Mankato Clinic Podiatrists, Dr. Lynn Gustafson and Dr. James Nack were highlighted in the Winter Edition of the Minnesota Podiatric Physician magazine. What the public may not know about these colleagues is that they are married! Sit back and enjoy the article here.

Mankato Clinic Podiatrists, Dr. Lynn Gustafson and Dr. James Nack were highlighted in the Winter Edition of the Minnesota Podiatric Physician magazine.  What the public may not know about these colleagues is that they are married!  Sit back and enjoy the article here.

reprinted with permission from the Free Press

At Mankato Area Public Schools, the idea of what lunch is remains a concept that is in flux.
Case in point: At the beginning of the year, new guidelines put in place for schools by the Food and Drug Administration prompted the schools to shrink the size of the hamburger patties to 2 ounces, an ounce less than the burgers were the previous spring.
“We got feedback from parents,” said Ron Schirmers, food service director at Mankato schools. “You can’t take a senior high football player and feed him the same as a seventh-grader who doesn’t play sports. We were getting some calls that said, ‘My kid’s not getting enough to eat.’”
Mid-year, with the blessing of the FDA — which was flexible and willing to listen to parents and school concerns — the size of those burger patties was bumped back up to 21⁄2 ounces.
That change illustrates how the school district’s menu is a work in progress but definitely heading down the road to helping students eat more healthful lunches.
Students saw a lot of changes in their menu this year. In addition to the different burger patties, they were greeted last fall with a lot more fruits and vegetable than they’ve ever seen, and a significant decrease in some things they’d seen on a regular basis.
More carrots have been on the menu. Sweet potatoes have been on the menu. Romaine lettuce has been more frequent in place of iceberg. French fries have become scarce. And Schirmers said that students appear to like it.
“We haven’t had any complaints at all,” he said.
The FDA put in place calorie limits on lunches. For students K-5, the calorie limit was 350-500. For grades 6-8, 400-550. And in grades 9-12, 450-600. Because of those limits, some of the work-around solutions available to hungry students were gone.
Schirmers said that, in previous years, students who finished their meal and were still hungry had access to peanut butter and bread. The calorie limits, however, have removed that option. This was part of what some parents had complained about.
Erin Gonzalez, a dietitian with the Mankato Clinic who works with the school district on its menu, said the complaints she heard about came from parents of high school students who probably should have been taking a more active role in what their students were eating.
“School lunch isn’t meant to fuel all day long; it’s one meal, and 650 calories is perfectly adequate for one meal,” she said.
Parents should be providing their student athletes with snacks between meals.
“You can’t expect school lunches to feed an athlete,” she said.
Schirmers said the big changes in the school lunch menu were implemented this year, and next year students won’t see much change. The school will continue to taste test new foods, though, and to teach kids about healthful eating.
“Our goal is to educate kids in the classrooms and in the cafeteria so they understand everything that’s available to them,” Gonzalez said.

The Mankato Clinic will be breaking ground later this spring on the Mankato Clinic Children’s Health Center. The new 56,000 square foot facility will include the Clinic’s pediatrics department as well as Gillette’s Children’s Specialty Healthcare and Pediatric Therapy Services.

The Mankato Clinic is teaming up with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare based out of St. Paul to offer services in Mankato that have never been available locally. Pediatric Therapy Services of Mankato will also have space in the new Center. The facility will be designed specifically for children and adolescents including kid friendly waiting areas, exam rooms and an outdoor courtyard.

"We're very pleased to be involved in this project, and to provide better access to specialty care for patients in southern Minnesota. The Mankato Clinic and Pediatric Therapy Services will provide a collaborative approach that will enhance the services we provide patients, “said Kathryn Wardrop, Gillette’s vice president of strategic planning and specialty/support services.

“We have been providing therapy services to children for over 20 years here in Southern MN and work closely with many providers including the Mankato Clinic and Gillette. By sharing actual building space with them we will be able to offer more comprehensive care to families with young children, particularly those that may have special health needs or developmental concerns. It will be a very child and family friendly facility and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” explained Nancy Dobson, PT/Clinic Director of Pediatric Therapy Services.
“Our goal is to be the premier pediatrics center in the region by enhancing access to pediatric care in south central Minnesota in a kid friendly environment,” explained Randy Farrow, CEO of the Mankato Clinic. “Our collaboration with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and Pediatric Therapy Services is just a sign of things to come. We plan to add additional services at this new facility as well.”
“We know how important it is to our patients and their families to be able to offer pediatrics services close to home. With the addition of Gillette to our community many families will no longer have to travel to the Twin Cities for services such as assistive technology including orthoses (specialized braces), specialized seating systems and mobility devices. This is very important for our community;” share Dr. Don Putzier, pediatrician with the Mankato Clinic.

The new Mankato Clinic Children’s Health Center will be located south of the Mankato Clinic’s existing building on the Wickersham Health Campus, which is located on the corner of Highway 22 and County Road 26. The lower level of the new facility will house some of the Mankato Clinic’s support services such as IT, health information, and business office services. The expectation is to break ground in late May/early June and offering pediatric care at the new Children’s Health Center by mid- summer of 2014.
The Wickersham campus is owned jointly by the Mankato Clinic and the Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic.

reprinted with permission by The Free Press


Several months ago a south- central Minnesota woman had trav­eled to the Twin Cities and found herself in a medical emergency.

She needed to know the names and doses of the medications she was taking but couldn’t remember them all.

But she did remember one thing: She’s a patient at the Mankato Clinic and had been using the clinic’s patient portal.

So she logged into a com­puter, pulled up her patient portal account and there, under the medications tab, was a full list of every med­ication she’d ever been pre­scribed as a Mankato Clinic patient, complete with dosage.

“ That one’s kind of close to our hearts,” said Cheryl Jones, director of health information and electronic health records.

It’s a classic example of the good that can come when patients have better access to their records.

The clinic’s patient portal has been up and running since January 2012. Since its launch, the clinic has experienced a swell of buy­in from patients.

As of mid-February:

•  6,600 Mankato Clinic patients had signed up.

•  Patients have accessed their portal 44,000 times.

• When the time patients have spent on the portal is added up, it totals 257 days.

Jones says one of the most popular features has been the appointment reminder. The portal auto­matically, if you want it to, lets you know when your appointments are coming up.

It lets you know via email or text message.

One patient contacted them recently and said the reminder saved her from missing her appointment because she’d written down a different time.

“ That was a win for us,” Jones said.

Pat Lueck, office manager at the Kearney International Center at Minnesota State University, said she’s been a user of the patient portal almost since its launch.

She said she likes to go into the portal after an appointment to read her doctor’s notes.

“ Sometimes when you’re there, it doesn’t all sink in,” she said.

She also likes the fact that now you can corre­spond directly with your doctor.

“I’ve been asking for it for a long time,” she said, “and we finally got word that it’s going to happen.”

Soon, there will be an upgrade to the portal, and the upgrade will be browser ­based and no longer require users to download software.

It will come with a video tutorial on how to use it, easy ways to print, fax or email anything within the portal and, eventually, they hope to a function where patients who need to fill out forms for specific services — such as care for young children — can fill them out at home in the portal elec­tronically. The completed forms would then be avail­able when to the doctor and nurses when the patient comes for his or her visit.

Click on the links below to download and print the Minnesota State High School League Sports Physical Clearance Form and Sports Health Questionnaire. Bring the completed forms to your sports physical appointment.

Sports Physical Clearance Form

Sports Health Questionnaire Form

reprinted with permission from The Free Press, Mankato

“Bear down!” the doctor says, and a room full of young women (and two or three guys) obeys.

“Bear down! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” he says. “Quick breath, do it again, push! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Quick breath, do it again, push! Bear down, bear down, bear down! I don’t see any red faces!”

The group laughs and giggles. Is this guy serious?

“Uh-huh,” Dr. Mark Taylor says. “Now try doing that for two hours.”

Whoa. Reality. Two hours of bearing down is roughly what a woman goes through when she’s trying to push a fetus through the birth canal.

Taylor’s point, well taken by the group, was this: Childbirth (news flash) isn’t easy. It’s incredibly painful — an experience Taylor likened to having the largest bowel movement of your life. How large? Try bowling ball large.

The group assembled is the early childhood class from Mankato West High School, a group made up of all grade levels. This is the fourth year Taylor, of the Mankato Clinic, has taken a morning to show the high schoolers the reality of childbirth.

It was part scared straight, part anatomy lesson, part stand-up com­edy. Taylor — who it was revealed had delivered about 20 percent of the students in the room — knows how to keep an audience engaged.

He began by introducing a woman named Melanie Runge, who looked to be in her early to mid-20s. Runge was pregnant with her second child and had agreed to have Taylor perform an ultrasound on her in front of the class.

By the way, Runge’s first ultra­sound didn’t go so well. Taylor couldn’t see the baby, and her body was producing less than ideal levels of ACG, the chemical doctors look for to confirm pregnancy.

“ We had a bleak conversation,” he said. “It looked like it was a mis­carriage. ... I had already been preparing my what- do you-want-to­do- about-this speech.”

Added Runge, “ That was a rough weekend.”

But a week later, the baby was 66 centimeters.

