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Ground broken for women’s clinic at Minneapolis VA
VA health services for female veterans will go under one roof with a separate entrance.
MINNEAPOLIS — Lawmakers, veterans, and healthcare providers donned hardhats and planted shiny shovels into a mound of dirt at the VA Medical Center Friday to mark a new era of enhanced healthcare options for women veterans.
The occasion was a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Minneapolis VA’s women’s clinic, which is set to open in 2026.
“We understand the needs of female veterans are diverse, and we are prepared to meet those needs with tailored healthcare plan and wholistic support systems,” Dr. Alisa Duran, the women’s health director at the Minneapolis VA, told the crowd that gathered at the construction site.
“We want our female veterans to know they are not alone,” she said. “They are part of a network that values and supports them. We will offer programs that encourage camaraderie and mutual support, recognizing the strength that comes from shared experiences and collective resilience.”
The Minneapolis VA opened a breast cancer clinic in 1985, and established the Women Veterans Comprehensive Health Center in 1993, according to Dr. Duran. But this clinic will consolidate all the women’s healthcare services into one location with its own entrance.
“I think it’s great! I’m actually a patient of the women’s clinic,” Alex Fleming, a US Air Force veteran who works with veterans in Ramsey County, told KARE.
She said having a separate entrance and parking area is significant.
“It will be nice to have our own entrance because there are so many females that have suffered trauma, who won’t feel comfortable walking into the main VA hospital around a crowd of people, or even men in general,” Fleming said. “This will be a nice way for them to feel more safe and secure.”
US Army veteran Kristy Janigo, who works with veterans in Hennepin County, said the VA is recognizing that the armed forces have become increasingly diverse in recent decades.
“It was a very emotional day. I’m not gonna lie, there might have been something in my eye a little bit earlier,” Janigo told KARE. “But it does feel very validating to see women veterans recognized in their own right here, alongside their male counterparts who have been serving for years.”
Pat Kelly, the US Navy veteran who heads the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, cited a Pew Research study showing 17% of all veterans are female now, compared to just 4% in 1975. He said of the 105,000 veterans who received care in the Minneapolis VA system last year, 9,000 were women.
“We have been planning this building so long and many of our women veteran advocates didn’t really believe we were going to do this, so we thought we better break ground and let them see we’re going to do this, in fact!” Kelly told the crowd.
“We hope this very visible sign of supporting women veterans will inspire even more veterans to seek care through the VA,” Kelly said.
Kelly noted that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave the Minneapolis VA five stars out of five. The VA Medical Center was one of only nine hospitals in Minnesota to get a five-star rating from CMS.
That quality rating is one of the reasons Janet Lorenzo, a US Navy veteran who works with veterans through the American Legion state organization, recommends the VA to her fellow female vets.
“I will tell them if you want quality care, come here. If you want to see your sisters in arms, come here. If you want to see the organizations growing to support woman veterans, come here. If you want to be an advocate for women veterans, come here!”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar recalled the days when her office took calls from women who were encountering delays getting services.
“Women veterans are the fastest growing group of veterans across the United States, and for years, I think back, over a decade ago, they would tell me they’d go to a clinic whether they need a Pap smear, a mammogram, it was a huge problem,” Klobuchar remarked. “There wasn’t a waiting line when they signed up to serve, and there shouldn’t be a waiting line when they need health care in the United States of America.”
She noted that both of Minnesota’s US senators are women. And US Rep. Betty McCollum of Saint Paul, is the highest-ranking Democrat on Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which comes in handy for getting new facilities and initiatives funded.
Rep. McCollum, in her address at the ceremony, noted that recognition of the role of women in the nation’s defense often comes very late. She gave the example of the Hello Girls, who operated phones near the front lines in 1917 during World War I. They weren’t recognized as veterans until 1977.
“Our military is nearly, as of today, 20% women and increasing,” McCollum told the audience. “There are nearly 400,000 women serving, between active duty, the Reserves and the National Guard.”
By the time the clinic opens in 2026, it will be named after a woman veteran. The VA is asking for suggestions. You may click on this link to help name the VA women’s clinic.
