2022: People and stories that shaped our year
The end of the year is a time to reflect and celebrate all of the M Health Fairview staff, volunteers, and patients who cared for each other and our communities in 2022.
This year, we saw challenges and built new solutions: To address health disparities in Minnesota, we expanded our team of health equity leaders and opened the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub in St. Paul. We also faced a difficult respiratory illness season that strained emergency departments, hospitals, clinics, and urgent care locations across the state. At the same time, new breakthroughs and advancements helped us push the envelope for the people under our care.
Our patients and colleagues inspired and supported each other through it all – from a longtime children’s hospital volunteer changing lives one board game at a time to our new facility dog, Clayton, who supports our EMTs during tough days on the job.
Here are some of the people and moments worth celebrating this year.
Breaking an organ transplant record during the pandemic
We started off 2022 with a new milestone when we announced our care teams had provided a record-breaking 116 liver transplants in 2021, giving dozens of people a second chance at life. The transplant news continued during Heart Month, when we celebrated another milestone – three successful heart transplants in just 36 hours. Working through the pandemic, our transplant team continues to build on our robust transplant legacy that spans more than 50 years and includes thousands of successful organ and cell transplants.
Creating a new model for community health alongside trusted partners
In August, we cut the ribbon on the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub in the heart of downtown St. Paul during a community event including elected officials, community leaders, and many others. The hub represents a new model for healthcare. It centers community needs, addresses the social determinants of health like housing and food access to make lasting, equitable strides in community health, and provides space for innovative collaborations with partners like Minnesota Community Care and The Sanneh Foundation. A month after the opening, our health system conducted its first formal Indigenous land acknowledgement ceremony at the hub.
Expanding our team of leaders focused on statewide health equity
In 2021, Taj Mustapha, MD, stepped into a new role as Chief Equity Strategy Officer. Since then, we’ve continued to grow our health equity team in order to fulfill the mission to become an antiracist organization laid out by our HOPE Commission in 2020.
In January 2022, we were thrilled to welcome Richfield, Minn., mayor and longtime community health advocate Maria Regan Gonzalez to M Health Fairview as director of equity initiatives. We also became one of the first health systems in the nation to hire a full-time restorative justice coordinator and added two new staff members to our cultural broker program. They now work closely with the Latine and Native American communities to remove barriers to healthcare and improve health outcomes.
Bringing a new level of cardiac care to the suburban East Metro
Advanced heart care is now closer to home for many in the East Metro. We opened five new cardiac catheterization labs this summer at M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital. St. John’s is now the only facility in the eastern suburbs to offer tertiary cardiac care – a higher level of specialty care – in a state-of-the-art setting with advanced medical technology.
The improvements don’t stop there: This year, we opened two units of new patient rooms at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center – West Bank with leading-edge medical monitoring technology.
Unveiling a groundbreaking treatment for a rare and fatal genetic condition
We’re a global leader in care for adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare genetic condition that primarily affects young boys and is often fatal if left untreated. This expertise means we’re also on the forefront of lifesaving new treatments. Physicians and researchers at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital helped pioneer a gene therapy for treatment of cerebral ALD. This year, it was approved for use by the U.S. Food and drug Administration (FDA). Our hospital was a prominent site in clinical trials and, this fall, became one of only four centers in the world offering gene therapy to treat cerebral ALD.
Continuing our commitment to the mental health of patients and frontline workers
The mental health epidemic we are facing affects people of all ages and walks of life. We’re committed to meeting community mental health needs. This year, we opened a new day treatment program designed for preteens and young teens and expanded our M Health Fairview Outpatient Mental Health & Addiction Clinic in downtown St. Paul. A generous donation from a local nonprofit also bolstered our music therapy program, which helps children and teens with mental health concerns.
Our frontline workers continually face difficult and heartbreaking situations as part of their work providing compassionate care. One bright spot this year is the addition of Clayton, a highly trained facility dog who offers emotional support to our EMTs and paramedics.
Fighting a surge of respiratory illnesses with innovative care options
Years of pandemic isolation contributed to a spike in respiratory illnesses, including RSV, among children and adults this fall. The surge once again overloaded hospitals, emergency departments, and other facilities. Our experts were front and center locally and nationally, advising families how to prevent illness and when to seek treatment for sick children while caring for the many families coming into our hospitals and clinics. As a health system, we also rose to meet increased demand with a range of care options, including virtual visits, to help people access treatment directly from home.
Finding inspiration from our patients, staff, and volunteers
Our staff, volunteers, and patients are our role models. Their dedication helps inspire our entire health system. Facilities Engineer Larry Anderson celebrated an important milestone this year. He has now kept the lights on – literally and figuratively – at our northern clinics for half a century.
Longtime volunteer Claire Stolee visits patients at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, brightening their days with stories and games, handing out hugs for those who need them, and supporting families during hospital stays.
Two former patients also used their unique talents to give back this year. Sheryll Kjos creates hand drawn coloring pages for current patients and staff at M Health Fairview Northland Medical Center and beyond, and Layla Mathews has turned her battle with cancer and love of baking into a commitment to making cookies for a cause.
Achieving statewide recognition for our dedicated healthcare staff
We’re incredibly proud of our colleagues, and this year they were recognized in a big way by peers and patients. This spring, families at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital presented the Environmental Services team with an Impact Award for keeping the hospital safe and welcoming for our young patients.
This year, a dozen people from across our organization were recognized as changemaking “Health Care Heroes” by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. We were home to more “Rising Star” physicians than any other metro health system, and we celebrated the most “Top Doctors” of any health system in the state – as recognized by both Mpls.St. Paul Magazine and Minnesota Monthly.
