North Shore Health, Cook County

05/28/2026

Celebrating Our Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Hayley Loney!

May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, and we’re proud to recognize the incredible work Hayley does every day to support communication across all ages.

This year, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is highlighting how essential communication is at every stage of life. From expressing basic needs to building relationships. It’s closely tied to independence, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life.

SLPs help people of all ages overcome speech, language, cognitive, voice, and swallowing challenges that can affect daily living. Communication difficulties can also place added stress on loved ones and caregivers, making support even more important.

Tips for Supporting Communication at Home

For children:
• Focus on what the child is trying to say rather than correcting mistakes
• Celebrate all attempts to communicate
• Build language into everyday routines using the family’s preferred language

For adults experiencing communication changes (stroke, Parkinson’s, dementia, or other neurological conditions):
• Reduce background noise
• Offer short, one-step directions
• Give specific choices instead of open-ended questions
• Use gestures, writing, pictures, or other visual supports to boost understanding

Why this matters:
ASHA’s 2025 caregiver poll found that 60% of caregivers say communication breakdowns make daily life harder. More than 90% who worked with an SLP said they’d recommend speech-language pathology services to others.

SLPs work in hospitals, schools, rehab programs, long-term care settings, and outpatient clinics to diagnose and treat communication and swallowing disorders.

If you’re concerned about a child’s communication milestones—or if an adult experiences sudden slurred speech, confusion, or difficulty communicating—reach out to a healthcare provider right away.

Thank you, Hayley, for the life-changing impact you make in our community!

05/26/2026

We are so excited to offer Physical Therapy at the Tofte Birch Grove Clinic!

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day North Shore Health honors those who died in service to our country. Their courage, commitment, and selflessness protect the freedoms we cherish every day.

We are especially mindful of the families, neighbors, and community members who have served, who continue to serve, and whose loved ones served.

This Memorial Day, we remember. We honor. We thank.

05/22/2026

Join our team at North Shore Health, where exceptional healthcare meets the beauty and calm of North Shore living.

Learn more and apply today! https://www.northshorehealthgm.org/careers

05/19/2026

As we recognize National EMS Week, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank the incredible members of NSH EMS for the work you do every single day in service to our patients, our organization, and our community.

Providing emergency care in rural healthcare is not always easy. The long distances, unpredictable conditions, staffing challenges, late nights, missed holidays, difficult calls, and constant adaptability required of this team often happen quietly - behind the scenes and without recognition. But your impact is felt every day across Cook County and throughout North Shore Health.

This year’s EMS Week theme, “Improving Outcomes, Together,” reflects exactly who we are. EMS does not operate alone. We are part of a larger mission of Community Access to Compassionate Care, and I’m incredibly proud of the way this crew continues to show up for patients, for each other, and for our partners across the organization.

To our EMS crew: thank you for your professionalism, resilience, compassion, teamwork, humor, flexibility, and commitment to continual growth. Whether responding to a 911 call, transferring a critical patient, supporting the ED, assisting with EMR and EMT students, helping a coworker, or simply stepping up when needed — your work matters.

We see you. We appreciate you. And we’re grateful to have you representing NSH EMS.

Happy National EMS Week.

-Karla, Director of EMS

05/12/2026

Hospital leaders from across the state joined bipartisan lawmakers Tuesday at the Capitol to urge the Minnesota House to pass legislation that protects Minnesota patients’ access to local care by enforcing the state’s 340B program.

Reps. Natalie Zeleznikar, Dave Baker, and Robert Bierman spoke at the event, along with hospital leaders from Blue Earth, Staples, Ely, Cuyuna, Crosby, Cloquet, and Grand Marais.

Watch more: https://ow.ly/Eu5n50YYmO4

United Hospital District Lakewood Health System Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (CRMC) Community Memorial Hospital North Shore Health, Cook County

05/11/2026

A reminder to please stop by THIS WEDNESDAY 4-530pm in the North Shore Health Lobby and Multi-Purpose room for our Artists' Reception!

Wander the exhibits, eat some snacks, and chat with the artists. We look forward to seeing you!

05/11/2026

We're in the midsts of National Nurses Week. Let’s celebrate our nurses at NSH!

Thank you for your kind loving care of and dedication to the patients and residents of NSH and North Shore Living and all the community members of Cook County. What you do is invaluable. We appreciate all you do every day!

https://www.northshorehealthgm.org

05/08/2026

North Shore Living May 2026 Activities Calendar
A lot of fun happening!

https://www.northshorehealthgm.org

05/07/2026

Very proud of our financial team for pursuing and achieving a creative win for our hospital in a time where those are hard to come by! Check out the most recent WTIP interview and article with NSH CEO, Kimber Wraalstad, and Board Chair, Randy Wiitala, where they discuss this win along with:
- The challenging ecosystem of hospital finances
- Federal and state legislative impacts

North Shore Health is poised to collect a $900,000 payout from the Internal Revenue Service, a move expected to strengthen the hospital’s financial position.

While North Shore Health’s finances remain stable, many hospitals across Minnesota and the country are facing significant challenges, with some closing.

The organization announced the IRS payment during its April board meeting as part of Chief Financial Officer Nicole Siegner’s monthly report. Siegner told the board that a rule change tied to the employee retention tax credit retroactively qualified North Shore Health for the payout.

Read more here: https://wtip.org/north-shore-health-expects-irs-payout-as-hospitals-face-strain/

05/07/2026

Proud to recognize Paramedic Lead & Field Training Officer Eric Bjugstad as the Outstanding EMS Provider of the Year, recognized this past weekend at the 34th Cook County Emergency Services Conference.

From his early days as an EMT student to now serving as a trusted paramedic, Eric consistently demonstrates exceptional clinical judgment, strong decision-making under pressure, and an unwavering commitment to patient-centered care. In our rural setting, where resources are limited and transport times may be long, his ability to assess, adapt, and lead makes a meaningful difference for our patients and our team.

Eric is widely respected across our organization and plays a key role in mentoring the next generation of providers. This recognition is well deserved, and we are proud to have him representing North Shore Health and the Cook County community.

-Karla, Director of EMS