Minneapolis, MN

U of M closing nurse practitioner clinc in Minneapolis

Published

1 year ago

July 10, 2024

U of M closing nurse practitioner clinc in Minneapolis

The University of Minnesota is shutting down a nurse practitioner clinic in the Downtown East neighborhood that was heralded at its opening for addressing potential shortages in primary care.

Nurse practitioners at the Minneapolis clinic cared for an average of 800 patients per year during nearly a decade of operations, according to Connie White Delaney, dean of the U’s School of Nursing.

The school has provided more than $3 million in operational subsidies since the clinic opened in 2015.

“Despite its positive health outcomes and exceptionally high patient satisfaction scores, the nurse practitioner clinic has not been financially viable,” Delaney said in a statement to the Star Tribune. “The U.S. continues to face a significant shortage of primary care providers … but the financial model to sustain these [nurse-practitioner led] primary care practices has not evolved.”

Health insurance reimbursements at the clinic have been a key problem, the U says. Medicare payments are 15% lower when treatment is provided by nurse practitioners rather than physicians, according to the university.

“Both commercial and government payers reimburse primary care at lower rates than other kinds of care, which creates a built-in financial pressure for clinics that focus on primary care,” Delaney said.

The U Medical School continues to support five community clinics that also receive funding from the state and local health systems — dollars that weren’t available, the university says, for the nurse practitioner clinic.

Last year, the U closed another nurse practitioner-led clinic at its Clinics and Surgery Center building on its East Bank campus.

The Downtown East clinic is scheduled to close Oct. 31.

University of Minnesota Physicians, the medical group for U doctors, is working to find other jobs for clinic staff within the U health system. Patients are being notified and offered help in finding a new clinic location.

The closure comes as the U has been touting its primary care investments while making a broad push to bolster academic health programs including the purchase of University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.

The U’s commitment to primary care was lauded over the past year by a task force on academic health convened by Gov. Tim Walz. The group formulated recommendations for policymakers about funding the U’s training programs during meetings that frequently touched on the university’s goal to reacquire its teaching hospital from Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services.

A final report from the task force noted the challenge for academic health centers to fund primary care training and services, even though primary care is one of the critical areas where access has diminished.

“Minnesota has unrealized potential in its broad health ecosystem to develop innovative models of prevention and care — from community-based to primary care to highly specialized care,” the report said.

“Within that ecosystem, the University of Minnesota has a unique opportunity to use the breadth and strength of its health sciences schools collectively, and maximize collaboration with its schools of design, engineering, law and technology, to design and implement the models of the future.”

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Man fatally shot in Minneapolis, 17-year-old arrested

Published

6 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Man fatally shot in Minneapolis, 17-year-old arrested

article

The scene of the shooting on Thomas Avenue North. (FOX 9)

A man was fatally shot after an argument early Tuesday morning in Minneapolis.

Fatal shooting on Thomas Avenue North

What we know:

According to Minneapolis police, around 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue North on reports of a shooting inside a home.

At the scene, officers found a man with several gunshot wounds. The man was taken to the hospital, where he later died, police said.

Authorities say that an argument led to gunfire, and the suspect fled the scene before police arrived.

A 17-year-old was arrested in connection to the shooting, and police say they are investigating “connections” between the teen arrested and other violent crimes in Minneapolis this year.

What they’re saying:

“Another family has forever been impacted by senseless violence,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “Settling disputes with a firearm is completely unacceptable, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice in this case.  Every available tool in the juvenile justice system must be used to protect young people who pose a danger to themselves as well as the community.”

What we don’t know:

Police did not specify the gender of the 17-year-old. And the other crimes the teen could be connected to were not specified.

The man who was fatally shot has not been identified.

The Source: A press release from the Minneapolis Police Department.

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolis

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

41-year-old convicted in triple homicide at Minneapolis encampment

Published

18 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

41-year-old convicted in triple homicide at Minneapolis encampment

A 41-year-old was found guilty in the murders of Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons, Jr., and Samantha Jo Moss at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

According to a criminal complaint, Earl Bennett rode an e-bike to a tent in the encampment in October 2024, asked to see one of the victims inside and began shooting shortly after being allowed inside. Surveillance video showed him leaving the tent and riding away on his e-bike.

Washington and Lemons were declared dead at the scene, and Moss died at the hospital a week later.

Woman dies nearly a week after triple shooting at Minneapolis encampment; suspect charged

Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16 in this case, the attorney’s office said.

Other cases

Bennett is also a defendant in two other cases.

He was shot by law enforcement after pointing a gun at officers in St. Paul days after the murders.

Officers later learned Bennett had shot and critically injured a man earlier in the evening at a sober living home on the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue South.

The gun Bennett pointed at officers in St. Paul matched the casings found at both the encampment and sober living home shootings.

SPPD releases bodycam of officers shooting and injuring man charged in encampment triple homicide | Man seriously injured in Minneapolis shooting, suspect not in custody

These cases both remain open.

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Jury finds man guilty of murder in Minneapolis homeless encampment shooting

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Jury finds man guilty of murder in Minneapolis homeless encampment shooting

A jury found a man guilty in the murders of three people at a Minneapolis homeless encampment, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Earl Bennett was found guilty on three counts of second-degree intentional murder for the Oct. 27, 2024, shooting at a small encampment next to railroad tracks near Snelling Avenue and East 44th Street.

The victims were identified as 38-year-old Christopher Martell Washington of Fridley, 32-year-old Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr. of Brooklyn Center, and 35-year-old Samantha Jo Moss of St. Louis Park.

Charges say investigators obtained surveillance video from the area that allegedly captured the suspect, later identified as Bennett, arriving on an electric bike and entering a tent at the encampment. About 15 minutes later, video captured the sound of several gunshots before Bennett exited the tent and left on his bike.

The manager of a sober house in south Minneapolis, where Bennett is accused of severely injuring another man, identified Bennett as the suspect in the surveillance video from the encampment shooting.

Later that same night, officers in St. Paul responded to a shots fired call near Snelling and Charles avenues. Upon arrival, they found a man, later identified as Bennett, with a gun.

As officers approached, Bennett pointed the gun to his head, police said. Officers began talking with him, trying to get him to surrender, but he then started walking south down Snelling. Once he reached the Snelling and University area, he began walking around in the intersection, according to police.

Police said officers fired “less lethal” rounds at Bennett to try and get him to surrender, but he still would not.

Bennett then pointed his gun at police, according to the department and witnesses, and that’s when officers shot him.

The four officers who shot Bennett were all cleared of criminal charges, with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office concluding the use of deadly force was legally justified under state law.

Bennett also faces charges of second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection to the armed encounter with officers in Ramsey County.

In Hennepin County, Bennett was also convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.

Bennett’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.

In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.

Source link