A Letter from the Executive Director

In August 2024, for the first time in its 54-year history, Wayzata Children’s Clinic (WCC) hired an Executive Director – me. I come to WCC with over 30 years’ experience in children’s healthcare administration, having been Chief Operating Officer for a large children’s behavioral healthcare organization in New York City. I moved to Bloomington to be closer to my father-in-law, who is in a skilled nursing facility, and other family members. In the past seven months, I have fallen in love with the Twin Cities -- its culture, its food, its people. It has quickly become “home” in a way that New York never was.

My focus at WCC is to make sure that it operates in a more efficient manner, so it can continue to provide state-of-the-art medical care in a traditional setting. Most of what I will be doing will be “behind the scenes”. There will be no change in what makes WCC special -- providers who look at and listen to you, and who practice medicine the way it used to be practiced. WCC will continue to be both your primary care providers and a more personal alternative to urgent care.

Every so often, I will reach out you directly. I want your opinion on how we are doing -- what works, and where you think we could be doing better. If changes are made to our clinic operating hours/days, it will be based on your input -- telling us which clinics need to be open, and when, to work better with your busy schedules. I look forward to increasing the things that you can do on our new and enhanced Patient Portal -- such as making, rescheduling, and checking-in for appointments online. It will also be easier to use the portal to make a payment toward your co-pay or balance. I want to make your lives easier and better when it comes to your interactions with us -- to improve your WCC experience.

In short, the only changes you will see will be changes for the better. Refreshed or renovated waiting room (the fish tanks will still be there) and treatment rooms. Better communication from us, including more targeted outreach and follow-up. Starting in Fall 2025, we will be able to administer flu, COVID and other annual vaccinations to you, the parent, at the same time we are immunizing your child.

I’ll be at all five WCC Clinics on a regular basis. If you see me walking through the waiting room or in the treatment hallways, I hope you will introduce yourself and say “hello” (I like to be called “Eric”). And, if you have a question or something you wish to discuss with me, my e-mail address is EBettelheim@wcclinic.org.

Thank you for the confidence you are placing in WCC and its staff. You are trusting us with one of the most important people in your lives -- your child -- often at a time they are at their most vulnerable. It is a responsibility we take very seriously, and we will do everything we can to keep earning that trust with every visit.