From left, Allina Health Faribault Medical Center CEO Michael Johnston, Senior Vice President of Acute Care Operations for Allina Health Sara Criger and Dr. Badrinath Konety get ready for the photo op with their hard hats and hammers. (Colton Kemp/southernminn.com)
Concept art depicts the front lobby of the future Allina Health Cancer Institute Faribault Clinic. (Photo courtesy of Allina Health)
Allina Health Nurse Practitioner Amy Selly broke the promise she made to herself not to get emotional as she gave an address Thursday.
Her speech was given alongside other Allina Health staff who gathered with several members of the community for a “break the wall” ceremony marking the start of construction for the new Faribault Cancer Clinic, which will be in a repurposed room of the hospital.
After the design process was completed in June, the anticipated date for the clinic to open was set to early January of this year. Supply-chain issues caused delays, but the clinic is set to be open in mid-spring.
As Selly took a moment to gather her thoughts, Allina Health Cancer Institute Dr. Shefali Shah, an oncologist and hematologist, took a moment to reflect on when she first came to Faribault.
“I was gonna be here three months,” she said. “Now, 3 1/2 years later, I’m still in this frozen tundra. I can’t believe it. My family can’t believe it. I would say that the reason I stayed: the patients, the community, the people that we work with.
“They are all the same, because the people we work with are the patients and part of the community. I think that that is a truly important part of healing, not just the chemo I do. I think it’s a really special place.”
After expressing that Shah had “really caught the bug” that is the community of Faribault, Selly gave some brief history of how the need for a local cancer clinic became apparent.
She explained that, in 2011, a few local health care providers teamed up to form their current infusion center and cancer center. In their first full year of operation, they had over 1,300 patient visits.
From left, Allina Health Faribault Medical Center CEO Michael Johnston, Senior Vice President of Acute Care Operations for Allina Health Sara Criger and Dr. Badrinath Konety get ready for the photo op with their hard hats and hammers. (Colton Kemp/southernminn.com)
Their service area mainly covers Rice County, but also some surrounding communities. The closest clinics are in Mankato, Rochester or the metro.
So, it wasn’t long before they realized the need was much greater than they anticipated. Within the first few years, they had outgrown their space.
In 2015, they had so many patients that they even took some temporary space in the surgery center. By 2022, the number of patient visits had more than doubled to nearly 2,700.
“We didn’t have the appropriate space,” Selly said. “That’s why we’re here. We need to have that space to be able to care for these patients. So, we’re very excited that Allina Health is committed for us being able to provide cancer care close to home.”
Privacy, technology and community
Spacial constraints weren’t all that drove the need for the new clinic. Another priority, Selly said, was more patient privacy.
Not only would the new clinic provide a private entrance leading to a separate parking lot, but it would get them out of the surgery center, which Selly pointed out has sliding-glass doors.
As the medical field advances, 2011 technology quickly became outdated. Keeping up was always a priority, but the new clinic will allow for some much-needed updates around the office, Selly said.
Additionally, family and patient’s mental health has made its way to the forefront of the conversation for the medical community. In the new clinic, family counseling will be prioritized too.
Much of the focus for the new clinic is based on patient needs, which were assessed during the design process.
The community played a big role in expediting the clinic’s construction, according to Selly.
“I’ve known for years how generous this community is, but the short period of time that it took to raise the money to support this cancer center was unbelievable,” she said. “I mean, I don’t think anyone imagined that we would accomplish it in such a short amount of time.”
Among the major donors were several local families and stores from Faribault and other nearby towns. Shah and Selly are on the donor list.
It was just four months of fundraising before they had the entire clinic paid for.
Construction is expected to be completed by mid-spring.
“We are so thankful to be able to move forward with the vision,” Selly said. “To be able to provide the environment our patients deserve, the environment our staff deserve and the environment our community deserves.”
