Thursday, August 30, 2012

Volume 97; Number 10

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

Changing the way we see the community

use, said David Determan. Armed with the coalitions vision of our community free from the impact of substance abuse, the team representing Todd County gained insight on how to begin. Blenkush explained, The expertise that is available from the Montana Summer Institute program is impressive. It can cover subjects as diverse as underage alcohol abuse to driving habits. The Positive Community Norms approach balances concern for the issue with hope for the future. It focuses on what is good in the community and seeks to grow that goodness. I believe that Positive Community Norms is a good strategy for reducing underage drinking in our county, said Determan, because it effectively reduces risky behaviors by encouraging the growth of healthy behaviors and attitudes. Positive Community Norms is a complex initiative, but one that is adoptable by individuals, families and communities. It begins with the spirit of why the community is working on the issue, then focuses on the science of the issue by gathering community data that measures misperceptions, after that, a plan of action is implemented that tells a story of whats really happening in the community. The difference is focusing on the positive data, rather than the negative. Continued on page 16.

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Todd County Youth Alcohol Prevention Coordinator David Determan, left, and Todd County Citizens Against Drugs Coalition member Severin Blenkush recently traveled to a training seminare in Big Sky Montana. Recently, members of the Todd County Citizens Against Drugs Coalition (CAD) traveled to Big Sky, Montana for a training that changed the way they saw their communities. Attending the training was coalition member Sev Blenkush and Todd County Youth Alcohol Prevention Coordinator David Determan. The training, entitled Montana Summer Institute, was lead by a team of researchers and prevention specialists for the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University with a focus on Positive Community Norms (PCN). People from the United States and Canada gathered at this fourday training seeking further understanding and guidance on prevention efforts such as transportation safety, suicide prevention, child maltreatment, substance abuse, and more. Our focus, here in Browerville is underage alcohol, tobacco and other drug

The rehabilitation department has always provided pediatric therapy but never had a dedicated space just for them. With the help of proceeds from the CentraCare Foundation Golf Scramble, the hospital began renovations of the previous orthopedics, pediatric, and storage areas. The storage space that was next to the old orthopedics area is also being renovated to extend the orthopedics area, and will include a private womb area and an Occupational Therapy hand room. The previous orthopedics space is being renovated to include the private pediatric rehabilitation area. The new pediatric therapy space will provide a much safer environment for children who may have sensory issues, CP, motor and coordination issues, learning disabilities, etc. The space will allow for equipment to specifically target the various needs of children, said Ashlee Lee, an occupational therapist at the hospital. It will also allow us to work together as a team and will better serve the needs of the community. We are in touch with the St.Cloud hospital and looking to do integrated therapy with the new space as well. The new pediatric rehab space will allow for specialized equipment including a climbing wall and a sensory swing, a non distracting area where better testing can occur, a visually attractive area just for younger children, friendly wall murals painted by Nancy Leasman, and a quiet/private treatment room. In the previous area we would have patients of all ages doing their therapy in one space and it was distracting for younger children. Also, some of the equipment in the area was not safe for children, explained Ben Dehn, who is the rehabilitation manager at the clinic. The new space offers a safer environment where children can learn, focus, have fun, enjoy therapy, and ultimately get the most out of their sessions. The rehabilitation team and patients are excited about the new area, which should be finished within the next couple of weeks.

Long Prairie Hospital dedicates new space to pediatric therapy

Todd Board approves space lease for Hands of Hope

By Rin Porter On Aug. 20, the Todd County Board of Commissioners agreed to charge $2,171.38 annual rent to Hands of Hope Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that assists crime victims, for lease of a small 140-sq-ft office space in a county building, to be paid quarterly. The lease was negotiated with Hands of Hope director Stephanie Och by a committee appointed by Board Chair Gerry Ruda on August 7, 2012. The lease rate is about $1.30 per square foot. Hands of Hope pays about 50 cents per square foot for its Morrison County space. Hands of Hope lost a large portion of its funding when the State of Minnesota reduced payments to a number of community organizations. Hands of Hope was no longer able to afford to pay the rent on its Central Avenue office in Long Prairie, and will vacate that office on Aug. 30. The board learned that Todd Wadena Kinship requested space to rent in the North Todd County Government Center. The space is available since Northern Pines Mental Health Center vacated their space. Kinship Partners mentoring program serves youth in Crow Wing and Cass counties, and recently took on the mentoring matches and waiting children of the Todd-Wadena Kinship program as it was about to dissolve. Kinship Partners hopes to re-establish a Staples-Motley office, and wishes to rent an office suite. Burkett and Commissioner Mark Blessing will negotiate a lease agreement with them. The board gave approval for the negotiation to take place. The board also approved new interior lighting for the hockey rink at the Expo Center. Dennis Brever from the Long Prairie Hockey Association told the board that the LPHA had received a $10,000 grant for new lighting. He got two quotes for about $12,000 and $12,500, and negotiated with one of the vendors to do the work for $10,000 if the LPHA took down the old lights and helped with the installation of the new ones. Continued on page 16.

The rehabilitation team at the Long Prairie hospital are excited to began working in the new pediatric rehabilitation area. Above: Occupational Therapists, from left to right, Nicole Pholmann, Lisa Lahr, and Ashlee Lee stand in front of a hand-painted mural by Nancy Leasman in the new pediatric rehab space.

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Wed. Aug. 29 Partly Cloudy 92/64 Thur. Aug. 30 Isolated T-Storms 89/58 Fri. Aug. 31 Partly Cloudy 82/61 Sat. Sept. 1 Partly Cloudy 82/60 Sun. Sept. 2 Partly Cloudy 75/51 Mon. Sept. 3 Sunny 75/53