News and Stories

On May 1, 2019 HealthFinders Collaborative closed on the purchase of the former I & S Engineers & Architects building at 1415 Town Square Lane in Faribault.  The purchase will facilitate a major expansion of HealthFinders services for residents of Rice County  The nearly 9,000-square-foot building will serve as HealthFinders’ new Faribault hub, allowing it to expand medical, dental, mental health, wellness, and comprehensive [...]

This spring, HealthFinders Collaborative held a Health Coaching and Motivational Interview Training session. The training gives medical providers tools that support comprehensive, patient-centered care, and helps them identify both problems and solutions that may not be immediately apparent. The training is a part of HFC’s comprehensive effort to improve mental health, together with adding mental health providers and interpreter quality improvement.   The training, given to HealthFinders staff and volunteer doctors and nurse practitioners, presented different best practices for [...]

When Clarita first joined the HealthFinders team back in 2009, she did not know the impact she would have in the Rice County community.   Ten years later, Clarita now serves as a Youth Health Educator under the MESA Program (Mejorando la Salud de los Adolescentes.) This program is made possible by a grant from the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative (EHDI) of [...]

HealthFinders staff members presented their inaugural Intercultural Effectiveness training on Wednesday, June 26th to rave reviews. Rice County Social Service staff from the Children’s Mental Health Department were the first to receive the training. The goal Intercultural Effectiveness training is to build understanding, trust, and communication skills. It addresses inequities, implicit bias, micro-aggressions, and oppression all shared through [...]

When you support HealthFinders Collaborative, you are helping neighbors like James.*  James, who is 51, was experiencing rapid weight loss and deteriorating vision. His condition worsened to the point of being unable to work or live independently, making him fully reliant on his son to provide for his daily needs. Because he was uninsured, James believed he had [...]

HealthFinders’ Annual Spring Gala, held on March 30th at the Carleton Weitz Center was a huge success raising over $100,000 to support HealthFinders programs. It was an event of firsts…first time at a new venue, first time using bidding technology, first time raising over $100,000, first time with a photo booth and first time having a key note gift presentation.  Our theme honored the Power of [...]

HealthFinders Collaborative was recently certified as a Health Care Home (HCH) by the Minnesota Department of Health. Certification involved document and policy submission, as well as a site visit.  The name "Health Care Home" acknowledges a critical shift that needs to happen in order to truly improve health in Minnesota. This is a shift from a purely [...]

HealthFinders Collaborative strives to ensure that everyone has access to the healthcare they need.  In the public health world, this care goes far beyond the services that occur within the walls of HealthFinders’ medical or dental clinic.  Through HealthFinders’ patient advocacy programs, advocates work with individuals and families to connect them to healthcare resources outside of HealthFinders by helping them enroll in public or private healthcare coverage programs.  The healthcare world is complicated, and that’s why HealthFinders has advocates, such as Herlen Barcenas, to help [...]

Providing appropriate health care is a growing challenge in a rural community, particularly if the demographics of communities that are rapidly changing.  This was evident as providers at the Women's Health department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Faribault tried to effectively meet the needs of expectant mothers in the local Somali population. Through an innovative and [...]

The Sweet Charity Event, hosted by Matt and Allyson Bernstorf at the Northfield Golf Club on December 8th, was a huge success raising over $19,000 for three local charities including HealthFinders. Sweet Charity is a Live Dessert Auction Benefit for charity. The auction line-up included a beautiful selection of desserts created by numerous bakers and restaurants from around [...]