HealthFinders is a true grassroots collaborative of residents, associations and institutions from Northfield and Faribault. In the summer of 2002, a group of Latino leaders from St. Dominic parish in Northfield began meeting after mass to identify how to mobilize their community to address issues affecting them. These meetings occurred over a series of weeks, and each week more families attended. The result was a list of eight critical issues that impacted quality of life. The top issue identified by the Latino community was access to healthcare and medicine. With these findings in hand, the Latino leaders approached Anglo leaders in the parish.

In 2002, parishioners at St. Dominic Church in Northfield completed a health survey. The survey showed that about 7% of the non-Latino parish members had issues with health care access, insurance, or prescription drug costs, and nearly 75% of the Latino parish members had these issues. The survey proved to be the “tipping point,” calling community members to action.

In May 2003, medical professionals, public health leaders, business leaders, social service providers, church leaders, parish nurses, clinic administrators and concerned citizens from across the county were invited to a community meeting. The group discussed the results of the St. Dominic’s survey, and attendees shared additional data and perceptions about the extent of the health care access problem in the community.

At the initial community meeting, a number of local doctors spoke of past attempts to address healthcare issues, attempts which had failed. Their perception was that earlier attempts might have been more successful if they had engaged a broader base of the community. This new effort with its inclusive approach was, they believed, a promising way to begin.

The core group of people went to work, building a solid foundation of community support. Soon, the HealthFinders Collaborative was officially formed. The collaborative is unique in the area in reaching across both ethnic (Anglo and Latino) and geographic (Northfield and Faribault) boundaries to address a pressing issue, making a better place for everyone.

As more doctors, nurses, residents, businesses, hospitals and clinics, and more Northfield and Faribault churches, became involved, the HealthFinders organization began to raise funds through events, grants and other means. The first annual fundraising gala was held in February 2004.

Members of the collaborative visited free clinics in other parts of the state and started discussing the various types of programs that might be included under the HealthFinders umbrella. A program providing prescription drugs at a reduced cost and an educational outreach program for chronic health problems were soon identified as important affiliates for the free clinic.

The HealthFinder’s Collaborative held its first official board meeting May 2004. In the early days, the Northfield Area United Way served as fiscal agent. HealthFinders obtained 501(c)(3) status in October 2004.

Early in 2005, HealthFinders found a home for clinical operations. Little Prairie United Methodist Church, located on a rural highway between Faribault and Northfield, offered to let the collaborative revamp an area within their building to house the free clinic. The geographic location, between the two cities involved in the HealthFinders effort, was deemed especially appropriate. Once the lay-out of the clinic was planned, a number of volunteers donated their energy and expertise to enhance the space to meet the basic needs required for a clinical site, while others sought donations of necessary equipment and supplies.

Office space for the HealthFinders Clinic Coordinator was secured through an agreement with Northfield’s Community Action Center, and in March 2005, the collaborative added its first — and only — paid staff member.

As plans for the clinic space were made and executed, HealthFinders was also working out agreements for free or reduced-cost diagnostic and laboratory services for clinic patients, and a community-based prescription drug program, called the Medication Assistance Program. HealthFinders decided that the prescription program would be available to patients at all area clinics and emergency departments who meet program guidelines.

The program uses a specific list of medications (formulary) from which physicians can prescribe; patients can obtain prescribed medications at one of a number of participating pharmacies in Faribault and Northfield. The pharmacies have agreed to fill prescriptions at cost plus a small handling fee and send the bill to HealthFinders.

The free clinic opened on June 8, 2005, starting with one evening of services per week. In November 2005, the clinic increased its service hours to two nights per week. In addition to medical providers and nurses, social workers volunteer their assistance; community members work as receptionists and interpreters and provide other staffing assistance as needed.

Beginning with one small church parish, concerned about the health of its members, the HealthFinders Collaborative bloomed into a corps of volunteers who brought the free clinic and its allied programs into being in record time.

TOP