“Now look at it!” he said, gestur­ing to Runge’s beautifully protrud­ing belly.

After giving the kids the back story on Runge, Taylor prepared to perform the ultrasound. As the ultrasound gel splurted out of the tube, girls around the room jockeyed for position.

Within seconds, an image appeared on the monitor that was unmistakable.

Girls giggled, gasped, held their hands to their hearts, while on the screen, a series of rapid flutters showed everyone exactly how healthy the baby’s heart was.

“ You can see the valve opening up, sending blood out,” Taylor said. “One, two, three four chambers. If you see four chambers, that rules out 90 percent of heart defects. ... That looks wonderful.”

Time to quiz the kids.

“Can you guys see this? Does anyone know what this is?”

“ That’s the butt. There’s a cheek. There’s another cheek,” he said. “And it is a cute little butt.”

And later ...

“Can you see this? Anybody got a guess as to what this is? Anybody? It’s toward the butt? It’s filled with fluid? Can anybody guess?”

The kids giggle.

“It’s the bladder,” he says, and they giggle some more, as if they were thinking of something else.

Runge’s baby was very mobile.

“Can you tell the kid to stop moving around so much?” he joked. “ This is the most entertaining baby we’ve had. Others have been kind of sluggish.”

One more quiz: “Anyone know what this little round thing is?”

Silence.

“ That’s her little boy,” he said. “ That’s a scrotum. So (Runge’s first child) Kale’s got a brother. I was hoping we might able to catch that. You gotta have a cooperative baby.”

Late ... “Here’s the baby’s teeny testicles ... There’s the liver ... This here is the intestines.”

Then it was movie time. If Taylor’s frank talk about pain and blood and bags of water exploding in his face started the task of conveying the messy reality of childbirth, the movies he brought in on vaginal and cesarean section births finished it up. The vaginal birth scenes were enough to prompt a few students to get up and leave the room and a few others to turn their heads. But when the woman’s abdomen was opened to reveal a lot of stuff few people in the room had ever seen before, gasps filled the room, heads darted away in disgust and a few more people left the room.

“It was the most effective birth control I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Tim King, one of the few boys to take Laurie Hagberg’s early childhood class this quarter.

Students Katelyn Furst and Maria Soroka were very impressed with it all.

“ That was cool,” Furst said.

Added Soroka, “It was amazing.”

Rebecca Gurney disagreed.

“It was kind of gross,” she said, before uttering the phrase organizers hoped to hear: “I kind of don’t want to have a baby.”

Teacher Laurie Hagberg said part of the point of visiting Taylor is to give kids a dose of reality, to remind them that childbirth has little to do with glamour and everything to do with major life change.

“It’s real life,” Hagberg said. “From this, they get a clear understanding and awareness that they’re not ready for this.”

To send them off with a vivid reminder of their day with him, Taylor invited them to don rubber gloves and get line to touch a freshly harvested placenta. Just about all the students answered the challenge, many of them proclaiming it “gross,” but curiously poking it and holding it anyway.

We want to be able to make your search easier!  Click here to access a comprehensive list of our primary healthcare providers that are currently taking new patients.

reprinted with permission from the Free Press

The Mankato Clinic and its Mankato Clinic Foundation have donated $500,000 to fund the signature exhibit for the Southern Minnesota Children's Museum.

The Tree of Forts Climber, a monstrous verti­cal maze of forts and play areas, will be known as the Mankato Clinic Tree of Forts Climber when the museum opens. When that will be remains to be seen, but the Mankato Clinic's donation — which will be spread out over 15 years — increases the momentum on a project that already has been embraced by the pub­lic and business community.

So far, the Children's Museum has raised $2.5 million, including the Clinic's donation. With $2 million more, museum exec­utive director Peter Olson says, they'll be able to break ground.

The museum, which is currently in its temporary home in the former Family Bank location at the corner of Second and Cherry streets, is slated to be built at the site of the former Embers Restaurant.

“I can't think of a better initiative than this,” said Randy Farrow, CEO of the Mankato Clinic. “ There's momentum going now. This is something that will be a great asset to the community.”

Here are some of the highlights of the museum’s facility plan:

Great Big Gallery — The facility’s basement will be filled with what’s called the Great Big Gallery. This is where the exhibits dedi­cated to water and rock quarries can be found. Having such exhibits, Olson has said, is important so that the museum can tie learning to the natural resources of the region.

Main floor — The dis­tinguishing feature of this floor will be an iconic fea­ture called the Tree of Forts Climber, a safe climbing structure reminiscent of the Swiss Family Robinson. Olson said this area could possibly be available for gatherings such as weddings or company parties.

Second floor — The so­ called Whiz Bang area will be here. It will focus on sci­ence, technology, engineer­ing, art and math. Because it will be away from the toddler-focused areas, Olson said it will be ideal for older kids. Work areas will be taller, again catering to the older end of their birth-12 target audience for a children’s museum.

This will be an ideal area, Olson said, to incorporate adult volunteers who want to give back to the community. Quilters, for example or woodworkers can come and demonstrate their craft for kids and teach them basics, hopefully fostering an interest in such hobbies.

Rooftop Farm Park — Olson said this could be one of the biggest draws of the museum. They plan to have live animals here. They’re also considering what kind of programming they can structure around the idea of a farmer’s growing season.

(Visit the museum's website for more information about the future site and about the capital campaign.) Getting sponsorshiplevel funding for the museum’s signature exhibit, Olson said, was a big deal.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “ This is the No. 1 exhibit our families have been asking for.”

reprint courtesy of KEYC-TV

Mom Concerned About Vitamins Found In Trick-Or-Treat Bags

When the Frank family went trick–or–treating at the mall last night, they got plenty of candy...but they also got a different treat—vitamins. Danielle Frank found chew–able adult vitamins from GNC in her kids' bags.
She was concerned when she found one in each of her kids' bags last years, so this year she paid close attention.
Frank says, "I saw they were handing out handfuls, so my 4 children we came home with 14 vitamins."
She looked them up online and found her kids had 10 multi–vitamins, a vitamin D...
Frank says, "And 3 of them are collagen supplements, so I don't know why they would be handed out to a child."
A spokesperson for GNC told News 12 that they don't believe there would be any health issues for anyone who consumed these products as labeled, regardless of age. Frank's biggest concern, it's hard to tell they are even vitamins.
Frank says, "If he had the opportunity he would take these just like others, because he doesn't know the difference, they look like candy, they came with candy."
We talked to registered dietitian Erin Gonzalez to get her take.
Gonzalez says, "Most of our kids are over fed but malnourished so they aren't getting the right amount of the nutrient, but you can't assume that."
She says one or two wouldn't be a big deal, but if kids get too much of some vitamins, it can become harmful.
Gonzalez says, "It certainly does look like candy, so to a child they might eat all of them at once without even being aware that it was a multi–vitamin, or a vitamin D. The biggest concern is the child getting in more than they need."
Frank says, "It could be in your big bag of candy when you get home and you could have a small child dive into it and eat all of them in one sitting."
Gonzalez says it would probably be a good idea to go through your kids' bags to see if there are any vitamins.
Gonzalez says, "If they are it would be something to take out and maybe take to the physician or pedestrian if it is appropriate for the child."
This mom told us as a possible solution, she would have appreciated GNC handing the vitamins to her, not her children.

reprint courtesy of the Free Press, Mankato

New mammography machine provides

BETTER IMAGE

Mankato Clinic second in country to get new device


To put it crudely, the biggest advantage of the Giotto mam­mography machine is this: Instead of bringing the breast to the machine, Giotto comes to the breast.

The folks in Mankato Clinic’s radiology department are all smiles these days about the newest addi­tions to their technological arsenal.

One is Giotto, a mammography machine that looks nothing like a traditional machine. It’s defining characteristic is the circular frame that can be twisted, turned, raised or lowered to accommodate anyone in a chair or laying on a bed.

What this means for patients is no more sitting in uncomfortable positions remaining perfectly still for extended periods of time. Giotto also allows doctors to perform biopsies, eliminating the need for a separate machine and separate appointment to do what is normally an additional procedure.

In addition to the Giotto machine, they’ve also got a new Fuji, high resolution imaging machine that allows doctors to view mammography images in the highestpossible resolution.

This gives doctors a much better image to look at and allows them to spot irregularities much sooner, such as pre- cancerous areas known as ductal carcinoma in sutu.

Radiologist Maureen Magut said addition of the machines is an important step for the health of Mankato Clinic patients.

“ This is a very big deal,” she said.

The Mankato Clinic is just the second location in the country to have installed a Giotto machine, and the first to have actually used it. It’s been in operation for a few weeks.

Another feature of the Giotto machine is the ability to do biopsies on calcifications so small that previous technology made it nearly impossible to detect much less pull a sample for testing.

Glenda Beeck, a registered technologist in radiology and mammography and manager of the imaging department, said the clinic got in on the Giotto movement early because they were in the right place at the right time.

A salesman who used to work for Kodak and made sales calls to the clinic contacted them to see if they were interested in hearing about his newest client’s latest product. Of course they were.

