Allina Health, Physicians Reach Tentative Agreement
September 24, 2026
Several news sources are reporting that Allina Health and the Doctors Council SEIU reached a tentative agreement on September 22.
New Residency Program Aimed at Expanding the Rural Physician Pipeline to Open in Staples
May 14, 2026
The University of Minnesota Medical School and Staples, Minn.-based Lakewood Health System are expanding rural physician training in the state with a new residency program.
The Lakewood Rural Residency Program was recently approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Residents will start the three-year program with one year of training with the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program in North Minneapolis, followed by two years with Lakewood Health System in Staples. The program will train two new family medicine physicians per year.
Students can start applying to the program in September 2026, with the first cohort set to begin in the summer of 2027.
This new program joins the Willmar Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and the Grand Itasca Rural Family Medicine Residency Program as the only rural family medicine training programs in Minnesota — creating new opportunities for medical students seeking specialized training in rural healthcare.
More information about the new residency program can be found here.
Latest News
Local Healthcare Finance Expert Named to National Preventive Services Task Force
September 24, 2026
Local healthcare finance expert Stephen T. Parente, Ph.D., has been named as one of eight new members to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Survey Shows Majority of Physicians Faced Debilitating Stress in Last Year
September 24, 2026
On September 17, The Physicians Foundation released findings from its 2026 survey of America’s physicians, How Practice Conditions Shape Physician Wellbeing, examining differences in wellbeing by employment setting, gender, age, and geography.