St. Olaf announces new partnership with Northfield Hospital & Clinics
St. Olaf College is partnering with Northfield Hospital & Clinics to enhance the health services offered on campus.
The partnership combines traditional on-campus care with a cutting-edge virtual diagnostic service that students can access anytime, anywhere.
Northfield Hospital & Clinics, an independent, integrated health care organization providing a wide range of health care services to patients throughout the Twin Cities south metro and southern Minnesota, will begin operating the college’s health services with the start of the academic year.
“We always look for ways to better serve our students,” says St. Olaf President David R. Anderson ’74. “Our partnership with Northfield Hospital & Clinics provides such an opportunity. It will increase our students’ access to high-quality medical care while not increasing the cost to them and their families.”
St. Olaf students will continue to have access to the same high-quality health care services that have always been available through the college, including a certified nurse practitioner on campus who can diagnose, treat, and write prescriptions for common illnesses and injuries.
Students who need additional medical attention for more complex conditions will be connected to the services they need through Northfield Hospital & Clinics’ system. Northfield Hospital & Clinics has an excellent staff of providers, and partners with a broad range of premier providers — including Mayo Clinic, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, University of Minnesota Medical Center, and Hennepin County Medical Center — to provide patients with access to the best resources for their clinical needs.
“Northfield Hospital & Clinics is delighted at being chosen to provide health services that meet St. Olaf’s high standards,” says Northfield Hospital & Clinics CEO Steve Underdahl. “We’re proud to work with St. Olaf toward more efficient and effective health care for students. This partnership enhances health care options for students by continuing high-quality care on campus, plus adding a new online diagnostic tool they can access any time.”
A new service that Northfield Hospital & Clinics brings to St. Olaf students is an online diagnostic platform called Zipnosis. With this tool, students can log in, answer a series of questions about their health, and receive a clinician-based diagnosis and treatment plan (as well as a prescription, if needed) for common medical conditions — all without leaving their dorm room. This service, developed by St. Olaf alumnus Jon Pearce ’01, is available seven days a week for all St. Olaf students.