Allina Health Newsroom

This is where we share helpful health information, news about our hospitals and clinics and media reports featuring Allina Health team members as subject matter experts. You can also access our latest news releases and media contacts.

Recent news

See articles and videos featuring our patients and care team members, plus watch how Allina Health experts add context to health stories in local news reports.

Allina Health surgeons to scrub in for cases in state-of-the-art operating rooms

[Allina Health Newsroom, April 02, 2026] As the Allina Health Abbott Northwestern Hospital campus expansion nears completion, surgeons are getting a look at the operating rooms they helped design and will soon use to care for patients. 

“There has been surgeon involvement in decisions across the entire process,” said Jolene Singh, MD, OR medical director at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. “They’ve had input into everything from the floors to the walls to the way that the lights are mounted to the type of lights that we've purchased.”

When it opens in late August, the Richard M. Schulze Surgical and Critical Care Center will include 30 state-of-the-art surgical suites. The new space will give patients access to some of the most advanced surgical technologies available.

“They're unlike anything you're going to find anywhere else,” Dr. Singh said. “The safety, the technology that we have, the integration — it’s unparalleled.”

Features will include:

  • Spacious operating rooms that support larger, more integrated surgical teams.
  • Advanced robotic technology that allows for safer, more precise surgeries.
  • Uniform room layouts, which will streamline scheduling.
  • Specialized surfaces, designed to reduce infection risks.
  • Improved air filtration for greater patient and surgical team comfort and safety.
  • Video and livestream capabilities for consultations and education

The operating rooms are scheduled to open to patients in late August at the Richard M. Schulze Surgical and Critical Care Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. 

 

prebiotic soda

Are sodas containing prebiotics really better for you?

[WCCO-TV News, February 27, 2025] With all of the new sodas that contain prebiotics on store shelves, WCCO-TV viewers wanted to know what prebiotics are and if prebiotics sodas are actually good for you.
February 27, 2025
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Integrative approaches to health care can help find answers to ailments

[Allina Health Newsroom, February 27, 2025] When Zaina, 4, routinely spoke of stomach pain, her mother Eman took notice. Zaina’s doctors determined Celiac disease was the cause, but the persistent pain didn't go away until the team examined Zaina's case through the lens of functional medicine.
February 27, 2025
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Allina Health delivers life-saving equipment and training

[Allina Health Newsroom, February 27, 2025] Inside a restaurant in Farmington, Minn., a peculiar scene began to unfold as employees took turns performing chest compressions. It's all part of an effort to increase heart safety.
February 27, 2025
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Celebrating Gunnar, the therapy dog!

[KSTP TV, February 26, 2025] After learning a beloved therapy dog was diagnosed with cancer, staff and patients at Allina Health Mercy Hospital return the love he's given to them.
February 26, 2025
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Minnesota United FC showcases new food and spotlights local nonprofit

[WCCO-TV, February 26, 2025] Allina Health's community partner Roots for the Home Team, a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, was one of the stars at MNUFC's 2025 Food Media Day at Allianz Field.
February 26, 2025
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Hitting the slopes with the adaptive ski and snowboarding program

[Minnesota Public Radio, February 25, 2025] A Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reporter joined the Courage Kenny adaptive skiing and snowboarding program at Welch Village Ski and Snowboard area to give her listeners a chance to hear the ingenuity, camaraderie and fun that make the program so special.
February 25, 2025
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National Cancer Prevention Month

[WCCO-TV News, February 20, 2025] Joleen Hubbard, MD, a medical oncologist with Allina Health Cancer Institute appeared on WCCO-TV to highlight National Cancer Prevention Month.
February 20, 2025
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Mother shares story of rare birth complication

[KMSP Fox 9, February 17, 2025] Aside from the unknowns of the pandemic, Annie Sterle expected a problem-free childbirth in March 2020. Instead, she had amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), one of the most fatal complications at childbirth.
February 17, 2025
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Allina Health's Medical Assistant Apprentice Program provides health care career opportunities

[Allina Health Newsroom, February 17, 2025] At Allina Health, we continue to seek workforce solutions. Through our Medical Assistant Apprentice Program, we offer tuition for students to take online medical assistant certificate classes, and we provide hands-on learning opportunities, led by Allina Health nurses.
February 17, 2025

News releases

When we’re making news, you can find details here. Read on to learn about the innovative ways we deliver expert care for people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin and celebrate inspiring milestones.

Allina Health Buffalo Hospital exterior surgery entrance.

Allina Health Buffalo Hospital expands its robotic surgical systems, bringing greater precision to many surgeries

Now patients can benefit from physicians trained on the da Vinci Xi system without having to travel to metro hospitals.
February 23, 2026
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New Ulm Medical Center names Carisa Buegler as new president

Allina Health is pleased to share that Carisa Buegler has been named the new president of New Ulm Medical Center.
February 12, 2026
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Explore our Healthy Set Go articles

Our Allina Health doctors and providers share information on health topics that matter to you.

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Media contacts

Our media team is staffed by former reporters and producers. Reach out for help connecting to subject matter experts for your time-sensitive questions.

Jennifer Steingas
Public Relations Manager
jennifer.steingas@allina.com
Voice/Text: 612-388-1895

Erika Rasmussen
Senior Communications Consultant
erika.rasmussen@allina.com
Voice/text: 708-214-8464