“We laugh everyday here,” says Thompson. “If someone loses five pounds and we’re working with them on weight loss we whoop and holler, and when we get a positive pregnancy test, we all whoop and holler then, too.” “It has been very free and empowering to do what we’re doing,” says VanVickle, “We’re truly here for the patients and we feel that the approach that we’re using is the best way to do that.”
NORTH STAR FAMILY MEDICINE
"For me, the biggestt part off bigg b h healthcare is tthe physicianth patient relationship." relattionship " relat re relationship - Dr. Kristy Lelcu
“Guiding You to Health”
Dr. Kristy Lelcu says starting a new business in the healthcare field during COVID was interesting timing, but she had another hurdle to clear. “The hardest part was nobody knew what we did. There hasn’t been an independent practice in this area for about 30 years.” Offering comprehensive outpatient medical care, once the word spread about the new clinic, patients were happy to give the new experience a try. “We opened in June of last year,” she said, “and saw our first patient on June 7. We saw 10 patients in the first month and by August we were up to 100.” Opening her new clinic, she knew the atmosphere she wanted to create for her patients. “I wanted it to be welcoming. Nobody likes to go to the doctor. When you come in, we want you to feel comfortable. The staff is incredibly good about making sure that people feel that way.” Seeing patients of all ages, the clinic has examination rooms geared for male patients and one for children. A board-certified family medicine physician, Lelcu started her career with a degree in psychology and worked in business before returning to college for medicine. Prior to opening North Star Family Medicine, she worked for Essentia Health and in urgent care in St. Cloud. “For me, the biggest part of healthcare is the physician-patient relationship,” she said. “If I connect with you, then that will make your health better. You will trust me and I can make recommendations on what you should do. We say ‘guiding you to health’ because you are the one that is in control of your health. I cannot make you put things in your body. I can’t make you take medications. You are the one that must make decisions on how you want to live your life. You get to make your choices. I will
give you advice to stay healthy. There are a lot of different ways to approach patient care and everyone is a little bit different. We respect those individual differences.” Routine physicals and sports physicals can be done at North Star Family Medicine as well as X-rays and blood work. The clinic supports and guides patients in healthy lifestyle choices such as weight management, the goal to stop smoking and to make healthy dietary choices. Various IV Hydration Therapies can be administered onsite that aid in basic hydration, hangover therapy, GI recovery and post workouts. Meyer’s cocktail is a popular option that offers a mixture that can reduce fatigue, seasonal allergies, chronic pain and stress. The doctor strives for familiarity with her patients. Not happy with the typical 10 or 15 minutes with a patient, she says it is a way to help her patients reach their goals and make decisions that can aid in their care. Being a small clinic, she says they keep expenses in line and pass the savings on to the patients.
Dr. Kristy Lelcu opened her clinic, North Star Family Medicine, last year. Contributed from the area, we do.” North Star Family Medicine runs on flexibility and the knowledge that scheduling an appointment that is weeks out does not work for every situation. The clinic tries not to schedule too far out and aims to see patients in one to three days. “If you call me at 8 o’clock in the morning and have a bug bite, we will try to get you in that day.” Lelcu says she is pleased and satisfied at the end of day with the work she is doing at the clinic, located in Wilderness Court, off Highway 77. “Our staff all have strong ties to the community. We are all invested in improving health in the Brainerd lakes area,” Lelcu said.
She is also a believer in supporting the local economy. “Ninety percent of what we do is tied locally, from our office supplies to the construction of the clinic. If we can get it
Sheila Helmberger lives in the Brainerd area and is a frequent contributor to Her Voice.
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Her Voice Fall/Winter 2022 | 35