Minnesota briefs: New $50 million hospital, clinic set to open in Crookston

RiverView Health will celebrate its new $50 million hospital and clinic with a ceremony on Wednesday. The project, dubbed RiverView 2020, has been years in the making and will receive its first patients on Oct. 25.

The official ribbon cutter will be 90-year-old Betty Juve, who has worked at RiverView Health since 1978.

The ceremony is open to members of the public, who are invited to sit in their cars and listen to a broadcast. A video tour of the facility will be shown on an outdoor screen.

RiverView 2020 replaces the city's existing hospital and clinics with an 80,000-square-foot, two-story building. The upper level is an inpatient unit with 18 patient rooms, three labor and delivery rooms and four family suites.

Every room has a private bathroom and a large floor plan to allow caregivers space and ensure family and friends are comfortable.

The ground level is home to all three of RiverView's existing Crookston clinics consolidated into one large clinic. The new facility has 48 exam rooms, four procedure rooms and four consultation rooms. The project also includes a lobby café, gift shop and conference center.

John Reinan

The nonprofit Wilderness Inquiry is offering virtual field trips to the Mississippi River this fall, since real field trips are limited by COVID-19.

Teachers and parents can register students in grades five through eight for a Zoom-based Mississippi River Youth Explorers program, showcasing ecology and history at notable places along the river.

Led by National Park Service rangers and Wilderness Inquiry guides, the program is also offering an adult version of four weekly Zoom sessions for $25.

Register at wildernessinquiry.org.

Pam Louwagie

The Staples Motley Area Community Foundation is accepting grant applications through Oct. 15.

The foundation will consider applications in three areas: improving community appearance; strengthening youth and families, and increasing community involvement and leadership.

Grants will be awarded for up to 50% of a project's cost. In recent years, typical grants have ranged from $1,000 to $2,500.

For more information, visit staplesmotleyfoundation.org.

John Reinan