Northland working to replace Goven
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
Northland Community Health Center patients need not worry about their continued healthcare.
Following the recent announcement that Family Nurse Practitioner Jill Goven would be leaving Turtle Lake’s Northland to pursue other career opportunities elsewhere, patients may worry that the healthcare offered at the clinic may suffer now that there is one less practitioner at the clinic, but Northland CEO Patrick Butler wants to reassure people that services will not be disrupted at the clinic.
In rural settings like Turtle Lake, it is sometimes difficult to find a provider, noted Butler. But he doesn’t think that will be the case at Northland. There is already a candidate who could potentially be filling the position within a couple months. It could be a matter of just going through the hiring process.
“We are working through that process,” said Butler. “If everything works out, it will just be a matter of going through the process of hiring a provider, which takes a little bit longer than non-licensed staff.”
According to Butler, Goven was employed as a nurse practitioner at the clinic, but she also helped out at CHI St. Alexius-Turtle Lake Hospital. That may not necessarily be the case for whoever is hired to take Goven’s position.
“We have some providers that do not want to work in the emergency room environment, and we will not force them to do that,” said Butler. “Jill did not have a problem doing that, and she felt comfortable at that point in time.”
