work in identifying social determinants of health among their patients and creating community partnerships to address those needs.
Health Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham said their accomplishments also serve as a reminder of critical care gaps in rural communities. And the need to work together to fund training and retaining health care workers in Greater Minnesota.
The recipients will be honored during the 2024 Minnesota Rural Health Conference in June in Duluth.
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Ekaterina Bolovtsova via PexelsThe Minnesota Supreme Court suspended Mahnomen County Attorney Julie Bruggeman's license to practice law after a petition citing numerous instances of unethical misconduct. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEThe Minnesota State Fire Marshal reports home fires and other disasters peak during the winter months.
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Canva illustrationA 61-year-old Baxter woman was killed while crossing Highway 371 early in the morning on Thursday, Nov. 30.
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Contributed/City of BiwabikThe grants from the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation are geared to support tourism and recreation.
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Chelsey Perkins/KAXEThe termination of the contract, effective at the end of this year, was expected to impact about 700 Lakeview Behavioral Health patients enrolled in Itasca County's public insurance provider.
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Contributed/DNRThe Encampment Minerals proposals, one near Hoyt Lakes and the other near Cotton, call for diamond drilling exploratory borings and geological surveys.
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And: Elevated copper levels in Brainerd's water supply prompts warnings, new mineral exploration plans submitted for St. Louis County locations, and IRRR grants support tourism and recreation in area cities.
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Contributed/Jonathan Meyer via PexelsThose living in the city and the annexed rural area are invited to participate in the Christmas Light Contest. Judging will be the week of Dec. 17.
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Contributed/Hubbard County Sheriff's OfficeAccording to the sheriff’s office, the girl took instructions from a dispatcher on how to slow down the vehicle on her own because her mother was not responding.
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Walker Orenstein/MinnPost file photoJudge James E. LaFave says the company’s solution for storing waste at the site by lining a tailings pond with bentonite clay is not a “practicable or workable reclamation technique.”
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Contributed/Linda Owen via FlickrSmith said millions of Minnesotans rely on the U.S. Postal Service to pay bills, receive prescriptions and conduct essential businesses.
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Plus: an administrative law judge recommends a permit denial for the NorthMet copper-nickel mining project; a 13-year-old rural Laporte girl is honored for response to her mother's medical emergency; MnDOT will host a community meeting on the Highway 169 corridor in Hibbing; and Coleraine residents are challenged to a Christmas lights contest.
