Jessie Van Berkel

1 week ago | startribune.com | Jessie Van Berkel

The crises hit Michelle Wood's family around the same time: Her teenage daughter's mental health worsened, and her husband was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. But the health care system's response to the situations has been "the polar opposite," she said. "With his cancer, he's got the oncologist; they have got palliative care; they immediately got me hooked up with a caregiver group. ... They try to surround you with services and support you to get you off on a good foot," Wood said.

2 weeks ago | uniondemocrat.com | Jessie Van Berkel

The bruises on state Rep. Nolan West’s 3-month-old daughter raised enough red flags that his wife photographed the marks on her tiny body. But, the couple figured, bruises happen. “Her motherly instincts were kicking into overdrive but everybody around her was like, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ because we didn’t know any better,” West said. Then two workers at their daughter’s child care center were captured by video cameras slamming and flipping other babies.

2 weeks ago | thebrunswicknews.com | Jessie Van Berkel

By Jessie Van Berkel, The Minnesota Star Tribune The bruises on state Rep. Nolan West's 3-month-old daughter raised enough red flags that his wife photographed the marks on her tiny body. But, the couple figured, bruises happen. "Her motherly instincts were kicking into overdrive but everybody around her was like, 'Don't worry about it,' because we didn't know any better," West said.

2 weeks ago | winonadailynews.com | Jessie Van Berkel

The bruises on state Rep. Nolan West’s 3-month-old daughter raised enough red flags that his wife photographed the marks on her tiny body. But, the couple figured, bruises happen. “Her motherly instincts were kicking into overdrive but everybody around her was like, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ because we didn’t know any better,” West said. Then two workers at their daughter’s child care center were captured by video cameras slamming and flipping other babies.

2 weeks ago | startribune.com | Jessie Van Berkel

The bruises on state Rep. Nolan West's 3-month-old daughter raised enough red flags that his wife photographed the marks on her tiny body. But, the couple figured, bruises happen. "Her motherly instincts were kicking into overdrive but everybody around her was like, 'Don't worry about it,' because we didn't know any better," West said. Now the Republican from Blaine is on a quest to keep other children from being abused at day cares.