Magut said that when she and Beeck decided the department needed these two machines, they sat down with the Mankato Clinic CEO and CFO and explained their situation. And that was it. She said that, at a larger health care provider with more bureaucracy, it would have taken much longer to have such a purchase approved.

The amount of time needed for a mammogram visit, Magut said, will be cut in half. They’ll be able to send folks on their way within 15 minutes.

Your health means everything to us. That's why we want to you know just how important early detection is in the fight against breast cancer. The Mankato Clinic is now providing the latest in digital mammogram technology and we want you to be the first to see it!
Plan on attending an open house to see our new state-of-the-art, "patient-friendly" mammography equipment and take a tour of our Mammography department. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to explain how important this new technology is in early detection of breast cancer.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served!
When: Friday, October 19, 2012
7:30am-9:00am
Where: Mankato Clinic @ Main Street
1230 East Main Street, Mankato

The Mammography department is located on the lower level in the Diagnostic Imaging Department.

As a precaution, the Mankato Clinic as well as the Mankato Surgery Center has confirmed their pharmaceutical supplier does not purchase and has never purchased any products from the New England Compounding Center, the manufacturer in question regarding the recent fungal meningitis outbreak.

Patients should know that any injections provided by the Mankato Clinic or at the Mankato Surgery Center are safe. Both organizations use pharmaceutical supplies from other vendors and will continue to do so. Also, neither location uses the type of medication in question regardless of manufacturer.

Patients at the Mankato Clinic and the Mankato Surgery Center should feel comfortable and confident receiving care.

If you have further questions about the injectible steroid, fungal meningitis, or the pharmacy where the steroid was manufactured, you can find that information on the Minnesota Department of Health's website: 

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/meningitis/fungal/index.html

reprint courtesy of The Free Press, Mankato

Several area clinics fared well in a first-of- its kind Consumer Reports magazine analysis of Minnesota’s clinics in the areas of diabetes and cardiovascular disease care.

Mankato Clinic in Lake Crystal earned the highest ranking in the state for cardiovascular care, while the Mankato Clinic in Mapleton was among the top 15 for diabetes care. The clinic’s North Mankato office was in the top 50 for cardiovascular disease care as well.

Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato Northridge was in the top 50 for diabetes care, and Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato Eastridge landed in the top 100 in cardiovascular care.

The rankings are the result of a unique situation of medical transparency.

Minnesota is the only state for which Consumer Reports has compiled a ranking because it’s the only state in which it can.

“Minnesota has done a good of coming to agreement on what we’re going to measure,” said Mankato Clinic Chief Medical Officer Dr. Julie Gerndt.

The magazine, which is available at newstands, rates 552 Minnesota physician group practices and analyzes Minneapolis-St. Paul medical groups focusing on cost and quality of care.

The ratings were compiled in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Minnesota Community Measurement (MNMC), a nonprofit organization that has worked since 2004 to improve health care and cut unnecessary cost.

Consumer Reports and MNCM found clinics deliv­ering high- quality care for diabetes and cardiovascular disease throughout the state, and 37 practices earned the magazine’s high­est rating in both cate­gories.

Other practices didn’t fare as well. Sixty-six prac­tices earned the magazine’s lowest score for diabetes care, 50 got the lowest score for cardiovascular care, and 24 for both.

Gerndt said the Mankato Clinic’s main clinic did OK, but not nearly as well as some of its smaller clinics.

The main clinic, though, is where the majority of its sickest patients receive care. And because some of the measuring guidelines deal with outcomes, clinics with sicker patients will tend to score lower.

Why, then, would clinics in Lake Crystal and Mapleton — small rural communities with higher percentages of elderly patients — have high rank­ings?

“In these rural practices — those that have a very high percentage of geriatric patients — you’d expect they’d be more ill and have a hard time managing good outcomes,” Gerndt said.

“It’s all about relationships with patients. One of the key aspects in getting good outcomes is relationships, and (Mapleton’s) Dr. Becker has that kind of relationship with the patients there.”

Gerndt said the clinic takes this survey very seri­ously because they like to work as if they’re account­able for results.

“ You don’t make improve­ments if you’re not measur­ing,” she said. “In medicine we’re driven by data because that shows us how we’re doing. We don’t dis­miss these results.”

reprint courtesy of The Free Press, Mankato

About 10 times each year, Henry Winkler — yes, that Henry Winkler — takes a break from filming movies and writing children’s books to do something very differ­ent.

He travels the country making stops in towns big and small to talk about a disease most people proba­bly haven’t even heard of: upper limb spasticity.

But Winkler’s heard of it. After his mother suffered a stroke, she spent 10 years living with the disease.

Upper limb spasticity results in uncomfortable muscle stiffness and muscle tightness in the elbow, wrist and fingers. People living with it may have an arm pinned against their chest, a flexed elbow or wrist that can’t be straightened without discomfort or force, or a clenched hand in a tight, balled-up fist.

Winkler’s appearance was sponsored by the Mankato Clinic. At a presentation at the Madison East Center Friday, the clinic’s Dr. Lisa Davidson presented information about the disease as well as insight into the newest Botox treatments being used to mitigate its effects.

Winkler remembers his mother going through this and being able to do little to help her.

“I know all too well the toll upper limb spasticity can take on a person,” Winkler said.

Back then, though, they didn’t have some of the treatments they have today.

That’s why Winkler does the advocacy work. He wants to raise awareness about the use of Botox to help people live with upper limb spasticity.

“ When my mother had her stroke, she didn’t have the opportunity to use Botox,” Winkler said.

If she had, he said, her life would have been a lot better. She might have been able to continue playing cards with her friends or working at the local synagogue. And maybe she wouldn’t have given up hope.

“ The goal here is to let people know that this is a possibility,” he said of Botox.

Winkler said that when he’s not traveling the country raising awareness about treatments for upper limb spasticity, he’s just as busy now as he ever was. Life in the celebrity limelight didn’t end with cancellation of “Happy Days,” in which he played the The Fonz.

He’s getting ready for the reconvening of the cast of “Arrested Development,” where he plays attorney Barry Zuckerkorn. He’s also plugging a film coming out soon starring Kevin James and Salma Hayek called “Here Comes the Boom.”

Winkler calls it a romantic comedy about a high school biology teacher who becomes a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money to save extracurricular activities from getting cut at his school.

He’s also busy continuing with his “Ghost Buddy” series of children’s books.

If you or someone you love may be affected by upper limb spasticity, we encourage you to come meet special guest, famed actor and best-selling author Henry Winkler. Join us as he shares his personal story about his late mother’s struggle with upper limb spasticity at the Madison East Center- Main Corridor on Friday, September 14th beginning at 3pm.  This event is free and open to the public.


Often described as uncomfortable muscle stiffness or tightness in the elbow, wrist or fingers, upper limb spasticity is a debilitating condition that impacts a person’s life. Upper limb spasticity is severely under-recognized and under-treated, because it can occur weeks, months or even years after the person’s original injury – after discharge from the hospital or when patients are no longer seeing specialists familiar with and specifically trained to treat the condition. It is crucial to have access to resources that can help you or your loved one recognize the symptoms of upper limb spasticity, understand why the condition occurs, and, importantly, how it’s diagnosed and managed.

To address the low awareness and under-diagnosis of upper limb spasticity, Henry Winkler and coalition of nine national patient advocacy organizations, including National Stroke Association, Brain Injury Association of America, National Spinal Cord Injury Association, United Cerebral Palsy, United Spinal Association, MSWorld, Can Do Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and Paralyzed Veterans of America have joined together to support the “Open Arms Campaign: Raising Awareness of Upper Limb Spasticity.”

Don't miss this opportunity to meet an iconic American actor who knows all too well that life doesn't always stay on script.

Click here for a flyer with all of the event details.

reprint courtesy of The Free Press, Mankato

Formulating an influenza vaccine is a bit of a guessing game. Scientists do the best they can to determine which strains may come up in the flu virus that circulates through the human population.

But here’s something that doesn’t take any guesswork: It’s a good idea to get immunized because the alternative can be hell.

“ If you get influenza, you’re going to be sick.

Sick, sick, sick. For a week. You’ll feel like you’ve got meningitis,” said Dr.

Richard Peller of the Mankato Clinic. “ If you ever get the real flu, you won’t ever forget it.”

Flu shots are the No. 1 recommendation from doctors on how best to avoid contracting the virus. But even the guys who create the vaccine aren’t ever exactly sure what they’ll be up against.

That vaccine is based on what flu strains have circulated in prior years. They learn this by conducting tests on people with con­firmed flu cases. Based on those results, they not only get a handle on the strains doing the most damage, but which new strains are com­ing up. When a strain seems to be picking up stream, they add it to the vaccine.

Sometimes, however, a strain comes along that the scientists never saw coming. This was the case several years ago when the H1N1 strain hit, otherwise known as “swine flu.”

That year, because of the severity of H1N1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to issue a second vaccine, and that’s why many people got two flu shots that year.

This year there is new concern about swine flu.

Two children contracted a new strain known as H2N3, a strain usually contracted through contact with swine.

In addition to the Minnesota cases, there have been more than 200 other cases of H3N2 flu. (H1N1, the swine flu strain from a few years ago, is already included in this year’s vaccination.) “ The shot changes year to year because it is a matter of using the most recent strains,” said Dr. Scott Helmers of Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato’s Eastridge office. This year there are three strains in the vaccine, but Helmers said next year the vaccine could contain four.

