Emergercy response
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By TRISTAN GEHRING
Staff Writer
Area Emergency Medical Service (EMS) leaders met with staff from the office of U.S. Senator Tina Smith on April 9 at New Richland’s City Hall, to provide information about the status of emergency health care in south central Minnesota. Smith’s staff informed leaders she intends to use the information they share as she defends a new law she is co-sponsoring, the Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-Scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act.
Present at the meeting were three members of Smith's staff – Southern Minnesota Outreach Director Jeanne Poppe, Miranda Morgan Lilla, and Sara Silvernail; directors from three area ambulance services – Sarah Sundve of New Richland, AJ Gengler of Dodge Center, and Tyler Wilson of Blooming Prairie; Waseca County Sheriff Jay Dulas; Freeborn County Commissioner Bill Groskreutz; Waseca County Commissioners Brad Milbrath and Doug Christopherson; Blooming Prairie City Administrator Melanie Aeschliman; and EMS educator and volunteer member of New Richland Ambulance, Jennifer Lacey.
Currently, Medicare does not reimburse EMS providers for their services when the patient is not transported to a hospital, which Senator Smith's office posits leaves rural EMS providers, who are often called upon to provide care on the scene without transporting, “struggling to balance budgets and stay afloat.” This would change under the EMS ROCS Act, allowing for reimbursement in more cases, and, Smith claims, aiding struggling agencies and expanding access to care for Medicare patients who may hesitate to call for an ambulance under current billing and reimbursement structures.
The meeting began with a summary of the current state of EMS in the area. Reports provided the call and transport statistics for Wells, Blooming Prairie, and Dodge Center. All three agencies estimated that between one third and one fourth of their calls did not include a transport, with 40 to 70 percent of those calls being for Medicare patients. Ambulance directors estimated their average call took 2 to 2.5 hours.
As discussion continued, there was a clear consensus that EMS departments are not sufficiently funded. Staffing is one important way this shortage manifests itself. The ambulance services represented at the meeting are run largely on a volunteer basis – in some cases there are stipends paid or a few paid positions, but according to Sundve, “It doesn't add up.” Blooming Prairie would like to create a paid director position to help address its staffing issues, but doesn't have the funding to do so. Volunteer departments in general, it was said, help people get their start in EMS by supporting them through training, then lose those people in short order to full-time paid positions or higher hourly pay in better-funded departments. New Richland Ambulance is one such volunteer department, and asks that anyone interested in learning more about volunteering contact City Hall.
Gengler pointed out another financial shortfall follows from billing people who cannot pay; he said the Dodge Center ambulance service sent out about $1.5 million in bills for its services, but ended up writing off about $900,000 of that amount–the portion that Medicare would not cover. The remaining $600,000 represented most of the operating budget for the year in Dodge Center, a circumstance that was echoed by other ambulance staff at the meeting. Subsidizing through local government is also a complex issue – each of these rural ambulance services provides coverage for a multitude of small towns and townships, which leads to problems coordinating funding efforts. “We're trying to handle locally what is a state or federal issue,” one of the directors said in summary. “We operate and are funded like a business,” said Gengler, “and are viewed as a public service. And it should be.”
Bevcomm Bash
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff writer
Waseca County learned in March that its application for a $4.38 million grant to install fiber internet in four of its townships had been approved. It was a triumphant moment, given that the county had twice previously completed the lengthy and demanding application process, but had not received any funding.
Under the grant, Byron, Freedom, Vivian and Wilton townships–essentially the southwest third of the county–will be having fiber cable installed.
Like the two before it, the successful application was supported, completed and submitted by county leaders–including commissioner DeAnne Malterer and county administrator Michael Johnson–and staff of the Blue Earth based telecommunications company Bevcomm. Aside from area residents who wrote letters of support, relatively few people in the 500 homes and businesses within the affected townships were aware of the application or the possibilities it presented.
With the promise of the grant secured, Bevcomm began the process of public outreach by holding a “Bash” at the Waldorf Community Center the evening of Thursday, April 4; about 125 people attended.
Community Coffee
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
Each Thursday since Feb. 29, Prairie Senior Cottages along New Richland’s South Ash Avenue has been offering coffee, rolls and conversation to any community members who care to stop by.
Folks are also heartily invited to the facility’s open house–an outdoor cookout with a free lunch being offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 20.
As many as 20 people have attended the weekly coffee break, although numbers have been decreasing. “We hope people will make a habit of stopping by around 9 a.m. every Thursday,” observes facility manager Missy Czenkus. She points out that the dining area at Prairie Cottages is an inviting, comfortable space. She says she, the facility’s 15 or so staff members, and its 18 or so residents would enjoy the social interaction and conversation.
“We want to engage with the community and give them a better idea of what we’re all about,” she says. “I think everyone would enjoy themselves and make some connections.”
Visitors of all ages–perhaps especially children–are welcome. “Visiting our residents is not much different from visiting your grandma or your grandpa,” said Czenkus. “There’s a particularly strong connection between children and the elderly.”
So much so, she goes on, that Prairie Senior Cottages invites staff to bring their children to work. Czenkus tells of bringing her own 4-year-old, and says the visits are always enjoyable.
