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Young actors tackle a tale as old as time. See Thisweekend Page 10A
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
Thisweek Burnsville-Eagan AUGUST 5, 2011
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VOLUME 32, NO. 23
www.thisweeklive.com
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Having heart saves lives at Fairview Ridges Patients get state-of-the-art cardiac care south of the by Stacey Ackerman SPECIAL TO THISWEEK
Dakota County patients suffering from a cardiac arrest no longer have to be transported to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina as they once did. Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville, which opened a catheterization laboratory in 2009, is only the second hospital in the state to do so. The lab, an examination room that uses state-of-the-art imaging technology, allowing physicians to see inside heart arteries, has already performed 650 angiograms and 16 emergency angioplasties. Fairview Ridges is a leading hospital in cardiac care, winning several awards of distinction from HealthGrades, the nation’s most trusted source of health care information, including: • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Standing inside the catheterization lab at Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville are (from left) Diane Nelson, director of Cardiovascular Services, Heidi Wipf and Amanda Brandt, both employees of the lab. for three consecutive years (2009-2011) • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure for two consecutive years (2010-2011) • Five-Star rated for Treatment of Stroke for three consecutive years (2009-2011) • Top 10 percent in the Nation for Treatment of
Stroke for two consecutive years (2010-2011) The catheter lab currently operates on a weekday basis, but the goal is to have it staffed 24/7 in the near future. Fairview Ridges is investing significant resources into its cardiovascular unit due to the aging population in Burnsville and the sur-
Photo by Rick Orndorf
The catheterization lab at Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville is one of only two in Minnesota. rounding communities. “We are addressing an aging population,� Dr. Stephen Battista, interventional cardiologist and site lead at Fairview Ridges, said.
“We’re seeing more cardiac arrests, therefore we’ve ramped it up.� The hospital currently employs three full-time cardiologists, and soon may get
a fourth, and has a staffing level of 1-1.5 for nurse practitioners on a daily basis. “The business is growing so fast its bulging at the See Cardiac, 11A
Local author recounts battle City loans $50,000 to draw more shows to Burnsville arts center with postpartum anxiety She hopes book will be a resource for women, health care workers
Businesses also donate to ‘angel fund’
by Stacey Ackerman
by John Gessner
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
I have always wanted to write a book. If you asked me a few years ago what would be on my bucket list, writing a book was definitely up there. I just didn’t have the motivation or a really compelling story. That all changed after the birth of my third child. I was hospitalized for 12 days with a diagnosis of severe depression postpartum, anxiety disorder and panic disorder with psychotic features followed by post traumatic stress disorder. Yes, a sprinkling of every postpartum mood disorder, yet it went unrecognized and untreated until it was almost too late. I decided to write my memoir, “Supermom: A Postpartum Anxiety Survival Story� six months after my release
An “angel fund� giving the Burnsville Performing Arts Center money to book its own shows got a $50,000 taxpayer boost Aug. 1, but not without a fight. The City Council, meeting as the Economic Development Authority, voted 3-1 to loan $50,000 from the city’s EDA fund. Council Member Mary Sherry vigorously opposed the loan, which will buttress private donations. Center manager VenuWorks and the center’s advisory commission want to build a fund of at least $100,000, allowing the ven-
Photo submitted
Lakeville resident Stacey Ackerman battled postpartum anxiety after the birth of her third child, Emily. from the behavioral health unit in an effort to better understand what made me, an overachieving mom, lose my mind. In the year it took to write my story, I discovered many things. It was the best journey in self-discovery I could have ever made. See Postpartum, 12A
Eagan man rescued by passerby after nearly drowning in Fish Lake by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
A Eagan man was saved by a few Good Samaritans and local law enforcement Sunday night, July 31, after he nearly drowned in an Eagan lake. According an Eagan police report, 37-year-old Muhammad Irfan Javed, who did not know how to swim, jumped into Fish Lake to save his 2-year-old son, who had fallen in. Javed’s 7-year-old daughter saw her father struggle in the water and ran for help while her other brother stayed on shore. The girl ran up to 49-year-old Mark Halberg screaming that someone was drowning. General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
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ue to assume the risk and reward of booking shows on its own. The center was established as a rental house, with no budget for chasing bookings. “That is in contrast to a presenting house,� which the angel fund will allow, Deputy City Manager Tom Hansen said. The center has finite prospects as a rental house, said Dan Gustafson, council member and EDA president. Friends and foes of the city-owned center, which opened amid controversy in January 2009, agree that more bookings are needed to fill empty spots in the calendar and cut citysubsidized operating losses. The angel fund idea has community support, said Hansen and Sal Mondelli, chair of the advisory com-
Halberg followed her to the fishing pier where he saw the 2-year-old struggling in the water. As he jumped in and pulled the boy out, Halberg felt something brush against his leg in the water. It was Javed, who was unconscious at the bottom of the lake. Police estimate he was there for about two minutes. After putting the boy on shore, Halberg, of Burnsville, returned to the water to retrieve the father. He pulled the man to the surface and began treading water until two paddle boats arrived a short time later. At some point in the chaos a call was made to Eagan police who arrived at the scene at around 8:30 p.m.
Coming together for National Night Out
The boats’ occupants, Nancy Durkee and Patrick Scanlon, both of Eagan, pulled Javed inside one boat and brought him to the pier where officers were waiting. The officers revived Javed, who was transported by ambulance to Regions Hospital along with his 2-year-old son. “The key to making this a successful rescue was the act of the Good Samaritan who didn’t hesitate to jump in the water,� said Danielle Anselment, spokeswoman for the Eagan Police Department. “Due to his actions, three little children have their father today.�
Photo by Jessica Harper
Children climbed in and around a fire engine on the 4200 block of Sandstone Drive in Eagan on Aug. 2 during the city’s annual National Night Out event. Members of the fire and police departments met with area block parties to teach safety and get to know one another.
E-mail Jessica Harper at: jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com
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mission. VenuWorks, Pepsi and Pawn America have each agreed to donate $10,000. A city contribution will boost private fundraising efforts, backers say. The city is putting enough money into the center already, Sherry said, citing an annual $410,000 EDA contribution to debt service on the $20 million building as well as a 2011 general fund transfer of $275,000. “I am a risk-taker. Just to look at my stock portfolio, I am a risk-taker. But I am not a risk-taker with other people’s money, and this is other people’s money,� she said in opposing the angel fund contribution. Council Member Dan Kealey, noting that he voted against building the center, See Loan, 2A
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