Vaccinations work in sev­eral different ways.

Injections put inactive virus­es into the body that essen­tially trick the body into thinking a virus is in the house and it needs to fight to get it out. There are also nasal sprays available that apply a modified live virus to the nasal passages. Like the injection, the body gets wind of its presence and sets about the task of elimi­nating it. Helmers said it’s a very weakened virus that elicits a very minor infection. This kind of vaccination is good for chil­dren, but not children whose immune systems maybe com­promised in any way.

The best way to deal with the flu strains is by doing whatever is necessary to avoid contracting them.

■ Wash your hands — This is still the No. 1 way to avoid the spread of virus that is often spread from person to person via the hands.

■ Avoid crowds — Walking through crowded areas puts you in close prox­imity with a lot of people. If any of them are carrying the virus, it could spread easily in a crowd.

■ Cover that cough — This is a no brainer anyway, but it’s especially important during flu season. Don’t cough on others, cough into your elbow, and avoid chron­ic coughers.

■ Avoid people who have the flu — Another no brain­er, but one many people seem incapable of following. “I would emphasize the hand washing,” Helmers said. “ So often we acquire infections hand to mouth.”

In addition to passive ways, people who have con­tracted the virus can take medication if they’ve got confirmed cases of influen­za. The most popular is Tamiflu, which can mitigate the symptoms of influenza but not cure it.

The best advice, though, is to get that shot.

“It’s never too late to get the flu shot,” Peller said.

Influenza kills 36,000 Americans a year.

“Every time I read that number I think, ‘Can it real­ly be that many?’” Pharmacies are already advertising flu shots. Both the Mankato Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato will have vacci­nations available soon.

reprint courtesy of The Free Press, Mankato

A large group of medical practitioners and athletic coaches were engaged in some pretty basic memory exercises Tuesday morning, matching shapes by memory and clicking on numbers backward from 25 as fast as they could.

But actually, in the relatively new world of concussion study, the demonstration of Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing was fairly complex.

“ We’re looking for accura­cy, but we’re also looking for reaction time,” said Jamie Pardini, a clinical neuropsychologist and assis­tant professor in the Sports Medicine Concussion Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Physicians, nurses, athlet­ic directors, trainers and coaches from Minnesota and Wisconsin gathered in a conference room at Madison East Center for the daylong Concussion Management/ImPACT Training Workshop, led by Pardini and hosted by Mankato Clinic.

A certified ImPACT trainer, Pardini said the testing is the first, most widely used and most scien­tifically validated computer­ized concussion evaluation system.

The idea behind the test­ing is to give medical practi­tioners another way of assessing whether athletes are ready to return to their sport following concussions. Pardini said recovery times vary significantly from play­er to player, and sometimes when concussion symptoms have subsided, brain func­tion still isn’t quite back to normal.

The ImPACT testing, aimed at 10- to 60-year- olds, helps identify those patients.

“It captures part of con­cussion recovery that a symptom report does not,” she said. “It really under­scores the importance of using multiple tools.”

The testing was devel­oped by Drs. Mark Lovell and Joseph Maroon in the 1990s. The test takes 20 minutes and includes com­puterized exercises that shed light on brain function. For example, a person being tested is asked to look at a screen image with a mishmash of Xs and Os, and three of the letters are high­lighted. After a few seconds away from the page, the tes­tee is asked to click on the three letters that had been highlighted.

Pardini said speed and memory are being tested by the exercise.

The tool can be adminis­tered by athletic trainers, school nurses, athletic direc­tors, team doctors or psy­chologists who have com­pleted ImPACT training.

The Mankato Clinic Foundation has underwrit­ten the annual cost of ImPACT for seven area high schools, including Mankato East and West, Loyola, St.

Peter, St. Clair, Mapleton and Lake Crystal.

 If you are having a child for the first time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by questions, fears, and just not knowing what to expect. Many new parents find that childbirth education classes can really help calm their worries and answer many questions.

Our classes cover all kinds of issues surrounding childbirth including breathing techniques, pain management, vaginal birth, and cesarean birth. They can help prepare you for many aspects of childbirth: for the changes that pregnancy brings, for labor and delivery, and for parenting once your baby is born. Mankato Clinic Childbirth Educators are highly trained and knowledgeable and have proven to be a reliable resource for expectant parents.

Typically, new parents take birthing classes during the third trimester of the pregnancy, when the mother is about 7 months pregnant. Each "Prepared Childbirth" class is four sessions- one session per week. You do not need to be a Mankato Clinic patient to participate in these classes.

Benefits of Taking a Childbirth Class
At our childbirth class you will be provided with a great forum to ask lots of questions and you will learn more about topics such as:

•how your baby is developing
•healthy developments in your pregnancy
•warning signs that something is wrong
•how to make your pregnancy, labor, and delivery more comfortable
•breathing and relaxation techniques
•how to write a birth plan
•how to tell when you are in labor
•pain relief options during labor
•what to expect during labor and delivery
•the role of the coach or labor partner
Many of our classes also address what to expect after the baby is born, including breastfeeding, infant care, and dealing with the emotional changes of new parenthood.

If you have questions or would like more information please call 507-385-4089.

Click here  for the 2013 Childbirth Education Class Schedule

MyHealthInfo is Mankato Clinic's Patient Portal, which provides patients with access to their health information anywhere there is an internet connection.  This innovative approach is built on the idea that managing your healthcare information can be intuitive, efficient, and maybe even fun! 

MyHealthInfo is free and can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

ONLINE ACCESS-ANYWHERE, ANYTIME
View your health information electronically via a web browser.

THE COMFORT OF A SECURE ENVIRONMENT
Your health information is posted to a highly secure data repository.

YOUR INFORMATION
View your health history and personal health record online.  Get real-time health updates including lab results, medications, diagnoses, and immunization records.

SIGN ME UP!
If you would like anytime, anywhere online access to your health records through the Mankato Clinic's MyHealthInfo, please fill out a form and to ensure your privacy and security, return in person to any Mankato Clinic location or at your next appointment. Because we have to verify your identify when you return the form before we enroll you, we can only accept forms that are returned in person; please do not mail sign-up forms.

Click here for the sign-up form that you can download, print and fill out

Click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about MyHealthInfo

Click here to log into MyHealthInfo

Nearly $160,000 Awarded in 2011, nearly $1 million in the last 6 years.

Thanks to the Mankato Clinic Foundation, over 35 area organizations received grants and funding totaling nearly $160,000 in 2011. Organizations supported include; Feeding our Community Partners – Backpack Program, Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center, YMCA,VINE, YWCA – Walking in Two Worlds, Greater Mankato Diversity Council, Creative Play Place in St. Peter , Children's Museum of Southern MN, Special Olympics, Greater Mankato Early Learning Initiative, area school districts, and several other organizations including scholarships for the nursing programs at both South Central College and Minnesota State University- Mankato.

The physicians at the Mankato Clinic provide the majority of the Foundation funding as a means to give back to the community by providing support to organizations which strive to improve health and wellness. The Mankato Clinic Foundation has given $914,148.00 to area organizations over the past six years in an effort to support the health and well-being of local communities.

Mankato Clinic Foundation president, Marcia Bahr said, “The Mankato Clinic Foundation is thrilled to be able to support the areas we serve by providing local organizations with funds that enhance the health and wellness of the community.”

The Mankato Clinic Foundation provides resources to organizations and endeavors that effectively promote and improve community health and wellness. Since the primary focus of the Foundation is to support the health and well-being of the community, projects and programs supported include education and scholarships, initiatives focused on health care, health education and wellness.

Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis and are considered only through the application process. Applications and more information can be obtained by clicking here. The next grant application deadline is March 1, 2012.

The Mankato Clinic was honored to have recently been recognized by the Mankato Area Council for Quality (MACQ) at the 22nd Annual Quality Recognition and Awards Banquet, which was held on Thursday, October 20, 2012.

The Mankato Clinic is honored to receive the MACQ Corporate Quality Award for our service improvement efforts geared toward achieving better clinical outcomes, service, and overall patient satisfaction. The health care industry is undergoing significant transformation and the Mankato Clinic is proud to be recognized by the MACQ for its leadership in bringing about positive change for the benefit of our patients.

The Mission of the Mankato Clinic is “To improve the health of the people in our region through compassionate, patient-focused care and education.

Mankato Clinic implements iD5 initiative to improve diabetic control in diabetic patients

Just 25 years ago, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in adolescence meant a life expectancy of around 40, and a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in adulthood meant limb amputations, blindness, kidney failure or even early death. But, times have changed. Today, thanks to advances in research, education and technology, better diabetes health can be attained. One way Mankato Clinic is working to help its diabetic patients attain better diabetic control is with a new initiative at its’ North Mankato Family Practice Clinic called iD5. iD5, or Initiative Diabetes 5, seeks to improve diabetic control by pinpointing five target goals. The program benefits both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.

