“Taking care of these precious little ones is a dream job.” Linda Graeve, APRN, is a neonatal nurse practitioner at M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital. Caring for premature babies and watching them grow is one of the best parts of her job.  “I work with an incredible group of people,” she said. “The NICU family is a strong, supportive family that endures and perseveres through very amazing and very difficult outcomes.” Making a difference for these families goes beyond bedside care. Graeve is also passionate about quality improvement and always looks for ways to make healthcare for our tiniest patients the best it possibly can be. In addition to being a leader in the St. John’s #NICU, she is also part of the new Point of Care Ultrasound group that is working on improving NICU care through ultrasound use in many areas of neonatal care. During #NursePractitionerWeek, we’re celebrating the incredible daily expertise and passion NPs like Linda bring to our patients and families. #NursePractitioner | #NICU | #HealthcareProvider

We are committed to a supportive and safe healthcare experience for every patient. That’s why we now offer patients the option to hide weight information and BMI in their after-visit summaries. Patients can also decline weight-related discussions if they find them unhelpful. This update is especially meaningful to patients who may be experiencing eating disorders, body image, and weight stigma concerns. Carol Peterson, Ph.D, LP, a psychologist and professor at University of Minnesota Medical School was part of that group that implemented the change. “For people with eating disorders, weight can be a number that’s extremely triggering,” Peterson said. “So it was important to allow that choice.” For Peterson, working on this project was important to her because of the impact it had on people who were once fearful of going to the doctor. Learn more about the update here: https://mhfv.care/4enlaRL

Elissa Butler, MD, a pediatric general surgeon with M Health Fairview Pediatrics, loves guiding families through life-changing moments. "I have always loved kids," she said. Butler, newly hired to our team in September, provides compassionate care to children from newborns to 18 years old, treating everything from appendix removals, hernia repairs, to complex congenital conditions with the chest or abdomen. She loves the feeling of getting to “fix the problem and help these kids move on with their lives.” Originally from Texas, Butler felt coming back to Minnesota was a “homecoming.” Shaped by her positive experience at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she is now an assistant professor, Butler is looking forward to expanding our general surgery offerings, making it easier for Minnesota families to get the care they need closer to home.  As a long-term goal, Butler is excited to advance our minimally invasive and robotic surgery offerings for children and adolescents, providing better outcomes for patients and their families. Learn more about general surgery at M Health Fairview Pediatrics:  https://mhfv.care/4fgUuDJ #PediatricSurgeon | #Pediatrics | #ChildrensHealth

A special shoutout to all our team members who took time out of their busy schedules to volunteer with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity this week! Over 60 volunteers from across our health system signed up to help with construction of The Heights project, creating stable, affordable housing for St. Paul’s East Side. This work is a continuation of what began earlier this month when leadership across Fairview participated in Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project where we helped launch The Heights construction – Twin Cities Habitat’s largest-ever development. These efforts are a testament to our health system’s unwavering commitment to investing in accessible housing helping keep our communities safe and healthy. Learn more about our housing initiatives here: https://mhfv.care/3TRYjq2 #HousingisHealth | #HealthEquity

What do a deer, a scuba diver, and a superhero all have in common? They’re celebrating their first Halloween in our NICU! Newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital are making waves this Halloween with the cutest costumes around! Every year, our NICU teams go above and beyond to make the holiday special for our patients and their families. Let’s help them celebrate by wishing them all a Happy Halloween! #HappyHalloween | #NICUHalloween

Honoring Francisco Ramirez, who was recently recognized as one of Twin Cities Business’s 2024 Notable Hispanic Leaders for his unwavering commitment to advancing health and wellness in the Latine community. 👏 Ramirez, Community Advancement education and outreach supervisor with M Health Fairview, has made it his mission to break down health barriers facing the Latine community by educating and advocating for critical health issues – including colon cancer prevention, heart health, and vaccinations. In 2014, he launched the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Program at Fairview, providing free colonoscopies to uninsured or underinsured adults. Since it’s launch, the program has performed 345 free procedures – an intervention that has the potential to save lives. “Prevention is key,” Ramirez said. “Education is a great need and it’s crucial for building healthier communities. Our team goes to different places during the week and over the weekend, working and building trust with our communities. Then we keep educating the community where they are, where they feel safe, but not only once a year, we do it continuously. This work has to be consistent to see positive outcomes.”   Join us in thanking Ramirez for making such a profound impact in the lives of so many families and communities every day. Learn more about his work: https://mhfv.care/3NLrk3w #HealthEquity | #HealthcareLeaders | #HealthAdvocate

There’s a known link between mental health and substance use. A new intensive outpatient program at M Health Fairview Northland Medical Center is helping teens overcome these challenges by treating mental health and addiction together. “You really can’t separate substance use from depression or anxiety,” said Nicole Herlofsky, manager of outpatient programs at M Health Fairview. “So we treat those things simultaneously. We’re one of the few programs in the state offering this specialized care, filling a critical care gap for families in rural Minnesota where there are often fewer options for treatment. Through comprehensive skill building, therapy, and education, teens receive the tools they need to return to their lives stronger than before. Find out more: https://mhfv.care/3YJaMhJ

After giving birth, Jill Kaiylethe didn’t think her headache was harmful. But a home monitoring app tracking her blood pressure recognized the signs of postpartum preeclampsia, alerted her care team, and advised Jill to go to the hospital – which ended up saving her life. Bethany Sabol, MD, maternal-fetal medicine physician with M Health Fairview and assistant professor the University of Minnesota Medical School says the postpartum period is a high-risk time for new parents to experience complications of high blood pressure. She created the Home Observation of Postpartum Elevated Blood Pressure (HOPE-BP) program at the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center so new parents stay safe and feel supported from the comfort of home. For Jill, this was life-changing. “In the moment, I don’t think I realized that having such high blood pressure had been so dangerous for my health,” she said. “But after being admitted and realizing how serious the situation was, I’m really so thankful that I’m here and can take care of my kids and be a healthy mom.”  Read more:  https://mhfv.care/4dVqbAR

Heart care that puts you first. Healthgrades recently named M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital as the top hospital in the Twin Cities for cardiology. Our teams were recognized among the 10% of cardiac specialty programs in the country and received the 2025 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award. “Our cardiology experts are ready and available whenever they’re needed in convenient locations across the metro area,” said Katie Nelson, service line executive for heart and vascular care. “They treat each patient as an individual and deliver the best, tailored care possible.” Three other hospitals across our health system were also recognized for excellence in heart care: M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital, and M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center – West Bank. We are incredibly proud of our teams for making this possible. 👏 Find out why we are recognized among the best: https://mhfv.care/48j6Loq #Healthgrades | #TopHospital | #CardiacCare

Our 3D mobile mammography truck is helping more patients in Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities get access to lifesaving breast cancer screenings. Among Black women diagnosed with breast cancer, there's a significant difference in survival rates compared to non-Hispanic white or Asian women. One way to change this is to make breast cancer screening more accessible. The truck is equipped with the latest in #breastcancer screening technology and can be driven to our neighborhood clinics that serve predominantly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) patients. “We recognized disparities in breast cancer screening across different populations based on race and language,” said Malay Thao, health equity consultant at M Health Fairview. “We worked with our community partners to pilot a project to improve breast cancer screening, targeting improvements in non-white and non-English speaking populations.” Learn more: https://mhfv.care/3YrRnTr #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth | #CancerCare | #HealthEquity