CSB and SJU nursing students help launch east side health clinic in St. Cloud
Being from a small town, Bailey Reeves often felt dismissed by health professionals. So as a nursing student at the College of Saint Benedict, she is determined to be an advocate — especially for women’s healthcare.
Reeves is one of the students staffing the clinic at the new Salem Community Outpost and Family Resource Center on St. Cloud’s east side, and she is excited
about the opportunity.
“You never know what other people are going through because we all have our own journeys and so to be able to help anyone that could walk through that
door is really exciting, and it’s exciting to know there are opportunities for underserved populations being built like this,” she said. “I just really love what this is going to do and what it’s going to stand for.”
The community outpost, located in the newly remodeled education wing of Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud, opened its doors in October and is part of a collaboration with the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, the Public Safety Foundation, the St. Cloud Police Department and CentraCare Project H.E.A.L., an outreach program of CentraCare Coordinated Care Services that offers free health screenings and basic care at various locations across Central Minnesota for those who have little or no insurance.
In addition to the clinic, the outpost houses offices for the St. Cloud Police Department’s Mental Health Response Unit, a collaborative approach to working
with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. It consists of two sworn police officers, two mental health social workers and paramedics.
Benedict and Saint John’s University, listens to a patient’s heart
at the Salem Community Outpost in St. Cloud Oct. 8.
The clinic, which will be run by CSB and SJU graduate nursing faculty under the auspices of Project H.E.A.L. (Health, Education, Access, Link), aims to serve as an entry point to the healthcare system for individuals or families who may be facing economic or social barriers. Undergraduate nursing students will provide health promotion and screenings throughout the academic year. For now, services will be available two afternoons a week and more hours will be added as needed.
“[This partnership with CSB and SJU] is incredibly meaningful,” said Jenifer Odette, executive director of the Public Safety Foundation. “Nursing students will gain hands-on experience in a real clinical setting and, at the same time, they’re able to provide care and support right in the neighborhood. It’s a true win-win.”
Planning for the Salem Community Outpost — the third facility of its kind in St. Cloud — began in 2022.
“With the development of our graduate nursing programs, we were looking for creative ways to provide clinical practice opportunities for our faculty as well as additional clinical placements for our nurse practitioner and nursing students,” said Jennifer Peterson, CSB and SJU graduate nursing chair. “We also saw an opportunity to give back to the community.”
Mary Zelenak, CSB and SJU professor of nursing, says that her undergraduate nursing students have worked with the community outpost on the south side of St. Cloud, so she was invited into the conversation about how the Salem site would be used.
“The undergraduate students focus on public health prevention,” she said. “So, we felt that would be the perfect fit for the mission of the Salem site.” Hannah Hughes, a nursing student working at the clinic, looks forward to working with the community directly.
“The great thing about public health that you don’t really get while doing clinicals in the hospital, is that you get to interact with people on a daily basis and get to see the sides of the community that are often underserved and may not seek out health care at the same level as people who go to the hospital,” she said. “It’s really great to be able to work at that level and to see the different ways I can help the community.”
The Salem Community Outpost has a healthcare focus, but it’s more than that.
“The Outpost model is about more than healthcare,” Odette said. “It’s about creating stronger, safer, more connected communities by bringing together public safety, education and healthcare to serve families where they live.”
For Odette, who grew up in a Catholic home, she learned to value service and community.
“My parents believed in giving back, and that shaped how I see the world,” she said. “I believe God calls us to create spaces where everyone feels welcome, where people have the opportunity to live healthy, joyful lives and be part of something bigger than themselves. This work allows me to live out those values and help others move forward in hope and connection.”