Dear Friends and Neighbors,

CentraCare care givers have been working around the clock for more than 20 months to care for you, your families and friends during COVID. We are committed to caring for every Minnesotan who needs us, and nothing will prevent us from doing so – even during these never-seen-before times.

The challenge of providing this level of care is that our hospital beds are often full. ERs in all of our hospitals are packed. And our clinical teams are exhausted. Early in the pandemic, our community stepped up in amazing ways to help us. We ask that you again join us in fighting this pandemic together.

How can you help?

Please get your COVID vaccines and booster shots. They are proven safe and effective in reducing COVID illness, keeping people out of the hospital, and preventing death.

If your situation is not an emergency, please use other care options, including:

Visit CentraCare eClinic online,
Schedule same-day appointments with your primary care provider,
Speak with a CentraCare Connect nurse at 320-200-3200, or
Visit Urgent Care.

If this is a medical emergency, call 9-1-1, or visit the ER.

Together, we can do this. Thank you for your support.

Ken Holmen, MD
President and CEO

Patient Stories - Stroke Care

Stroke survivors share their experiences

Sue's Story

Thanks to her husband’s quick response to call 911, and her successful operation to treat the stroke, Sue is enjoying life with family.

Rae’s Story

Rae was talking with her son when he recognized that something was not quite right. Using telemedicine in the Emergency Room, CentraCare treated her stroke and she is back to being an active mother to 4 adult children, 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Jennie’s Story

After suffering a severe stroke, quick recognition and emergency treatment helped minimize disability and get Jennie, 43, back to life.

LeAnn’s Story

LeAnn suffered a type of stroke that is more rare and devastating than a normal stroke. Placed into a medical-induced coma, LeAnn’s condition was dire and her future ominous. Today, she’s walking, talking and getting stronger every day.

Nancy’s Story

Nancy got help in time when she was having a stroke because of a refrigerator magnet.

Jeff’s Story

Jeff tells how his young daughters saved his life — and his brain — following a stroke.

Angela’s Story

“I work in health care and even when they were telling me I had a stroke, I thought they were overreacting. I was young, active and had good cholesterol. Strokes were for old people,” said Angela Gross, 39

Jim’s Story

As a farmer by trade and avid fisherman, Jim McNally, from Winona, knows firsthand that timing is everything. This proved especially true while Jim was enjoying a weekend of fishing with friends near Alexandria in February 2014.

Kathryn’s Story

Days before, Kathryn had awakened with a blinding headache before suffering a stroke. Thanks to the quick action of her family, Kathryn recovered and is here to tell her story.

Lou’s Story

Lou and Kylee’s bond is even stronger after Kylee saved her grandmother’s life following a stroke.

Deloris’ Story

Deloris is one of more than 40 people who have used telestroke services now available in rural Central Minnesota through CentraCare – Long Prairie.