Getting to know our APPs: Advanced Practice Providers
APP Week is an annual observance held the fourth week of September recognizing the work of these dedicated healthcare professionals. Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) practice in a variety of healthcare settings and are an integral part of patient care. APPs include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, optometrists, dental therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors.
At Hennepin Healthcare, 300+ APPs are spread across our downtown campus and community clinics. In honor of APP Week, providers from some of Hennepin Healthcare’s community clinics shared what they love about where they work.
Colleen Quesnell, CNM – East Lake Clinic
“The East Lake Clinic is a wonderful example of a community clinic, and I am so lucky to work in an environment where families have the opportunity to have more than their health needs addressed. I get to participate in delivering whole person care. At East Lake, we have social workers, community health workers, pharmacists, and on-site language interpreters. The primary care providers have group visits for common health conditions, and we have a new trauma-informed care coordinator. The families that choose midwifery can continue to have the family medicine team at East Lake care for their newborns.”
Kelsie Byrd, CNP – Brooklyn Park Clinic
“The Brooklyn Park Clinic team and the community that comes in for care is like one big family. Trust, intentionality, and teamwork are exceptionally evident here.”
Sara Lara, CNP – Richfield Clinic
“We are in a large Spanish-speaking community and over half of us are fluent in Spanish…I love that I can find support from my peers but also be challenged and pushed to be a better provider by them. They each have shown their dedication to our patients and community in different and important ways. I am proud to work alongside them, and they do make this place great!”
Kaylin Kolb, DNP – Jail Services
“I enjoy working at the jail because of the close, trusting connections I am able to make with patients who are often in their most vulnerable state. Often times this is their only access to healthcare due to a variety of psychosocial reasons, and creating a trusting relationship helps open doors for future encounters with healthcare team members. It is a very rewarding place to practice.”
Charlotte Alvarez, Lac – Whittier Clinic
“The Whittier Clinic is a busy, beloved part of the Whitter community in Minneapolis with a kind and professional group of people that demonstrate genuine care and concern for others every single day. I feel fortunate to work with a collection of talented integrative medicine practitioners and team-oriented support staff who collaborate to deliver the best experience in health care possible.”