The five goals for living well with diabetes are:
1. Control blood pressure - High blood pressure makes the heart work too hard. It can cause heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. Ideal blood pressure in a diabetic patient is less than 130/80.
2. Lower bad cholesterol – LDL, or bad cholesterol, can build up and clog blood vessels and can cause heart attack and stroke. HDL or good cholesterol helps remove cholesterol from blood vessels. Diabetics should strive for LDL less than 100.
3. Maintain blood sugar - High blood glucose levels (too much sugar in the blood) may harm the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, feet and eyes. Hemoglobin A1C, which measures the average blood sugar level over a three to four month period, should ideally be less than 7 percent in diabetic patients, which is equivalent to a daily average blood sugar of 154 mg/dL.
4. Be tobacco-free - Smoking doubles the risk of heart disease. It may also damage the blood vessels in the legs, increasing the risk of amputation. Smoking increases the cardiovascular complications associated with diabetes including heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
5. Take an aspirin daily – Taking aspirin every day can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Christie Nelson, registered nurse and chronic care coordinator at Mankato Clinic-North Mankato Family Practice, works with the clinic’s diabetic patients and tracks their well-being. “Following and meeting the iD5 goals is important for patients managing diabetes long term,” said Nelson. “There is evidence-based data that shows following these goals helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in individuals with diabetes. Because diabetes is a chronic disease and individuals with a chronic disease will never be cured, those who manage their disease in a healthy way have a good chance of living a long, quality life.”

Nelson is part of a team including the provider, the primary nurse and the department specialist that provides a medical home to coordinate all of the patient’s diabetic needs. She says patients sometimes need a little extra motivation, like a phone call to keep them on track. “The team keeps a registry of diabetic patients and if any of them do not meet any of the five targeted goals, we ask to see them back within a certain amount of time,” said Nelson. “The electronic registry alerts us if any patients are overdue and we give them a call to check in and schedule an appointment. I serve as a patient contact and inquire about side effects, make changes to medications per the patient’s provider, motivate patients in their efforts to achieve weight loss and healthy eating goals, and coordinate with medical specialists and community resources to support patient needs.”

Shirley Zimpritch, a 74-year-old Type 2 diabetic from Elysian, began working with Nelson and the medical staff at North clinic over six months ago after experiencing dangerously high blood sugars as a result of taking prednisone prescribed by another medical facility. She began taking insulin to control her blood sugars and Nelson, in conjunction with the physicians at North, began following her two to three times a week to make sure she was staying on track.

“My experience with the medical staff at North Mankato Clinic has been super,” said Zimpritch. “It makes me comfortable knowing that Christie is going to call and check in on me to see if my needs have changed and that I can call the medical team at any time when I need them. They simplify what I need to do in order to stay in good diabetic health and encourage me to stay under control. I am feeling better as well as seeing on paper that my complications are improving.”

Dr. Andy Miller, family practitioner at Mankato Clinic-North Mankato Family Practice, says that the iD5 concept stemmed from the health care home model and is part of the clinic’s team approach to diabetes care. “iD5 came from the idea of getting a nurse coordinator involved to keep better track of diabetic patients and in the end, get more patients to reach their goals and achieve better control overall,” said Dr. Miller. “Our medical home team is able to spend extra time with patients who need a little more attention which provides a team approach to medical care. Patients seem appreciative of the extra time and follow-through.”

Stacy Hogan, a Type 1 diabetic for 20 years, uses an insulin pump to help control her diabetes and has additional diabetic complications to manage. She says iD5 has helped make her goals more understandable and taught her how to implement the five goals into everyday life. Her blood pressure and A1C have both come down since she started following the goals.

“iD5 helps simplify what I should be shooting for to get better control of my diabetes,” said Hogan. “The last 15 years I was in denial about having diabetes and I blew it off thinking I was invincible. I really thought it would be a long time before I would start seeing complications. But because I didn’t do the things I needed to do to keep my diabetes in control, I am now suffering from kidney disease, neuropathy, seizures and visual problems. Christie follows me closely, coordinates my specialty care and actually breaks down my condition and needs into one summary so I can better understand it all.”

Dr. Miller says having specific goals to shoot for makes diabetic control more manageable for many patients. “iD5 helps clarify for the patient what we think is important for living healthy with diabetes,” said Dr. Miller. “It is geared toward the diabetic patient who is not at goal but is helpful to any diabetic patient to make sure they are sustaining goals. Meeting these five targeted goals, helps lead to successful diabetic control.”

Diabetes Mellitus is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar (glucose) level as a result of the body either not producing enough insulin, or not responding to the insulin that is produced. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which enables body cells to absorb glucose and convert it to energy. If the body cells do not absorb the glucose, the glucose accumulates in the blood leading to hyperglycemia and various potential medical complications.
Most people have heard of diabetes, but many may not realize that there is more than one kind. The two most common types of diabetes are:
Type 1: Type 1 results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and requires a person with diabetes to inject insulin to move sugar from the bloodstream to survive. This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, which may be triggered by a virus or other factors. Type 1 can start at any age but many cases begin in childhood, adolescence or early adult years. It is usually diagnosed before age 40. Only 5 to 10 percent of people with diabetes have this form of the disease.

Type 2: Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes. It results from a relative deficiency of insulin and insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin that the body produces is less efficient at moving sugar out of the bloodstream resulting in a high blood sugar. Experts once considered Type 2 diabetes as the adult onset type of diabetes. However, many children are now being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as the obesity epidemic grows. Diet, exercise, weight loss, and, in some cases medications and insulin, are the treatment for this type of diabetes. This type is often associated with physical inactivity and obesity.

For more information about iD5 or to schedule an appointment with a member of the medical team at the Mankato Clinic please call 507-625-1811.

Mankato Clinic helps make a difference in the lives of those with bipolar disorder by hosting support groups

One in four Americans lives with a mental health condition that is treatable. Studies show that one of the best ways to treat and live well with a mental health condition including bipolar disorder is with the love and support of family and friends. Mankato Clinic is helping to make a difference in the lives of bipolar sufferers and their loved ones by providing the support they need by hosting bipolar disorder support groups twice a month. Mary Beth Trembley, registered nurse in the department of psychiatry at Mankato Clinic, facilitates the support groups on the first and third Wednesday of every month, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., in the Mankato Clinic conference room, located at Madison East Mall in Mankato. Sessions are free and open to the public, age 18 and older. Reservations are not required.

“There is evidence-based data that shows people who attend support groups for illnesses have better overall health outcomes and gain valuable insight and information from others,” said Trembley. “Support is vital. One of the most powerful things a person can hear or say is that they have been there and understand what another is going through. Bipolar can be an isolating illness and support groups break down barriers and stigma.”

The ups and downs in life can be hard to tolerate for both the bipolar sufferer and their loved ones. Therefore, Mankato Clinic bipolar support groups give hope to not only those who suffer from the illness but to those whose lives are affected by the illness of another. Thirty percent of bipolar support group attendees are there as part of a support system including children whose parents are bipolar, parents whose kids are bipolar, spouses, family, friends, neighbors, work colleagues and even students from Minnesota State University looking to learn more. The groups are there for anyone who wants to learn more about illness and wants to receive support or give support. About half of attendees come alone and half are accompanied by friends or family.

“Those whose lives are touched by bipolar disorder need support from people who have been there and who understand the bipolar journey,” said Trembley. “Our support groups offer an opportunity for others to share their experience, provide ideas and meet other people in the community who can relate to their experience in a confidential setting.”

Sessions are facilitated by Trembley and are completely confidential. The group is open for sharing dialogue and ideas, seeking validation and information, asking questions and finding comfort and direction. “The sessions are very dynamic and upbeat,t and offer practical ideas for managing illness,” said Trembley. “It is common for attendees to bounce ideas off of each other and get feedback from group. I provide education about treatment and diagnoses. I have 25 years of psychiatric nursing experience which is unique to a peer-facilitated group.”

Those attending the bipolar support groups are finding that it is making a difference in their lives. One bipolar sufferer said “because of the support groups, I now have a better relationship with my spouse because he has more knowledge about bipolar disorder and I have a better understanding for what he is going through living with my illness.” Another says “I have found it helpful to hear others’ perspectives and experiences and it is comforting to know that I am not alone.”

Carole Milner, a support group attendee who has been living with symptoms of bipolar disorder since childhood, says the support groups have helped her manage her illness through education and insight. Milner also says the support of others helps keep her on track when she begins to go off course. “When I am having a bipolar episode and feeling depressed, others at the meetings remind me of what has worked for me in the past because I tend to isolate and forget,” said Milner. “A simple reminder from a peer to journal is an effective way to work through the episode.”

She says it is also therapeutic for her to help others. “I attend the support groups both when I am feeling well and when I am struggling,” said Milner. “When I am feeling well, it makes me feel good to go to the meetings and see what kind of support I can provide to another. It gives me a feeling of self worth to provide my insight and help someone else who is struggling with bipolar.”

Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depressive illness, is a medically diagnosed and treatable disorder marked by extreme changes in mood, energy, thought and behavior. The disorder causes a person’s mood to alternate between the highs of mania on one extreme to the lows of depression on the other.

The cycles of bipolar are more than just a temporary good or bad mood and may last for days, weeks and months. And unlike ordinary mood swings, mood changes associated with bipolar disorder are so intense that they may disrupt the ability to function in daily life. It may affect work and school performance as well as personal relationships.

