Astera Health

04/12/2026

🌟 Volunteer Spotlight 🌟

Patients, staff, and visitors can often see and hear Barb sharing her gift as a piano player at Astera Health. Her beautiful music helps create a warm, welcoming environment, and studies show music can even play a role in the healing process.

We are so grateful to Barb for the time, talent, and heart she shares with our organization.

Looking for a meaningful way to make an impact? We offer many different volunteer opportunities. Learn more and sign up at https://hubs.la/Q04bq52X0

04/11/2026

Thanks to the Astera Health Foundation and its generous donors, portable blood pressure machines are helping support patients with heart failure as they work to better manage their health at home. These devices give eligible patients an easy way to monitor their blood pressure between visits and stay more connected to their care.

Learn more about the Astera Health Foundation and consider supporting projects like this: https://hubs.la/Q049CGnL0

04/10/2026

On Tuesday, we were proud to host our annual Donate Life Month flag-raising ceremony to honor the gift of life and the powerful impact of organ, eye, and tissue donation. This meaningful event celebrated donors, recipients, and the families whose stories remind us how one decision can change so many lives.

We were honored to hear from several guest speakers, including Shelly Gompf, Astera Health COO, who shared how her mother’s double lung transplant gave her a second chance at life and the opportunity to see her now 22 grandchildren. Holly Anderson, an Astera Health nurse of 25 years, shared her experience donating a kidney to her son, a gift of life that allowed him the chance to marry and have two children. Robbie Grendahl, a heart transplant recipient in 1986, honored organ donor Richard Muckala, a former ag and shop teacher at Wadena-Deer Creek Public Schools, who continued his legacy of putting others first through donation.

We also heard from Barb Nelson-Agnew of LifeSource, who shared the meaning behind flying the Donate Life flag and the importance of registering as an organ donor. Over the past 10 years, Astera Health’s 19 tissue donors have saved and enhanced the lives of 2,800 people.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in honoring these stories and this mission.

Learn more about how you can make an impact as an organ donor: https://donatelife.net/how-you-can-help/

04/09/2026

Hey everyone, meet Briggs Jesse! Our newest reason to smile!

View our full online nursery: https://hubs.la/Q04bhnJG0

04/08/2026

HPV is common, but there is still a lot of misinformation about the vaccine that can help prevent many HPV-related cancers. Myths about safety, who needs it, and what it means often create confusion for families trying to make informed decisions. The facts show the HPV vaccine is safe, effective, and important for cancer prevention.

In our latest blog, we break down some of the most common myths and share what you really need to know to protect yourself and your family. Learn more here: https://hubs.la/Q049WR-p0

Learn who should get the HPV vaccine, what cancers it can help prevent, and the facts behind common myths to protect yourself and your family.

04/07/2026

Our recent nursing fair gave our Med/Surg, OB, ICU, and ER nurses the chance to keep growing in their field and strengthen the care they provide every day. Through hands-on stations and learning opportunities led by both outside representatives and internal experts, our team explored topics like wound care, postpartum education, infection control, respiratory equipment, and many more.

One unique station focused on glucose monitoring, where nurses had the option to try 15 days of monitoring themselves to better understand what many patients experience firsthand. Several nurses took them up on it and are doing it right now!

We are proud to invest in continued education that helps our nurses stay confident, skilled, and ready to provide the best care possible.

04/06/2026

*ANNOUNCEMENT* - Joel Beiswenger will be retiring from Astera Health, effective July 1, 2026. Kim Aagard, CFO, will serve as interim CEO while a search for the next CEO is conducted.

Read the full release: https://hubs.la/Q049Myz40

04/06/2026

Tiny hands, big love. Welcome to the world, Larkin Reign!

View our full online nursery: https://hubs.la/Q049JF6M0

04/05/2026

Happy Easter from all of us at Astera Health!

Wishing you a day filled with joy, hope, and special moments with the people you love most. May this season bring peace, renewal, and many reasons to smile.

04/04/2026

Wadena State Bank is helping drive our 29th Annual Astera Health Foundation Golf Classic by sponsoring the golf carts for this year’s event. Thank you, Wadena State Bank, for supporting a cause close to home and helping make this special day possible.

Join us Friday, May 29, at Whitetail Run Golf Course for an 18-hole scramble that brings together supporters from across the region to help raise funds for a new cancer center serving Central Minnesota. Golf, games, prizes, and purpose all in one day.

Sign up your team, explore sponsorship opportunities, or make a gift to support the Foundation here: https://hubs.la/Q049BwDb0

04/03/2026

Join us Tuesday, April 7, at 9 a.m. for our annual Donate Life flag-raising ceremony at our main campus.

During this special event, local guest speakers will share powerful organ donation stories that reflect the real impact donation has on individuals, families, and communities.

Donor families, transplant recipients, friends, and community members are invited to gather for coffee and muffins and help raise the Donate Life flag in honor of National Donate Life Awareness Month.

Registering as an organ donor is a simple choice that can make a heartfelt and lasting impact. One decision can offer hope, healing, and life to others.

No registration is needed. We hope to see you there.

LifeSource

04/02/2026

Osteoporosis often has no warning signs until a fracture happens. That is why it is important to know your risk factors early. Bone health is not just about age. Family history, diet, medications, and activity level can all play a role for both women and men.

Want to learn more? This info from Jody is a preview of our April Bite Size Conversation: No Bones About It. Join the Astera Health Orthopedics team, along with OB/GYN Dr. Hala Madi and Family Medicine provider Dr. Ben Hess, to learn what osteoporosis is, how to help prevent it, and what treatment options are available.

Register here: https://hubs.la/Q049v0Y_0