A contrasting range of words and emotions comes with the thought of a clinic. Many people view it as a dreaded check-up they must endure every few years, simply because it is required. Others call it the difference between life and death, due to the unmatched care they and their entire family receive when the circumstance calls for it. Kenyon Clinic aims to be on the latter side of these descriptions, having provided care and support to numerous households across the community since October of 2021. Very little of their efforts would have been possible without the dedication and commitment of people like Chris Werner, CNP, APRN, the certified nurse practitioner working day in and day out to provide for these families. Although this Northfield Hospital-operated clinic has only existed for four years, its dedication to the community is reminiscent of a multi-generational facility.
When NH+C first opened the Kenyon clinic, its Faribault and Northfield locations were already providing for many community members. Expanding to Kenyon allowed NH+C to bring care closer to home, offering folks consistent and reliable healthcare as well as the option for specialty care across the organization. It's hard to deny the exponential growth that followed, with a host of new patients joining from Kenyon, Faribault, Cannon Falls, Northfield, and Medford. Regardless of where else people might get care, the clinic welcomes anyone four days a week, excluding Wednesdays. Although their passion for supporting the community is true across all locations, the unwavering dedication of their provider, Chris Werner, has made the Kenyon location truly special. As a board-certified nurse practitioner with experience in family medicine and urgent care, she addresses routine check-ups just as passionately as complex, multi-problem health issues. Injuries and illnesses, check-ups and physicals, disease prevention and health maintenance, child and elderly care, patient and community education, and chronic disease management are among her specialties.
Chris Werner: "Medicine is where I feel most comfortable, understanding the community and their perspectives, values, and challenges. I like trying to decipher symptoms and find a solution. Especially with a rural practice, caring for all generations of a family is so rewarding. A patient whose sister and siblings we also care for said recently, 'Well, you know my family history.' That connection helps build a trusting relationship that is essential to good medical care."
Built upon this strong foundation of rural medicine, her day-to-day responsibilities center on caring for patients. Alongside a schedule full of clinic appointments, she juggles follow-up procedures for lab tests, MRIs, and other imaging. If patients need care beyond Kenyon's capabilities, her work expands to making referrals to specialists. Only after addressing all facets of a patient's health does Kenyon Clinic consider them cared for. Providing for so many community members is not a light responsibility, which is why she values their trust and NH+C's support so greatly. Beyond recognizing the importance of Kenyon's proximity to home, she hopes people see the team effort that goes into making it possible. Connection has been integral in building their reputation so that all patients, especially older adults, receive the level of attention they deserve. The clinic's terrific staff ensures that each person gets this complete and attentive care, as countless have since their doors opened four years ago. Caring for a tight-knit community, such as Kenyon, requires an equally tight-knit staff that genuinely knows and understands its patients.
"It's great when people return to the clinic after a procedure to tell me how cared for they felt. Treating patients as people, not a number, makes me proud to be part of NH+C and bring those resources to the Kenyon community. As an independent hospital system, we provide excellent care with personal attention. It's so much more personable than a bigger system."
When she's not working with the community, Chris keeps busy as a full-time grandma and farmer on her childhood property in Hampton, Minnesota, tending to 500 head of cattle on 1,200 acres of farm. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, walking country roads, and spending time with her grandkids. The first spark of her great flame for the community lit at the age of ten, when her experience living in a family of seven sisters landed her a babysitting position. As a doctor, her grandfather played a vital role in exposing her to the medical world and the possibility of a career in it. Despite his belief that she'd become a vet, Chris's path took a turn in her twenties at the chance to care for her terminally ill father. This opportunity was the final rung in the ladder necessary for realizing her purpose: to work in the world of human medicine, treating everyone as if they were family. After being educated at Metro State in Saint Paul, Chris received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and later her Master's as a family nurse practitioner.
Since the beginning of her gratifying time with the Kenyon Clinic, opportunities to provide for and build genuine connections with community members have been plentiful. NH+C's relatively new Birth Center and Wound Healing Center have been vital in this commitment, supplying patients with critical resources and allowing her to grow her interests in child, urgent, elder, and preventive healthcare. Being able to work with whole families, ask questions about past patients, and initiate genuine dialogue is one of the most fulfilling parts of her work. In caring for multiple generations of a family, Chris has grown to know the history of several households more intimately than a regular appointment offers. If nothing else, the impacts of NH+C's Kenyon Clinic showcase the vital importance of providing for the community. A genuine care extends beyond a simple check-up; it touches the hearts and lives of patients and their families. Where healthcare ends, this raw and genuine care begins.
Kenyon Clinic is available at (507) 623-0123 or northfieldhospital.org/kenyon-clinic four days a week, excluding Wednesdays, with evening appointments on Tuesdays.