The mood swings between mania and depression may be very abrupt or subtle. During a manic episode, a person might feel refreshed and energized after only a few hours of sleep and impulsively engage in erratic behavior like spending sprees. On the other hand, that same person may feel like sleeping all day, feeling hopeless and worthless.

The signs of bipolar vary largely from person to person by pattern, severity and frequency. The first episode generally occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood although the initial presentation may occur in childhood.

General symptoms of bipolar disorder include patterns of sleep disturbances, variations in energy like having restless energy one day and no energy the next. A manic state may include racing thoughts and an abundance of ideas at once which are hard to sort through. Depressive states reflect lack of creativity and spontaneity. There are four types of bipolar episodes including mania, hypomania, depression and mixed patterns. Each type has its own unique symptoms.

Symptoms of mania or “highs” of bipolar
• Heightened mood and exaggerated optimism
• Little need for sleep
• Excessive agitation or irritation
• Inflated self-esteem and self-confidence
• Noticeably elevated moods including hyperactivity, increased energy, racing thoughts and lack of self-control
• Reckless behavior including impaired judgment, reckless spending, sexual promiscuity and binge eating and drinking
• Tendency to be easily distracted
• Delusions and hallucinations

Symptoms of depression or “lows” of bipolar
• Low moods daily
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions
• Fatigue, loss of energy or listlessness
• Prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells
• Persistent thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts
• Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
• Withdrawal from friends and activities normally enjoyed
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt and loss of self esteem
• Unexplained aches and pains

Please visit the bipolar alliance website at dbsalliance.org or call Mankato Clinic at 625-1811, for more information.

LeSueur-Henderson High School Senior Winner of Fourth Annual 
Dr. J. Scott Sanders Memorial Scholarship

Mankato Clinic Foundation Awards $2,000 Scholarship

The Mankato Clinic Foundation has selected Jamie Schlarbaum, a senior at LeSueur Henderson High School as the fourth recipient of the J. Scott Sanders, M.D. Memorial Scholarship. Dr. Sanders’ sound character was recognizable in all aspects of his life and positively impacted others. Applicants of the award provided an essay describing how character has been important in achieving their accomplishments and how it will be a key cornerstone in their future. The winner is selected solely on this personal statement of character, academic standing has no bearing.

“Character can be elusive in its definition. Jamie gave it life in his perception of the quality of choices, personal awareness of those around him and in his own journey”, commented Barb Sanders, wife of Dr. Sanders.

Stacy Carpenter, counselor at LSH High School says “Jamie is an exceptional student, a thoughtful learner, and an articulate young man. Jamie is known at our school for being a hard-worker. His friends and teachers know they can count on him to not just meet expectations, but to exceed them. Jamie is goal-oriented and responsible. He makes thoughtful decisions, and he is a student who will easily find his place at college. I have consistently been impressed with Jamie.”

LSH High School Principal, Kevin Enerson, describes Jamie this way, “"Jamie has always pushed himself to excel in whatever he does, be it academics, fine arts, or speech. He has achieved at some of the highest levels, but that is not as important as the character he demonstrates in his friendships or through his demonstration of respect and caring for others. Jamie is a truly good person and has made his family, friends, and community proud by all of his accomplishments."

Jamie is the son of Steve and Sue Schlarbaum. During his high school career, Jamie has participated in Speech, Fall/One Act Play, LifeSmarts, and Knowledge Bowl. He has volunteerd for Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, and was a Junior High Knowledge Bowl Volunteer Coach. Jamie has been accepted for admission to Georgetown, University in Washington, D.C.

MANKATO CLINIC PARTNERS WITH OPEN DOOR HEALTH CENTER TO PROVIDE SPECIALTY HEALTHCARE SERVICES TO PATIENTS IN NEED

Effective immediately, Mankato Clinic will unite with Open Door Health Center (ODHC) and begin providing low income, uninsured patients in the Mankato area with high quality, much needed specialty health care services. With this partnership, Mankato Clinic will offer ODHC patients a complete array of medical assistance beyond the primary care services currently available at the ODHC facility.

“The Open Door Health Center is a safety net in the region for those who do not have access to medical services,” said Sarah Kruse, CEO of Open Door Health Center. “While we see patients with insurance, the vast majority of our patients are uninsured or underinsured. For those without insurance, financial barriers frequently result in difficulty accessing specialty care. Our collaboration with Mankato Clinic helps eliminate those barriers. Patients who don’t have the resources to get the specialized treatments they need now have access to these services at Mankato Clinic and may get the complete care they need.”

The ODHC mission is to increase access to quality, affordable, culturally appropriate, patient centered health care, and to maximize the overall well-being of its patients. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, ODHC provides a full gamut of primary and preventive health services to the medically underserved in south central Minnesota. Now, a patient who visits ODHC whose medical needs extend beyond primary care services may turn to Mankato Clinic for help. These services include specialty care, advanced lab work and radiology.

For example, primary care services at ODHC may manage a patient with diabetes on a regular basis but if that diabetic patient begins to have foot complications, a podiatrist at Mankato Clinic will be available to consult the patient. And, that patient will have access to specialized lab work or radiology services if necessary.

“We feel the Open Door Health Center’s mission is an important one,” said Randy Farrow, CEO of Mankato Clinic. “We applaud their efforts. It is an important obligation on our part to support their efforts and provide complete medical access for patients with financial challenges. Our collaboration is the perfect fit. It is a win-win for everyone.”

Mankato Clinic and ODHC hope this collaboration will improve outreach in the community. Many of ODHC patients are poor and less likely to receive preventive care, such as immunizations or cancer screening, or to avoid hospitalization for serious conditions by receiving regular office-based care. These patients often end up with a disease that could have been managed and now need emergency care or advanced care that could have been prevented.

“We hope that by being proactive, we will help underserved patients in the Mankato area get a better handle on their medical needs and live a better quality of life,” said Farrow. “Many times, due to financial constraints, these patients choose not to access the care they need and let their conditions get out of control. We want to eliminate the emergency room as their last resort when their condition worsens. This puts stress on the system as a whole and is not in the best interest of anyone.”

“We are delighted that Mankato Clinic has a heart for our mission and a strong commitment to the community for the health-related goodness of all,” said Kruse. “Out of compassion, their physicians sought to serve the needs in the area and stepped up to the plate to offer their services in the best interest of the community.”

Over $160,000 Awarded in 2010, nearly $1 million in the last 6 years

Thanks to the Mankato Clinic Foundation, over 30 area organizations received grants and funding totaling more than $160,000 in 2010. Organizations supported include Children's Museum of Southern MN, Feeding our Community Partners – Backpack Initiative, Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center, YMCA, Open Door Clinic, Greater Mankato Diversity Council, St Peter Early Childhood Initiative, American Red Cross, Special Olympics, ECHO Food Shelf, area school districts, and several other organizations including scholarships for the nursing programs at both South Central College and Minnesota State University- Mankato.

The physicians at the Mankato Clinic provide the majority of the Foundation funding as a means to give back to the community by providing support to organizations which strive to improve health and wellness. The Mankato Clinic Foundation has given $915,152.00 to area organizations over the past six years in an effort to support the health and well-being of local communities.

Mankato Clinic Foundation president, Marcia Bahr said, “The Mankato Clinic Foundation is thrilled to be able to support the areas we serve by providing local organizations with funds that enhance the health and wellness of the community.”

The Mankato Clinic Foundation provides resources to organizations and endeavors that effectively promote and improve community health and wellness. Since the primary focus of the Foundation is to support the health and well-being of the community, projects and programs supported include education and scholarships, initiatives focused on health care, health education and wellness.

Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis and are considered only through the application process. Applications and more information can be obtained at www.mankatoclinic.com.

Area seniors eligible for $2,000 J. Scott Sanders, MD Memorial Scholarship

Mankato, Minn. (Jan. 11, 2011) – The Mankato Clinic Foundation’s J. Scott Sanders, M.D. Memorial Scholarship is available to area seniors. Recipients will emulate Dr. Sanders’ unforgettable character, his kindness and his passion for helping others. To be eligible high school seniors must reside within the Mankato Clinic service area, which includes Mankato, North Mankato, St. Peter, Lake Crystal, Mapleton, and the surrounding area. Students must plan to obtain secondary education after graduation.

Student selection is based solely on the content of the students’ 1,000 word personal statement. Academic standings will have no bearing on selection. . The application deadline is March 1st. Applications for this $2,000 scholarship are available from area high school guidance counselors or can be accessed by clicking here.

Thanks to the Mankato Clinic Foundation, over 30 area organizations received grants and funding totaling more than $160,000 in 2010. Organizations supported include Children's Museum of Southern MN, Feeding our Community Partners – Backpack Initiative, Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center, YMCA, Open Door Clinic, Greater Mankato Diversity Council, St Peter Early Childhood Initiative, American Red Cross, Special Olympics, ECHO Food Shelf, area school districts, and several other organizations including scholarships for the nursing programs at both South Central College and Minnesota State University- Mankato.

