Page 5 – Here for Life

How music and medicine merge for opera performer and Hennepin Healthcare psychiatry resident Daniel Volovets

May 25, 2022

In the Minnesota Opera’s performance of Carmen this May, guitarist Daniel Volovets added a new element to the classical score—improvising on the opera’s themes with a flamenco twist that calls to the Romani roots of the main character.

The audience might be surprised to learn that Daniel performed in the opera on a Thursday night and then worked a 24-hour shift on Friday for his psychiatry residency at Hennepin Healthcare before putting in two more performances on Saturday and Sunday. His performance earned praise from the Star Tribune, calling his arrangements “a wonderful touch.” (more…)

Brooklyn Park Clinic certified as a Silver-Level Adolescent Centered Environment

May 25, 2022

We are proud to announce that our Brooklyn Park Clinic was certified as a Silver-Level Adolescent Centered Environment by the Michigan Adolescent Health Initiative (AHI). This was an 18-month process that involved the collaboration of the clinic, the Between Us program and an AHI coach. The clinic went through the Adolescent -Centered Environment Assessment Process (ACE-AP) and then made changes to meet the certification requirements. Learn all about this accomplishment: (more…)

Black Women with Stethoscopes Youth Summits inspire youth and make us hopeful for the future of healthcare

May 25, 2022

Over 150 young women ages 12-18 years old recently visited our campus to learn about healthcare careers during our Black Women with Stethoscopes Youth Summits on April 30 and May 15. Youth learned that not only are these careers within reach, but that they can play a critical role in delivering culturally-centered care and help decrease health disparities. Black Women with Stethoscopes is the second series of youth summits from our Talent Garden program, which connects youth of color to opportunities in medicine and healthcare. (more…)

Remembering Bibi

May 16, 20221

Some people leave a footprint in life and our hearts. Bibiana Garzon “Bibi” was one of those.

Hennepin Healthcare’s Aqui Para Ti / Here for You clinic turns 20 years old this summer. Dr. Maria Veronica Svetaz created this “clinic within a clinic” while she was faculty at La Clinica en Lake, a new clinic from the now MN Care organization. It was funded by Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative to support Latino adolescents (that supports the program still today). Following the Health Equity spirit of serving communities by the teams from their same culture, the clinic works with Latino youth ages 11 to 24 (and their families). As Latino teens are often raised in a culture very different from their parents, they needed a different approach: Family-Centered youth care. (more…)

How an innovative new partnership is expanding culturally responsive care for Muslim patients

May 13, 20222

Photo: A year ago, Open Path Resources and Hennepin Healthcare partnered to place qibla stickers in Emergency Department rooms, so Muslim patients would know the direction to face for prayer

A young woman suffering from depression and chemical addiction came to Hennepin Healthcare for care and asked Spiritual Care Provider Shukri Salah for help. The daughter wanted to go back to live with her family, but her mother was saying no—she’d had too many chances.

The daughter told Shukri, “If I don’t get back into my family, I don’t want to live.” The mother told Shukri, “I have to push her away.”

“Culturally our community thinks that when a person goes to a mental hospital or is taking medication for mental illness, that they are done and there will be no recovery,” Shukri says. (more…)

Advanced paramedic training adds second chance at life for retired math teacher

May 6, 2022

Hennepin EMS paramedic skilled in ultrasound use being interviewed by news station. The numbers never get old for a retired math teacher Daniel Bowler from Benilde-St. Margaret’s. That’s why he continues to work at school where he’s the math league coach and helps others figure out problems – and where he ran into a problem of his own March 15, 2022.

“We were having a pizza party event and I went to the office to pick up the pizzas like I always do,” he said. “I suddenly felt short of breath and dizzy – and I fell and hit my head.”

A student saw him fall and told someone to call 911. Hennepin EMS was immediately enroute to care for a patient who had experienced head trauma from a fall.

Paramedics assessed the patient and ended up performing a diagnostic ultrasound of his chest. This indicated the presence of a pulmonary embolism (blood clot) in his lung – something several members of Hennepin EMS paramedics are highly trained to detect as part of a “P3 Program” but certainly not the original reason for the call. (more…)

What is aphasia?

April 29, 20221

Bruce Willis, the 67-year-old actor mostly known for portraying wisecracking action heroes like John McClane from the Die Hard series, announced his retirement from acting, after being diagnosed with aphasia. Those who worked with him had been aware of a cognitive decline over several years, noticing struggle with his memory and an inability to deliver long lines. (more…)

Mobile clinic brings health care to patients’ doors–from a bigger, brighter van

April 19, 2022

A three-year-old patient was behind on her vaccine appointments, and a look at her chart showed other medical needs—a history of seizures and some missed appointments with her specialist. When Nurse Practitioner Katie Brown saw the toddler’s chart, she knew she had to find out what was happening—and she had to help.

Katie learned that it was nearly impossible for the child’s mother to show up for the appointments she was scheduling due to conflicts and caring for her other children– whether it was routine vaccines or other care. (more…)

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