Blog – Here for Life

Caring in our communities – paramedics re-unite with 5-year old Cora, a lucky girl brought to our Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center

July 14, 2021

Cora Stabler is a sweet, normal 5 year old little girl. On May 8^th of 2021, Cora took a fall down 15 steps and was seriously injured. Hennepin EMS Paramedics Scotty Crawford and Nick Linder responded to the 911 call and provided expert emergency medical care to Cora and then transported her to the Pediatric Level One Trauma Center at HCMC, a part of Hennepin Healthcare. The Pediatric Level One Trauma Center at HCMC offers an unparalleled experience for critically injured children. Outcomes are among the very best in the nation for pediatric trauma patients. (more…)

Ready to respond to life’s emergencies

July 7, 2021

Josh Nichols was driving to work on June 1 when he experienced a medical emergency, his truck hit a tree, and rolled in a ditch. Thankfully he was wearing his seatbelt, his airbag discharged, no one else was injured – and a Hennepin EMS ambulance crew was stationed nearby to help when the call came in.

“As soon as they got to me, they immobilized my neck and made sure that I stayed in a position so that nothing would cause further damage, even though I told them they didn’t need to use a brace and that I was fine,” Josh explains. (more…)

New paramedics closer to graduating

June 18, 20211

In January we featured a blog post on Clark and Caleb, two members of the Hennepin EMS Paramedic Training Program. The program started in mid-December and the group has been on a rigorous path to become official paramedics. (more…)

The Fatherhood Experience: Dr. Krishnan Subrahmanian

June 18, 2021

We know that fatherhood looks different to every dad. That’s why we’re taking an in-depth look at fatherhood with key experts, regular parents, and everyone in between in this mini-series, “The Fatherhood Experience.”

Meet Dr. Krishnan Subrahmanian. A former high school teacher with a background in public health, he is a husband and father of three children under the age of five and spends his professional time as a pediatrician at Hennepin Healthcare. (more…)

Stroke recovery challenges 83-year-old marathon runner

June 15, 2021

Robert “Bob” Nepple has been on the run since he was 12 years old – and had no plans to slow down until a recent illness brought him to Hennepin Healthcare.

“I like to run,” he said. “I would run to school. It was about a mile.” Not including those unofficial miles back and forth to school, the 83-year-old has run at least 1,000 miles in his life, including to the top of Pike’s Peak and back, which is 26 miles. (more…)

Why are childhood vaccines so important?

May 28, 2021

As we emerge from this COVID haze, it is a great time to get your children caught up on their routine immunizations. If your child is eligible for a COVID vaccine (currently, those 12 years and up), now is also a great time.

As a mother of three, I will list the three reasons I think vaccines are so important, and why I have chosen to vaccinate my children (ages 11, 9, and 6) on time: (more…)

Skull fracture causes frightening TBI — but nothing scary about seamless care

May 19, 20211

As a nurse at a local hospital, Jeanne Leach has worked with families caring for loved ones with a health emergency. On a Friday night in October, while leaving their daughter’s house, her husband, Jim, walked down the front steps, tripped over a pumpkin, and fell and hit the corner of a step and was knocked unconscious.

“He lost his footing and struck his head so hard that he was bleeding through every orifice in his head,” she recalls. “There was blood everywhere. It was awful.” (more…)

Telehealth, Teamwork, and Other Silver Linings during a Pandemic

May 13, 20211

A reflection from Amy Mensch, RN, Program Manager, Outpatient Psychiatry for Mental Health Awareness Month

Every year, May is identified as Mental Health Awareness month. I don’t know if there has ever been another year when it feels more relevant and significant to stop for a moment and consider mental health and what that means. The past year has been extremely difficult. Challenges at work, struggles at home, confusion, divisiveness, isolation, and fear have visited us daily. For those of us working in mental health, we’ve seen a magnification of all the things we knew were already a problem for the patients we serve, as well as ourselves and our family members; increase in suicide rates, increase in acuity of psychiatric symptoms, increase in substance use, and increase demand for services. (more…)

Welcome to Here for Life