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MNUFC Academy now equipped with teen mental health resources
Academy players, coaches and staff are using Allina’s award-winning online program, Change to Chill.
BLAINE, Minn. — For every Major League Soccer Club, there is a youth academy.
However, only a few of the academies have a partnership like Minnesota United Football Club now has with Allina Health in providing 24/7 mental health resources to the academy’s student soccer players.
In late August, Allina representatives came to campus at the National Sports Center in Blaine to introduce their free online program, Change to Chill, which is also widely used in Minnesota schools.
Goalkeeper Ramon Lujano-Salto said the content is already helping him navigate his busy schedule as he starts his days before 7 a.m. He said it’s also helping him cope with some homesickness. The 16-year-old moved away from family in Michigan for the opportunity here.
“I always go on the website,” Lujano-Salto told KARE 11. “Yeah, I would say stress is a part of the experience … We go out for training about 9 to 11 a.m. and then my first class is at 1 p.m.”
Change to Chill covers reducing stigma, grief support, healthy relationships and more. Part of the website speaks specifically to teen athletes, providing visuals of “mindful movements” for them to try.
“How to talk to a friend, how to talk to a family member,” said Sydney Hobart, community health improvement consultant for Allina Health. “It’s a testament to Minnesota United and just really valuing of the mental health and well-being of their young players. I think that’s going to carry through with them for the rest of their lives, whether they’re on the field or not.”
Minnesota United’s own Zarek Valentin said he didn’t have supportive programming like this growing up but wishes he had.
“Fourteen years ago becoming a pro, it was, ‘You just got to power through, you gotta be strong,'” the defender said. “I can’t even imagine being an Academy kid these days with some of the stressors of going pro, going to college, taking care of your families … but nowadays, we’re a lot more empathetic to some of the pain and the mental anguish that some of these decisions have.”
That’s why Change to Chill provides tips not just to players but also their coaches and the youth development staff. Lujano-Salto said the program has encouraged him to speak openly with coaches and peers about stress and to practice grounding techniques like breathing.
“That’s probably my favorite thing to do,” he said. “Just breathe.”
In a search warrant application, Richfield police detail reports by first responders alleging a slow staff response and allegations of forged documents in the death.
RICHFIELD, Minn. — A Richfield care facility is under investigation after allegations by first responders that staff there did not check on a patient as she was dying and then forged paperwork to cover it up.
In an application for a search warrant, police requested access to medical records and surveillance video related to the treatment and death of 55-year-old Candace Columbus, a patient at The Villas in Richfield. Investigator Sammy Gonzalez details a report by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) based on accounts from a Hennepin County paramedic on Oct. 7, 2024, the day Columbus died at the facility located at 7727 Portland Ave. S.
That paramedic reported that they suspected that facility staff suspected the patient was dying but did not check on her or call 911. The first responder said that when first responders were finally called, staffers claimed that Columbus had a Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) but did not have a form on hand. Paramedics also reported seeing staff members filling out a DNR Form, which would constitute forgery.
Investigator Gonzalez says in the warrant application that body cam video from a Richfield police officer who responded to The Villas recorded the interaction between the reporting paramedic and care staff, including a phone conversation between one employee and someone claiming to be the facility manager, who appears to be giving the staff instructions on how to fill out the DNR form.
“Your affiant (Gonzalez) requests further information from The Villas at Richfield that will lead to further evidence of forgery and/or vulnerable adult abuse/neglect,” the application reads.
Richfield Police Lt. Brad Drayna told KARE 11 that the ongoing investigation prevents the department from providing anything beyond the information in the search warrant. An administrator for The Villas says a statement on the patient’s death and investigation will be released later Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS — Christmas came early for Minnesotans watching the trick-or-treat forecast for Thursday, as the news about impending snow is practically begging for related discussions about the infamous Halloween Blizzard of ’91.
While parents lugged their small ghosts, goblins and ghouls from door to door — layers of warm clothes and heaps of snow be damned — they could already tell this particular storm would be one for the record books.
When all was said and done, more than 8 inches of snow fell in the course of only a few hours, leaving Minnesotans with much work when the sun came up the next morning.
So, will we have a ’24-style repeat of ’91? Only time will tell, but for now, we’re bringing back a few classics from the archives to get everyone in the mood for another snowy (and spooky!) celebration.
See our story, “Helping in the Halloween Blizzard” above, and more from the archives below.
New York State authorities confirm that a woman and two kids children went over a guard rail and into the falls Monday night. They have not been found.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The New York State Park Police and the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating an incident on Goat Island in Niagara Falls.
According to a release on Tuesday by the New York State Police, officers responded to an incident that happened on or around Goat Island around 9 p.m. on Monday evening.
In an updated release on Wednesday the NYSP confirmed that a 33-year-old woman, a 9-year-old, and a 5-month-old crossed over the safety guard rail and went over Niagara Falls on Luna Island, which is attached to Goat Island.
The victims have been identified as Chaianti Means, 33, Roman Rossman, 9, and Mecca Means 5-months-old.
According to the NYSP release, “The investigation has determined that this incident was intentional in nature, though the circumstances remain under investigation. New York State Park Police and State Police search/rescue efforts were conducted with negative results. This incident deems no public threat to safety.”
NYSP Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aviation, Underwater Recovery Unit, New York State Park Police and Niagara Falls Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
2 On Your Side will update this story when we receive new information from State Police.
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