“I love that you are engaging the community in choosing a woman veteran to name this clinic after,” Sen. Smith told the crowd. “This is going to be an important way to help people understand the remarkable contribution of women veterans, even as we demonstrate our respect for you with this building and what will happen inside of it.”
The nomination period runs through October. A selection committee will narrow the list down to a group of finalists, with the final decision being made by VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
The winner will be someone who has a connection to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center or Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Her name will be revealed at the ribbon cutting ceremony in 2026.
The cities, including Brooklyn Park, have until October 10 to decide whether to accept the preliminarily design plans or offer specific amendments.
ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — Several city councils are voting on a light rail project that connects Minneapolis to parts of the north metro, including Crystal and Robbinsdale.
The vote isn’t about whether to stop the Blue Line Extension light rail project, but whether councilors would approve parts of its proposed design plan.
Crystal City Manager Adam Bell says the council agreed to delay the vote to October 1.
In Robbinsdale, the council also voted to approve tabling the topic and create a special work session on October 1 to continue discussions.
Some residents in Robbinsdale, who oppose the project, say the plans don’t address public safety and displaces residents and businesses.
“Noise, for one thing,” said Mona Grellson. She lives on Crystal Lake with her brother, Steve, and says a station would be built across the street from the home they’ve shared for 20 years.
The 13 mile-long project has been in planning stages for 10 years. It would connect Minneapolis to north Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park with about a dozen stops in between.
“I don’t think we would move at this point, but I do know people that will and I know some people that already have,” said Mona.
The four cities can vote to accept the proposals and if they don’t, must include specific amendments. If one or more cities disapprove, the agency in charge, The Metropolitan Council, will conduct further studies and hold more public hearings and can amend the plans. Ultimately, though, they aren’t required to do that.
The Robbinsdale City Council listed several concerns in a letter to the Met Council that includes public safety and a lack of enforcement. Met Council is projecting 15,000 rides every day on the route. The councilors are also concerned about the size of a nearby park and ride.
“We can still take those changes and try and find a solution that meets what’s needed to run an effective transit line, but also what the city is asking us to change,” said Nick Thompson, who leads Metro Transit’s Capital Program development.
He says the Blue Line is the state’s largest project and will people to the airport, Mall of America and health care.
“Those need faster service like light rail that can carry more people because the demand is higher,” said Thompson.
The city councils have until October 10th to make any decisions on the design and then the Met Council has another 60 days to decide what changes it might make. The Blue Line is expected to be up and running by 2030.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Bloomington’s fourth annual pride celebration will be held this Sunday, and it comes shortly after organizers announced upcoming changes to their planning and financial structures.
Anita Smithson is chair of Bloomington’s Human Rights Commission and a proud member of the city’s LGBTQ+ community,
“I am bisexual,” Smithson said. “I’m married to a man, so I have like a straight passing relationship, which makes it sometimes interesting. Most folks probably view me as an ally until they get to know that.”
She’s also one of five residents serving as a Pride board member. A team of five has always planned the festival, though participation has varied year-to-year. Smithson, however, has served every year and is the group’s communications director.
“All of those are volunteer roles,” she explained. “Many of those folks who are with us for the first festivals are with us as day-of volunteers, they just may not have the capacity to help with the year-round nonprofit organization.”
Bloomington’s inaugural Pride was only three years ago, in 2021. The city and its Human Rights Commission sponsored it.
“Our first event was relatively small but had significant protests at it,” Smithson recalled. “Same with our second annual event.”
This and last year, they turned to the Twin Cities Pride for help, as that nonprofit’s Minneapolis festivities have been around 52 years.
“I just want to thank Andi Otto and the team at Twin Cities Pride,” Smithson said. “They have been tremendous mentors and partners for us.”
Smithson says, thanks to that mentorship, her small group has been able to make a big move.
“Yes, Bloomington Pride MN is now an official nonprofit,” she said.
