Graduate and undergraduate nursing students at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University will soon be getting hands-on clinical work as part of a new community outpost on St. Cloud’s east side.
The health-focused Salem Community Outpost – which is being housed in the Salem Lutheran Church Building – is a community partnership between Salem, the CSB and SJU nursing department, CentraCare, the Public Safety Foundation, the St. Cloud Police Department and various other community counterparts.
It includes a free medical clinic, which will be staffed by nursing department faculty members and graduate students with the help of St. Cloud Hospital’s Project H.E.A.L. Senior undergraduate students will also assist, engaging in preventative and educational health activities.
Salem offered use of the space for the project, which is being coordinated by the Public Safety Foundation. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday (Aug. 14) afternoon at the facility, which also features space for the St. Cloud Police Department and emergency health services.
“Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s have a long history of being of, with and for the community,” said CSB and SJU President Brian Bruess during his remarks at the ceremony.
“So partnerships like this, where we get to partner with the Public Safety Foundation, the St. Cloud Police Department, CentraCare and Salem Lutheran Church are a real, true expression of our core principals.”
St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson also spoke at Thursday’s ceremony, calling the outpost a vital resource for the city’s east side neighborhood.
“I’m excited for what this will bring to this neighborhood and our attempts to revitalize our east side, as well as our downtown,” he said. “And the care people will be able to get here as opposed to going to the emergency room.”
Bruess said the partnership is the latest example of the commitment of the CSB and SJU communities to promoting healthcare and well-being in Central Minnesota. That dates back to 1886 when the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict founded what eventually became the St. Cloud Hospital.
“We stand on the shoulders of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict who had the wisdom, courage and belief that a hospital in St. Cloud was needed,” Bruess said. “It’s through their vision and their commitment to this region that we’re here today.
“Today is a beautiful manifestation of the mission of Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s,” he continued. “This is our essence. We bring our essence to this work.”
Also speaking at Thursday’s ceremony were Rachelle Larsen, a registered nurse and a professor in the nursing department at CSB and SJU, and Mary Zelenak, also a registered nurse and professor in the department.
Zelenak praised the partnership that led to the opening of the outpost and clinic, which she said will bring needed health care resources to the east side while also preparing students for future careers.
“We came together and have developed a shared goal of reducing health disparities, looking at social determinants of health and also educating our nurses to provide strong future leaders,” she said.
Larsen said Thursday’s ceremony was a big step in an effort that has been underway for several years now, and she is looking forward to what the clinic – which is scheduled to open to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays after Labor Day – will grow into.
“Today marks an incredible milestone, but it’s just the start,” she said. “We can’t wait to keep building connections, creating opportunities and working alongside all of you to meet the needs of our community.”