The physicians at the Mankato Clinic provide the majority of the Foundation funding as a means to give back to the community by providing support to organizations which strive to improve health and wellness. The Mankato Clinic Foundation has given $915,152.00 to area organizations over the past six years in an effort to support the health and well-being of local communities.

Mankato Clinic Foundation president, Marcia Bahr said, “The Mankato Clinic Foundation is thrilled to be able to support the areas we serve by providing local organizations with funds that enhance the health and wellness of the community.”

The Mankato Clinic Foundation provides resources to organizations and endeavors that effectively promote and improve community health and wellness. Since the primary focus of the Foundation is to support the health and well-being of the community, projects and programs supported include education and scholarships, initiatives focused on health care, health education and wellness.

Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis and are considered only through the application process. Applications and more information can be obtained at www.mankatoclinic.com.

Thanks to the Mankato Clinic Foundation, over 30 area organizations received grants and funding totaling more than $160,000 in 2010. Organizations supported include Children's Museum of Southern MN, Feeding our Community Partners – Backpack Initiative, Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center, YMCA, Open Door Clinic, Greater Mankato Diversity Council, St Peter Early Childhood Initiative, American Red Cross, Special Olympics, ECHO Food Shelf, area school districts, and several other organizations including scholarships for the nursing programs at both South Central College and Minnesota State University- Mankato.

The physicians at the Mankato Clinic provide the majority of the Foundation funding as a means to give back to the community by providing support to organizations which strive to improve health and wellness. The Mankato Clinic Foundation has given $915,152.00 to area organizations over the past six years in an effort to support the health and well-being of local communities.

Mankato Clinic Foundation president, Marcia Bahr said, “The Mankato Clinic Foundation is thrilled to be able to support the areas we serve by providing local organizations with funds that enhance the health and wellness of the community.”

The Mankato Clinic Foundation provides resources to organizations and endeavors that effectively promote and improve community health and wellness. Since the primary focus of the Foundation is to support the health and well-being of the community, projects and programs supported include education and scholarships, initiatives focused on health care, health education and wellness.

Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis and are considered only through the application process. Applications and more information can be obtained at www.mankatoclinic.com.

The Mankato Clinic notified 3,159 patients of a breach of unsecured protected health information after discovering the following event:

• November 2nd the Mankato Clinic was notified that a laptop computer belonging to an employee was stolen out of a vehicle sometime between November 1st and 2nd; the laptop contained a spreadsheet which included personal health information of 3,159 patients and is considered a breach of unsecured protected health information.

• Patient information involved includes; patient’s full name, date of birth, medical record number, healthcare provider’s name, encounter date, and diagnosis information. Fortunately, Social Security numbers and addresses were not included in the information. Log-in access to the computer was password protected. This breach did not include the Mankato Clinic’s electronic health record.

“The Mankato Clinic understands the importance of safeguarding our patients’ personal health information and takes this responsibility very seriously. We have safeguards in place to ensure the privacy and security of all patient health information. To further mitigate this situation the Mankato Clinic is implementing encryption software to all mobile computers, establishing a more stringent mobile computing device security policy and a mandatory staff education program related to improving privacy protection measures,” comments Randy Farrow, CEO of the Mankato Clinic. “The Mankato Clinic regrets that this incident occurred and we sincerely apologize to our impacted patients for this situation and are doing everything possible to rectify the circumstances”.

Patients impacted by this information breach will receive a letter by mail detailing the situation. The Mankato Clinic has trained staff available for those patients to call with any questions related to the data breach. Patients may call 1-800-657-6944 – extension 8633, or 625-1811 extension - 8633 during normal business hours, Monday – Friday from 8am – 5pm, the Clinic is closed on December 24th. No steps by the patients are suggested to protect them from potential harm resulting from the breach of this personal health information as the data involved in this breach did not included any financial information.

Mankato Clinic, in collaboration with The Orthopaedic and Fracture Clinic (OFC), have begun providing patients in the Mankato area with the most state-of-the-art breast imaging services and cancer detection care by offering 3T Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which is unsurpassed in the region. The new, high-quality breast imaging service is a non-invasive procedure used to evaluate breast problems, primarily to diagnosis breast cancer, by using powerful magnets and radio waves to generate computer images of the breast.

“Mankato Clinic and OFC’s collaboration to bring 3T Breast MRI to Mankato truly offers patients the best in breast imaging,” said Julie Johnson, supervisor of MRI at OFC. “We are striving to meet patient expectations by providing a comfortable environment that brings together the technology, imaging skills, expertise, responsiveness and excellent care that physicians require and patients deserve.”

Used in conjunction with mammography and ultrasound, breast MRI is fast becoming a powerful tool in the detection, diagnosis and management of breast cancer in select patient populations. Breast MRIs are more sensitive than traditional mammograms which use low dosage x-rays to image breasts. Breast MRI is generally used as a complement to diagnostic mammography and is not a replacement for traditional mammography screening.

American Cancer Society guidelines recommend breast MRI, in addition to mammograms, for women at high risk including:

• A strong family history of breast cancer including a mother, sibling or child
• A diagnosis with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation which gives them a 60 – 85 percent lifetime risk of acquiring breast cancer
• A previous diagnosis of breast cancer in one breast by mammography or ultrasound
• Radiation to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalca syndrome or may have a close family history of one of these diseases in a first-degree relative

“Breast MRI is not recommended for routine screening or as a replacement for mammography, but is an important tool in clarifying inconclusive findings from a previous mammogram or ultrasound,” said Dr. Maureen Magut, radiologist at Mankato Clinic. “It is commonly used to evaluate for surgical planning because nearly five percent of women with breast cancer in one breast develop a new tumor in the opposite breast, even though nothing is found on a mammogram or physical breast exam at the time of original diagnosis. Finding these cancers earlier may help women make treatment decisions and may spare them from additional rounds of chemotherapy or radiation in the future.”

Because of its high sensitivity, breast MRI is useful in imaging dense breast tissue, which is often found in younger women, and in viewing breast abnormalities that can be felt but are not visible with conventional mammography or ultrasound.

MRI is also an effective tool for imaging the augmented breast, including the breast implant itself and the breast tissue surrounding the implant which may be obscured by the implant on a mammogram.

It is useful for staging breast cancer, determining the most appropriate cancer treatment and for patient follow-up after breast cancer treatment. MRI may be useful in determining whether breast cancer has spread into the chest wall which often requires the patient to undergo chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery.

In addition to its superior diagnostic ability, researchers have been investigating whether breast MRI may be useful in screening younger women at high risk of breast cancer. Most women under 40 do not require any breast imaging. However, the American Cancer Society recently recommended that women at very high risk of developing breast cancer have annual breast MRI exams in addition to annual mammograms to increase the likelihood that breast cancer will be detected early, when the chances of survival are greatest.

The most useful MRI technique uses a contrast material called Gadolinium DTPA, which is injected into a vein in the arm during the exam to improve the quality of the images. This contrast agent helps produce a stronger and clearer image and highlights any abnormalities.

During a Breast MRI, a patient lies face down on an exam table, keeping still and breathing normally. A physician may prescribe a mild oral sedative to help the patient rest comfortably in the scanner and reduce any feeling of claustrophobia. Unlike mammography, the breasts are not compressed during the exam so there is no discomfort. The table then moves into a cylinder shaped machine with the magnet where the images are taken. The test does not use any harmful or dangerous radiation. The exam is performed at OFC and a Mankato Clinic radiologist interprets the images and sends a report to patient’s ordering physician.

“Because patients in Mankato can now receive the best in breast imaging care here at home, it is more convenient for the patient and her physician,” said Dr. Magut. “This allows for better coordinated care between a woman and her healthcare team.”

3 Tesla (T) MRI is the best in breast MRI imaging because of the strength of its magnet, a 3 Tesla, which is twice the strength of the more commonly available 1.5 Tesla. The magnetic field produced by the 3T yields exceptional anatomic detail and offers higher signal to noise ratio, better image resolution and faster scan times. It is the highest strength scanner currently available in the Mankato area.

“3T breast MRIs have been shown to improve patient outcomes due to its high sensitivity magnet,” said Dr. Magut. “MRI, coupled with mammography, detects almost all cancers at an early stage; therefore, a smaller size, which reduces the incidence of advanced stage breast cancer in high-risk patients.”

This system, with its 70 cm Open Bore, is one of the largest scanners available being at least 10cm wider than the average scanner. It is made for patients of all shapes and sizes and improves patient comfort and reduces incidents of anxiety and claustrophobia.

To find out more about breast MRI, contact a breast health nurse at Mankato Clinic at 507-389-8781.

Story reprinted from the Mankato Free Press, Sunday, August 1, 2010

Camp gives youngsters the

SWEET LIFE

Day camp for kids with diabetes to become annual event

Story and photos by John Cross

jcross@mankatofreepress.com
The day camp held Friday at the Norseland Scout Camp in Nicollet County was like most any other with youngsters hik­ing down the paths, playing camp games, geocaching and sitting around the campfire.

The only notable difference was that when lunch time rolled around, every one of the 27 campers took the time to check their blood sugar levels before lunch was served.

The campers age 5-13 were par­ticipating in the first- ever Camp Sweet Life, a day camp for young­sters with Type 1 Diabetes.

