Submitted by Ann Ness, LWV Observer
A special meeting of the Northfield Hospital Board was called for the purpose of approving bids for the Lonsdale Clinic. As long as the Board was meeting, a couple of other items were added. A quorum of five members was present. Board Chairperson Steve Delzer called the meeting to order just after 5:00 p.m.
The Board considered a proposal to recommend awarding the remaining contracts to the lowest qualified bidders for construction of the new clinic in Lonsdale, MN. Award of these contracts will result in a construction cost of $2,170,058.00 which is approximately 13% over budget. There were no bids for masonry. The Hospital is talking to Kraus-Anderson for a possible masonry contractor. They think the final construction cost will be reduced to between 5% and 10% over budget. The Board approved awarding bids so they will go next to the City Council for confirmation at Monday night's meeting. While they would like to have the masonry finished before the opening, masonry is particularly affected by weather so it may not be possible. The clinic could open without it.Ken Bank introduced a proposal for assistance to the HealthFinders Collaborative. HealthFinders Collaborative is an emerging group representing local churches, health and social service providers, clinicians and hospitals, residents and businesses in the Northfield and Faribault area. The purpose of the Collaborative is to organize community resources to address issues of access to health care for uninsured persons in the hospital service areas of Northfield and Faribault. HealthFinders has secured a location at which it will offer clinic services. The clinic will be staffed by volunteer physicians, nurses and others. HealthFinders has asked that Northfield Hospital and District One Hospital of Faribault agree to provide inpatient and outpatient hospital services to clinic patients. These services would be provided at no charge to the patient
or to HealthFinders. The initial agreement would commence on June 1, 2005 and continue for a three-month trial run.In the discussion that followed a question was asked about whether the patients would have pre-scheduled appointments
