CentraCare Touts Partnerships at Annual Community Report

ST. CLOUD -- Partnerships that ensure they can continue their work is what CentraCare focused on during their annual report to the community.

To that end, CentraCare and St. Cloud State University are partnering on a new center. The Center for Health Outcome Policy Research will have SCSU students and employees joining forces with CentraCare professionals to develop solutions to new health challenges in central Minnesota.

CentraCare President and CEO Ken Holmen says its a big commitment, in part, to help nursing education, and gather data to make sure they're getting better as a healthcare provider.

"So it's gathering data. How do we know we're getting better? We gather data in part by partnering with community institutions to gather data."

On the whole, Holmen says CentraCare is very confident heading into 2019. He says they're in a good spot, because of their size and how they take care of patients.

"Members of our community will understand the dynamic challenges of healthcare going forward. We're well positioned, we're a large organization but our success is dependent on taking care of each patient and community one at a time."

 

CentraCare had $1.5-billion in operating revenue in 2018, with $942-million going toward their people, and $552-million going toward buildings, medicine and other supplies.

Beyond the new partnership with SCSU and their finances, CentraCare touted partnerships with St. Cloud Technical and Community College, the new Child Advocacy Center and their partnerships with law-enforcement.

One of their law-enforcement partnerships is Correctional Care.  That program has helped over 3,800 inmates in Benton and Stearns Counties with their health needs.

CentraCare has over 12,700 employees and has an estimated economic impact of almost $2-billion.