Youth from six area counties attended the camp sponsored by the Mankato Clinic Foundation and Medtronics.

And while they were participat­ing in outdoor camp activities, their parents were able to learn from rep­resentatives from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation about support systems and resources they can access for help in dealing with their children’s disease. Camp Sweet Life Director Vickie Parsons, a nurse practitioner at the Mankato Clinic, said the camp will become an annual event.

“It’s all about kids having fun out­doors just like all the other kids,” she said. “ They shouldn’t be denied from enjoying the outdoors just because they have diabetes.”

Mankato Clinic’s North Mankato Family Practice has been named as a 2010 Minnesota Bridges to Excellence award winner by the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG). The award honors health care providers that deliver “optimal care to patients with diabetes, vascular disease and depression,” according to the organization.
The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence program, which was established by BHCAG in 2005, relies on data that is publicly reported to identify clinics that qualify for an achievement reward for meeting or exceeding optimal care standards for a specified percentage of patients or have experienced substantial improvement.
“We are proud to receive recognition from BHCAG for the Minnesota Bridges to Excellence program,” said Randy Farrow, chief executive officer of the Mankato Clinic. “Diabetes care is a key focus for us and our North Mankato Clinic has shown more than a 10% increase in their diabetes care performance over the last year. They were also recognized for substantial increases in their care performance in vascular disease. The Mankato Clinic’s goal now is to bring this same level of quality improvement across our entire system to make a positive difference in the quality of life for more and more of our patients.”
"When health care providers share their performance outcomes with the public and everyone is working from a common set of standards and measures, we can create positive change in the marketplace,” said Carolyn Pare, president and CEO of the Buyers Health Care Action Group, the organization that developed the Minnesota Bridges to Excellence Program. “Medical groups and clinics that are receiving Bridges to Excellence rewards have shown their commitment to transparency and to delivering quality care to their patients. They should be applauded for these efforts."
To be eligible for a reward, clinics had to have a certain percentage of patients at optimal levels of care or a 10% improvement over last year. For diabetes, measurement components included levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, along with non-smoking status and daily aspirin use for patients over 40. Vascular disease measurements included cholesterol, and blood pressure, along with non-smoking status, and daily aspirin for all patients. Clinical criteria for the Minnesota Bridges to Excellence program are developed by the Minnesota-based Institute for Clinical System Improvement (ICSI).

Mankato Clinic Purchases Now Care

The Mankato Clinic has finalized an agreement to purchase the Now Care Clinic located at 1809 Adams Street in Mankato from North Memorial Medical Center. Transition of ownership and operations was effective March 1, 2010. Plans to rename and remodel the former Now Care location will be developed in the coming weeks.

Services offered by the Mankato Clinic at the new location will include urgent care and occupational medicine. The Clinic will continue to offer urgent care services at their Main Street location as well. “The addition of the Now Care location to the Mankato Clinic’s current locations will give our patients a convenient option for urgent care and occupational medicine services. Patient volumes at our Main Clinic urgent care have continued to increase over the past few years. The addition of a second urgent care option at the former Now Care location on Adams Street will allow us to improve access for our patients,” commented Randy Farrow, CEO of the Mankato Clinic. “The Now Care Clinic has filled a strong niche with convenient access to urgent care and occupational medicine services for many years and we are excited to maintain and expand these services as they become part of the Mankato Clinic. “ All occupational medicine services will now be housed out of the new Adams Street location giving current and new patients convenient access to walk –in services as appointments will not be necessary for most occupational medicine needs. Additional occupational medicine services not offered by Now Care will now be offered such an travel and immigration services. The new location will focus on walk-in health care services. No appointment will be necessary for all urgent care services and most occupational medicine services.

The Mankato Clinic will also be utilizing electronic health records at the new location which will assist in providing patients with continuity of care. Medical records can instantly be shared by multiple physicians simultaneously regardless if a patient is being seen by their primary provider or an urgent care provider. Important patient information regarding previous visits, lab and radiology test results, and current medications, are available within the electronic health record to assist the provider in delivering the highest quality of healthcare.

When accidents, incidents, and illnesses arise, finding the best type of health care provider for your needs can be confusing. Primary care providers such as a family practice physician are a great place to start for most undiagnosed health issues. The Mankato Clinic suggests all patients have an
established primary care provider. If your primary care provider is not available and you need quick medical attention for a non-life-threatening problem, visit an urgent care center. No appointment is required at Mankato Clinic’s Urgent Care locations which are open extended hours for patient convenience: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm – Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and 11:00 am – 5:00pm-on Sunday. Urgent care centers also provide a significant cost saving over care in an emergency department. A retail clinic such as the Mankato Clinic Express in the Riverhills Mall is another option for minor illnesses such as colds, ear infections, and pink eye for patients over 18 months old.

MANKATO CLINIC LAUNCHES DIAMOND INITIATIVE TO ENHANCE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION

As part of Mankato Clinic’s commitment to its patient-centered healthcare home model, the clinic will take the model a step further by focusing on patients with depression and launching the DIAMOND initiative, at its North Mankato Family Practice and Wickersham Family Practice locations this month. Mankato Clinic is the only clinic in the region to offer DIAMOND services at this time.

DIAMOND, or Depression Improvement Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction, is a new model for treating patients with depression in primary care by taking a team approach. It was developed in 2008 by the Institute of Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI). ICSI is a non-profit organization that works with medical groups, hospitals, health plans, purchasers, policy makers and consumers to deliver patient-centered and value-driven health care services in Minnesota and its surrounding areas. Mankato Clinic is a member of ICSI and is part of the fourth group of clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin to participate in the DIAMOND initiative.

“At Mankato Clinic, we sought a more effective way of providing depression care that takes the sole responsibility away from the primary physician and expands it to a team of care providers with the patient at the center,” said Julie Gerndt, chief medical officer at Mankato Clinic. “By taking a collaborative approach and integrating care managers and medical health professionals into primary care, outcomes of patients with depression are significantly improved compared to results seen under the standard care.”

DIAMOND helps overcome barriers to successful depression treatment in primary care clinics. It offers a scientifically-sound framework and training program to establish evidence-based, collaborative, measurable and actionable solutions.

There are six components of the DIAMOND model that distinguish it from traditional depression care including:
• A validated screening tool or checklist that helps the health care team detect and manage symptoms of depression
• A way for the care team to regularly track patient progress
• A proven medical guide with stepped-care approach for treatment modification or intensification
• A relapse prevention plan with tools to keep a patient who is improving from relapsing and move them out of the care management program
• A care manager to educate, coordinate and troubleshoot depression services and who serves as a liaison between psychiatrist, primary care provider and patient
• A consulting psychiatrist who reviews patient cases with the care manager and may consult with the primary care physician

Barb Anderson, CGRN, Quality Management specialist and DIAMOND initiative project manager at Mankato Clinic, says the use of a care manager is an important aspect of DIAMOND. “The involvement of the care manager is integral to the success of the initiative,” said Anderson. "The care manager has special training and works together with the patient to best support their depression treatment needs." Typically, a care manager has a nursing or mental health care background; and in collaboration with the entire health care team, is responsible for education, self management support, primary care mental health care coordination and relapse prevention.

The consulting psychiatrist collaborates with the care manager and reviews the clinic’s DIAMOND patient caseload weekly and recommends changes in treatment for patients not improving. The primary care physician makes all final treatment decisions and initiates changes in treatment plans. “If we are not getting desired outcomes and the patient is not making progress at certain steps, we get additional care providers involved,” said Gerndt. “It has proven effective just by changing the model of care.”

After tracking patients who followed DIAMOND care for 12 months, ICSI states remission rates were 49 percent surpassing goals by 19 percent and response rates, or the decrease in the severity of depression, were 72 percent exceeding goals by 22 percent.

According to ICSI, more than 37 DIAMOND trials have shown this method improves patient health. Patients had more depression-free days, fewer suicidal thoughts, stated they felt better physically and liked the care they received more. Employers benefited also because patients missed fewer days of work and were happier and more productive at work. And, health care costs decreased compared to costs under usual primary care.

DIAMOND also offers the Clinic an opportunity to enhance treatment models of other chronic diseases that are typically difficult to treat. “Depression is the first specific chronic disease that we have expanded our medical home model into,” said Gerndt. “We are excited and encouraged by the results of other clinics who have implemented DIAMOND. We hope to replicate those outcomes and expand the model to other Mankato Clinic sites as well as use DIAMOND to develop a model of care for other chronic diseases.”

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Reston, Va. – The Mankato Clinic has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Ultrasound as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The Mankato Clinic’s Ultrasound Department is the ACR’s only accredited facility in South Central Minnesota. The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of its practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance program. The surveyors report their finding to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report. The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs for focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services. The Mankato Clinic was founded in November 1916, by five area physicians who believed that a comprehensive, multi-specialty group practice offered the best means of providing quality health care to the residents of southern Minnesota. The Mankato Clinic has grown to over 110 physicians and practitioners located in Mankato, North Mankato, St. Peter, Mapleton, and Lake Crystal. The Mankato Clinic and its satellites employ over 700 people, and ranks among the top 15 employers in the region.