Lakewood Health System has been named one of the Top 200 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com and was published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 19. Lakewood was ranked 41st on the list for ‘large’ employers. Produced by […]

Lakewood to Offer Dementia Caregiver Support Group
Lakewood Health System, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, will be offering a support group for caregivers of those with loved ones diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The group will meet the first Wednesday of every month from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Burlington room, located through Door C at Lakewood’s Senior […]

Lakewood Health System Launches ‘Walk with a Doc’ Program
Lakewood Health System is encouraging area residents to take a step toward better health with Walk with a Doc, a health program that brings doctors and patients together to walk every Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at Lakewood’s Main Campus in Staples, starting Thursday, May 26th. (All participants should meet outside the main entrance prior to […]

Lakewood Foundation ‘Night of Giving’ Dinner and Auction Raised $45,000
The Lakewood Health System Foundation held its ‘Night of Giving’ dinner and auction fundraiser on Friday, April 29th, 2022. One hundred and ninety-six people attended the event, with additional online auction participants bidding in the week leading up to the dinner and auction. In total, the event raised approximately $45,000, all of which will help […]

Bjerga is Named Lakewood Health System’s Next President and CEO
Lisa Bjerga, CPA, MBA, has been named the next president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lakewood Health System, effective January 1, 2023. Bjerga will succeed current Lakewood President and CEO Tim Rice, who will retire after over 42 years of service. This decision concludes a nearly two-year succession planning process in which members of […]

Klous Joins Lakewood Health System Medical Staff
Joshua Klous, family nurse practitioner, is the newest member of the Lakewood Health System Emergency Medicine team. Originally from Onamia, MN, Klous received his undergraduate degree from the College of St. Scholastica, and his Master of Science in Nursing degree from Walden University. He is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Klous […]

Dr. Peter Neifert Joins Lakewood Health System Behavioral Health Staff
Dr. Peter Neifert, psychiatrist, is the newest member of the Lakewood Health System Behavioral Health team. Born in Honolulu, HI and raised in Colorado, Dr. Neifert majored in chemistry at Colorado College and received his medical degree from Mayo Medical School. He completed a combined civilian/active-duty Air Force residency in psychiatry at Wright State/Wright-Patterson Air […]

Seth Witthuhn Joins Lakewood Health System Medical Staff
Seth Witthuhn, nurse practitioner (NP-C), is the newest member of the Lakewood Health System Family Medicine team. Originally from Wadena, MN, Witthuhn received his Master of Science in Nursing degree from Walden University. He is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Witthuhn is an advanced practice registered nurse with a special interest […]

Ryan Skoog Joins Lakewood’s Orthopedics Team
Ryan Skoog, physician assistant, joins the Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) and Lakewood orthopedics team at Lakewood Health System. Originally from Menahga, Skoog received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota, and his graduate degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and […]

Kelly Metz Joins Lakewood’s Family Medicine Provider Team
Kelly Metz, Doctor of Nursing Practice, joins the family medicine team at Lakewood Health System. Originally from Inver Grove Heights, MN, Metz received her undergraduate degree from Bemidji State University and her doctoral degree from Metropolitan State University. Her clinical work was completed at Lakewood. As a family medicine provider, Metz is focused on caring […]

COVID-19 Vaccines, Monoclonal Antibody Therapy and Testing Available at Lakewood Health System
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children five to 11. This approval makes the Pfizer vaccine the only one currently available to everyone ages five and up. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved and available to […]

Entering Fall with a Surge in COVID-19 Cases
We are in the midst of another COVID-19 surge – at Lakewood Health System, in our region, state and country. Just as things were feeling more like “business as usual,” positive COVID cases have steadily increased since late summer, due to the highly-contagious Delta variant. This has caused us to reinstate some of our COVID […]