A few months have passed since our last community update, and looking back, it’s hard to believe that was even the same year. In so many ways, COVID-19 has drastically changed our lives and put the health and safety of ourselves and our loved ones at the forefront of our daily concerns.

This virus will be with us for a long time, and adapting to a “new normal” means there’s no room for complacency. Unfortunately, the virus doesn’t care that we’ve grown weary of it. So we must wear masks, we must social distance, and we must wash our hands thoroughly and frequently to slow the spread.

Whatever may come, Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont is prepared to care for patients with COVID-19. We’re also ready and able to serve our patients in all other areas of health care, from primary care to emergency services.

With all of this in mind, we’d like to update you on a few things that have been happening on our campus the past few months, as well as what’s to come.

New provider and new services

• We welcome Madhan Prabhakaran, M.D., to our Family Medicine team. He has been a family medicine practitioner at Palo Alto County Hospital and Family Practice Clinic in Emmetsburg, Iowa, since July 2014. Dr. Prabhakaran will start seeing patients in late July.

• Patients can now take advantage of a procedure called vein sclerotherapy at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont that is used to eliminate varicose and spider veins. The procedure is minimally invasive and entails an injection of a solution directly into the vein, which irritates the lining of the blood vessel and causes it to collapse and stick together. Over time, the blood vessel turns into scar tissue that fades from view.

• The Radiology Department is offering a new mobile PET/CT scan service. CT and PET scans show detailed pictures of organs and soft tissues, such as muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Facility changes

We are transitioning the care of outpatients with COVID-19 symptoms to a temporary respiratory clinic located in an unused clinical space adjacent to the main clinic. With added screening and safety measures in place, patients with COVID-19 symptoms have been treated in the traditional Urgent Care setting, and testing for COVID-19 has been done at the drive-up testing site.

This new clinical space will also be used for our permanent Urgent Care clinic going forward. This allows us to continue to distance patients with acute symptoms from patients coming to the clinic for wellness appointments.

Thanks to renovations funded by the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation, the new space will be used to both treat and test for COVID-19.

Well child visits

During the pandemic, parents are asked to be thoughtful about bringing children to public spaces. However, families should try to keep their children on the recommended vaccine schedule as much as possible and bring them in for routine well child visits.

Without vaccinations, young children’s bodies often can’t fight diseases. This can lead to serious complications.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a recommended schedule of immunizations for children based on when your child will get the most protection from the vaccine. In some cases, it is not as simple as catching up the next year, because your child will remain unprotected for a year or there could be other consequences.

Reach out to your primary care provider for guidance and to schedule an appointment.

Resiliency webinars

Employees and employers are facing many changes and stressors at multiple levels as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont is sponsoring “Restart. Refresh. Reframe: The Resilient Path Forward,” in partnership with the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Mankato Growth. 

This three-part webinar series is facilitated by world-renowned resiliency expert Amit Sood, M.D., executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing and the GRIT Institute.

There is still time to take part in two of the webinars. “Emotional Resilience,” scheduled for 1 p.m. July 7, will cover a pragmatic approach to cultivating emotional resilience and lowering stress. “Logistical,” at 1 p.m. Aug. 4, will compile ideas around addressing some of the logistical challenges companies might be facing to help their employees adapt to the tremendous changes in workplaces that have happened because of COVID-19. 

Employers and employees can participate in the webinars at no cost and can register at greatermankato.com. If you can’t participate in the webinars, recordings will be available on the site. 

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Thank you to our communities for your wonderful support the past few months. Your generosity in donating homemade face masks, ear bands, snacks and refreshments, and hand sanitizer has been greatly appreciated.

Also, we appreciate your continued support of the changes we have made to help keep you and our employees safe during the pandemic — especially by wearing your masks. 

Stay safe and be well.

-Marie Morris, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont
-Amy Long, administrator, Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont

Contact Amy Long at 507-238-5070 or long.amy1@mayo.edu with any comments or questions.