It happened just last week, with Larkin Hoffman law firm filing the paperwork pro bono. While the nonprofit still plans to partner with Twin Cities Pride, Bloomington Pride MN will solely be responsible for the event moving forward – beginning with 2025 festivities. This involves scaling back the city’s financial contributions.
District III council member Lona Dallessandro is Bloomington’s first openly gay elected council member.
“A city-run event comes with a lot of baggage, if you will … taxpayer dollars and all that kind of thing, to just not knowing for sure if the community is really behind because it almost feels obligatory,” Dallessandro said, “and so what we really like about this program and the fact that they built a nonprofit is that … people are funding this work, they’re supporting this work, they’re volunteering for this work.”
While Pride is widely celebrated in June, Bloomington Pride will be this Sunday, Sept. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. outside Bloomington Civic Plaza, where it has been held in previous years. The building is connected to Bloomington Police and City Hall.
“Queer people are part of the fabric of Bloomington,” Dallessandro said. “There’s also National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. Whether you’re celebrating in June or you’re celebrating in October or somewhere in between, there’s never a down time to get your rainbow on as far as I’m concerned.”
“It does help stretch it out and shows that Pride is all year long,” Smithson also said. “I love Twin Cities Pride. I love going to the festival. I love going to the parade. And also, our festival is a little smaller, a little bit more approachable, and a little bit more unique to Bloomington.”
Community organizations, businesses and places of worship have shown support for Pride over the years.
“We have a great group of local churches that have formed a loose organization of their own called Lutherans For Love, who want to show that there’s a place in the church community for queer people and for the LGBT Plus community,” Smithson said. “We have local show choir students from one of the high schools in Bloomington who always wanna come and perform and are excited to be part of the festival.”
She also mentioned working with Hennepin County Library and Bloomington Oasis for Youth. This year, Kennedy High School Choirs, Boogie Wonderland Band, Artistry MN and the Power Drag Revue are set to perform. Food trucks and vendors will also be on site.
Leaders are hoping the new pricing model will bring more transparency for incoming students and their parents.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — You have likely heard the phrase ‘that’s how the game is played’ a time or two in your life. Well, in the world of private universities, high sticker prices and deep discounts are how the game is played.
“We decided to bring that down and quit playing the game,” Bethel University President Ross Allen said.
Starting in the Fall of 2025 the cost of tuition at Bethel University will be lowered to $25,990 a year, down from the current sticker price of $44,050.
Allen said the current sticker price is inflated by scholarships and discounts, so the tuition reduction next year will be less significant than most people realize.
“The new net price will be very close to what it was before,” Allen said. “The focus of this change is to really solve the lack of transparency with pricing.”
Allen said this trend of high prices and deep discounts started decades ago as a way for universities to charge higher-earning families more and lower-earning families less.
However, Allen argues the discounts are now out of control and some students don’t understand the price they pay is significantly lower than the advertised sticker price.
“There is just so much frustration from parents about the confusion and the complexity. What is the real price? There is a lack of transparency, and we decided to respond to that and just be clear,” Allen explained.
The National Association of College and University Business Officers released a study in May that showed the average tuition discount at private universities nationwide was around 56%.
Chris Wills from College Inside Track said that the discount rate means the actual price students pay is less than half of what universities advertise.
“For the average American family this system is impossible to understand,” Wills said. “What Bethel and others are doing is just being more transparent upfront about what the price actually is.”
Wills said the old pricing model was built around psychology and consumer behavior.
“The philosophy was that when something costs more people think it’s better, they value it more, and so people bought into that idea,” Wills explained. “People also really liked the idea of receiving large scholarships to go to school. It’s really fun for a parent to be able to tell your neighbors that your kid got a $20,000 scholarship.”
However, in recent years many private universities have seen lower enrollment as more students are debating whether a college degree is worth the investment.
Wills said a growing number of private universities are deciding to lower their advertised sticker price to be more competitive with public universities.
“Schools have to be doing what Bethel is doing to try and stay relevant in that environment, because it’s going to be very difficult for all the schools that we have to keep their doors open if they don’t make some changes,” Wills said.
