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Winthrop Area Clinic opens early December 2007For years, the New Ulm Medical Center has reached beyond its walls to meet health care needs in communities surrounding New Ulm in the form of education, health fairs and the like. In December 2007, NUMC reached beyond its walls in a very tangible way when it opens the Winthrop Area Clinic. When approached by the Winthrop Opportunities Group in August, NUMC jumped at the chance to provide a five-day-a-week healthcare facility with lab and radiology capabilities. The clinic will be staffed by a physician four mornings a week and a nurse practitioner the fifth morning and every afternoon. Office hours will be a consistent 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with extended hours until 6 p.m. every Monday. The Winthrop Opportunities Group was seeking a healthcare facility to meet the specific needs of the dynamic population, explained Winthrop Economic Development Director Dean Pedersen. "Like many smaller towns, we certainly have plenty of residents who leave town during the day and go to work in other towns," Pedersen said. "But, we also have plenty of people who come to town from other communities to work here." Winthrop Opportunities member Arlys Lindstrand agrees. "We have an amazing number of employees here for the size of our town. We have lots of industry and we have the high school and we need the right healthcare facility to serve the needs of all those people," Lindstrand said. The Winthrop Area Clinic plans to be the right facility. "We are excited for this opportunity to provide healthcare in the Winthrop area," said Jeff Messenger, Director of Clinic Operations for New Ulm Medical Center. "With all five providers on board and staff who are from the Winthrop area, there is a lot of excitement generated for our new clinic." Transforming what was a bar into a top-of-the-line clinic within a few months, the enthusiasm for the clinic has caught on not only in Winthrop, but surrounding communities as well, Lindstrand said. "People are excited. They understand the need to look forward," said Brad Nelson, another member of the Winthrop Opportunities Group. "Part of the equation now is that we have the headquarters for United Farmers Co-op moving into town and they have brought a lot of employees from the Lafayette, Nicollet and Courtland area who may be more familiar with the New Ulm Medical Center healthcare system and providers." Lance Wiborg, president of Winthrop Opportunities, also sees opportunities in the future for the medical clinic to be part of a growing community. "Our city is beginning to convert from a farming and retirement type community to having big agriculture moving into town and we tend to see some of the younger crowd coming to town," Wiborg said. "It’s very exciting. It also takes one of our storefronts and puts it back into use." The clinic will be staffed Monday and Wednesday mornings by Dr. Stephen Gilles, Tuesday mornings by Dr. Charles Stephens and Thursday morning will alternate between Dr. Kara Jorve and Dr. Kathy Kobbermann. Nurse Practitioner Michelle Owens will see patients every afternoon and all day Friday. The clinic is set to open Monday, December 3, 2007 .Related Links New Ulm Medical Center Foundation  Back to Health Edition |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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