Prairie Senior Cottages specialize in memory care–that is, their facilities house individuals who are forgetful or confused because of their age or medical condition.
There is nothing confusing, however, about interacting with children. The facility installed a play area on its grounds during a recent remodeling project to enhance family events held on the grounds. “We have birthday parties and other celebrations here all the time,” said Czenkus. “Whether it’s outdoors during the warm part of the year or indoors in our living room and fireside area, people gather, share their experiences, and keep building relationships.”
Residents staying in the facility, according to Czenkus, come from a variety of backgrounds and from various communities; a number of residents have strong connections to the New Richland area.
The facility is purposely arranged, she explains, to be as “home-like” as possible. Many of the rooms and spaces are very similar to what most people have in their homes, but a little more spacious to accommodate larger numbers.
In addition to the April 20 open house and the weekly coffee hours, Czenkus says Prairie Senior Cottages is making it a priority to interact with the community. “We plan to be in the Farm and City Days parade,” Czenkus mentions. “And we are in the process of making some additional plans as the year moves forward.
She mentions that, prior to 2020, the facility had an arrangement with the school to have students visit and even sometimes sing or play music. “Of course the Covid pandemic brought that to a sudden stop, but we’d like to see it started up again,” she observes.
“It’s all based on times when people really did have ‘cottages,’ and people felt free to stop over, visit, and chat,” she said. “We’d like everyone to feel at home coming by for a visit.”
Small town, big heart
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New family restaurant, Jessie's Joint, opens in Geneva
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
Jessie and Erick Alvarado are being literal when they say their business along Central Avenue in Geneva is a “family” restaurant; at least to date, everyone who works there is one of the six members of their family. Jessie and Erick have lived in the Geneva area for the past three years with their offspring Gavin, 21; Isiah, 17; Julia, 15; and Jaxon, 10.
Both Jessie and Erick “grew up” in the restaurant and hospitality field. Jessie’s parents helped run The Creamery, a sit-down restaurant located in Otisco about 20 years ago. Erick’s family still operates a restaurant in his home region in Mexico. Both helped with busing tables and other simple tasks during their childhoods. Erick mentions that he’s always preferred being behind the scenes, although the term is open to interpretation, since restaurants in Mexico frequently have an “open” kitchen; customers can see every step as their food is prepared and served.
New coach for NRHEG baseball, but he’s no stranger
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By JIM LUTGENS
Sports Editor
A new head coach is in place for the NRHEG High School baseball team in 2024, but he's no stranger to the Panthers.
Shawn Larson, longtime assistant baseball coach and the varsity wrestling coach, will lead NRHEG on the diamond last spring.
While the Panthers have no seniors on their roster, a number of key players are back from last spring's team that finished 10-2 for second in the Gopher Conference and 11-5 overall.
Larson looks for good things from juniors Alden Dobberstein (P/SS/2B), Carter Martens (P/3B) and Jace Ihrke (P/C), and sophomore Jared Lee (P/1B/OF).
The other juniors are Aaden Hanna (P/OF), Mayson Patten (3B), Aidan Schlaak (P/IF), Seth Staloch (SS/2B) and Brock Ziemke (1B).
Varsity sophomores includ Isaac Bauleke (OF), Jordan Brouwers (OF/3B, Wyatt Larson (P/C/3B), Deven Parpart (P/IF/OF) and Owen Wayne (P/2B/SS).
"It is unkown at this time if we will be using any freshmen," said Coach Larson. "Alden Dobberstein, Carter Martens, Jace Ihrke and Jared Lee are all varsity returning players who we expect to stand out on our team this season."
As for new player impact, Larson looks forward to contributions from everyone.
"We have a cast of players that are capable of good things," said Larson. "Look for players like Aidan Schlaak, Wyatt Larson, Owen Wayne, Jordan Brouwers, and Deven Parpart to have good seasons and really help out the Panthers in the 2024 season."
Larson looks for wide-open races for both the Gopher Conference and section championships, and he believes the Panthers can contend.
"We have potential to be competing for both the section and conference title," said Larson. "Our section has several teams that will be contenders for the title. If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to pick Belle Plaine to be the top contender for the section. Our conference is extremely talented this season. United South Central, Maple River, Hayfield, Randolph, and Kenyon-Wanamingo are all teams that can win. Based of of last season, I would say that USC is probably the preseason favorite."
Larson, who replaces Mark Lee as head coach, will be assisted by first-year coach Marcus Fischer and former NRHEG head coach Jeff Reese.
“We have a plan as a team to use people in as many was as possible, so being able to know every role and help everybody else know every role is very important, because we don’t have a lot of guys,” said Dobberstein. “We need multiple people to do multiple things. I think the most important thing is building a family within the team.”
Lee, a sophomore, said he feels no pressure this season, but the lack of outside practice could be a challenge for the Panthers.
“We haven’t had a lot of outside time, so if we can get started on a hot streak, fix things as soon as possible rather than letting them build on each other,” said Lee. “Because it’s going to be hard not being outside, getting right into the games.”
So who’s going to pitch for the 2024 Panthers?