A Heritage of Health Care at St. Luke's

By Claire Kiger

You can tell what a family values by what they share through the years. Some pass down traditions and stories, while others share special heirlooms or names. For multiple generations of families in the Duluth area, they share a legacy of working at St. Luke’s.

Growing up, Autumn Ferrazzi, Pharmaceutical Buyer at St. Luke’s Inpatient Pharmacy, listened to family members talk about St. Luke’s. Her mom and aunt have both worked at the Duluth-based health care system for over 30 years, and her sister has been there for nearly 14.

“I’ve always heard that St. Luke’s has a supportive, family-like culture,” she said. “That’s the main reason I wanted to work here.” Autumn has now worked at St. Luke’s herself for nine years.

And there are many other families at St. Luke’s with similar stories.

Inheriting a heart for patients

“My father was a surgeon at a few different hospitals in the area,” said Kathy Krokum, Manager of St. Luke's Hospice Duluth, “but St. Luke’s was always the place he preferred and talked about the most.”

Kathy followed her father’s example and pursued a career in the medical field. She worked as an anesthesia technician at St. Luke’s during her schooling, and once she became a nurse she couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. “It was the only place I applied,” she said. “I graduated on a Saturday and started working at St. Luke’s as an RN on the general surgery floor two days later.”

After 39 years, Kathy couldn’t be happier with her decision. She has worked in multiple departments as an RN, had opportunities for promotion and has earned her Master’s Degree to help manage St. Luke’s Hospice Duluth and St. Luke’s Homecare. The Krokum family legacy continued when Kathy’s daughter became the office coordinator at St. Luke’s Ear, Nose & Throat Associates.

While Kathy has been in the organization for four decades, Vanessa Wallace, nursing assistant at St. Luke’s, is just starting her career. Similar to Kathy, Vanessa also grew up listening to her parents talk about work. “They love being nurses and working at St. Luke’s,” she said. “Because of them, I have always wanted to work here.”

In March of 2019, Vanessa started working on 2 West, the floor that houses hospice and oncology patients staying at the hospital. Vanessa’s mom Jen Hill, RN at St. Luke’s Birthing Center for 23 years, is pleased to have her daughter at St. Luke’s. “I knew she’d be taken care of and welcomed in,” Jen said.

Vanessa plans on continuing her schooling, and she hopes to become a nurse at St. Luke’s like her parents when she graduates.

A place where you matter

Marla Halvorson, Director of St. Luke’s Human Resources, thinks stories like these are evidence of a healthy culture. “It shows you that people truly enjoy their workplace,” she said. “Everyone is treated like an individual, and people can feel that.”

One way this has played out for Autumn is through open communication and individual attention. “My supervisors are willing to take time to talk if issues come up, even if it’s something that’s going on personally,” she said. “It makes you feel like you matter.”

Danielle Larson, manager of St. Luke’s Credentialing, thinks part of St. Luke’s appeal is the atmosphere. “You walk into some places and they feel cold and corporate,” she explained. “But St. Luke’s is warm and friendly.”

While Danielle was the first in her family to work at St. Luke’s, she was not the last. When her sister was looking to relocate back home, Danielle didn’t hesitate to suggest St. Luke’s. Her sister took the advice and now works as an occupational therapist at St. Luke’s Hibbing Family Medical Clinic and Laurentian Medical Clinic.

Part of something bigger

In addition to a positive culture, St. Luke’s offers a meaningful mission. “You get to be a part of something bigger than you,” said Marla. “Helping and supporting people in your community when they need it most is really rewarding work.”

“I always tell people how much I love working here,” Danielle said. “For anyone who is looking for a job, I always tell them that they should think about St. Luke’s.”

St. Luke’s hires a broad range of other roles in addition to medical staff. “There are a lot of employment options at St. Luke’s,” Marla said. “From accounting and marketing to IT and patient registration, we have all sorts of opportunities.”

To see where you may fit in with the St. Luke’s team, visit slhduluth. com/careers. D

Photo craft creates memory for a different kind of wedding proposal

TheFixx taught us way back in 1983 that “One Thing Leads to Another,” and this is especially true with proposals. Popping the question is lighting the fuse for the fireworks of the wedding day. That fuse branches off to a myriad of other questions, decisions and experiences for both you and your friends and family.

Asking someone to be a member of the wedding party is a “branch-fuse” question that carries one of the highest honors a couple can express to the important people in their lives. You are telling someone, “of all the people in the world, I want to share this occasion with you close to me.” Naturally if we can add a fun and memorable way to ask the question, all the better! This picture box project allows you to create a beautiful personalized keepsake that a person can have forever.

1. Select your favorite style box. There are so many cute options in the unfinished wood project section of your local craft store. The box I selected had a 2x2 opening inside which made my measurements for this project super easy. If you select a different size, adjust the measurements listed below accordingly.

2. Pick card stock from that craft store as well. Remember, the more simple and subtle the paper, the more your photos will stand out.

3. When you get home, select your favorite pictures of the person you are asking to be in your wedding party. If you are selecting photos from social media, Facebook makes this a cinch. Get onto your friend’s Facebook page. On their banner you’ll see a box with three dots to the far right. Select “see friendship” to get the photos of you and your friend together. For each picture, right click and select “Copy Image”.

4. Individually paste them into a Word document in order to manipulate the size of each picture. Since the opening inside the box is 2” you will want to reduce the size to less than this for both length and height. Continue this process for each photo.

5. If you would like the images to be spread throughout the page in order to leave white space to cut around the picture, right click the picture, select format image, and

Continued on page 42 select “tight.” You will be able to move the picture around the page.

6. By using Word, you can create a text box that is the correct size in which to write your message. Click on “insert” on the top menu and then “text box” from the drop down menu. You can adjust the size of this box by clicking on the corner of the box and dragging it to the correct size. Next, add the message you’d like to ask your special person. To get a line around the box, you may need to right click, select “format shape,” then “line” to add color.

7. Print your page on quality paper — although it doesn’t have to be photo paper.

8. Cut out your pictures using a scissor or a paper cutter leaving a border around the edge.

9. Cut your cardstock in a 2-inch strip. Then fold the paper into an accordion, making a crease every two inches. Depending on how many pictures you have, continue to make folds until all of your photos will fit.

10. On every section, use your adhesive roller to attach the photos to the cardstock as shown in the photo.

11. Attach the bottom square of the cardstock to the bottom of the box with glue.

12. Cut along the edge of the text box to prep the message you made for your pal. Place adhesive on the back of the message and insert it into the bottom of the box.

13. Continue this process for each person you are asking to be in your wedding party. D

Mary Rasch is a Duluth artist and mother of two. Her book, "Fleece Hat Friends and Playful Hoodies," is available on Amazon.