Conceiving HELPcare Clinic

Dave Strobel and I were high school classmates, graduating from Austin (Minn.) High School in 1981, and when we came back to my hometown in the 1990s, my wife Lisa and I were in a small group Bible study with Dave and his wife, Lorene.

Three years ago this morning, Dr. Dave and I met at the Coffee House on Main in Austin.

We didn't have an agenda. We were just catching up as friends.

I had been working at Mayo Clinic since April 2000, founding and leading its social media team since 2010.

But over coffee, he told me about the clinic where he had been working for several years, the Pipe Trades Family Health & Wellness Center, which was only open to members of the affiliated unions and their families.

At about 9 a.m. on October 12, 2019, I was inspired by his description with a thought that I verbalized to Dr. Dave: "Wouldn't it be great if we could have something like this model in Austin, but that anyone could just join through a membership?"

Thus was conceived the idea that became HELPcare Clinic.

I decided to go back to school for my M.B.A. in Healthcare Management, starting the online courses in December 2019. Over the next 16 months we continued to meet and brainstorm, often at that same table.

We were there together on April 3, 2021 when I received notification that my final project had been approved and that I would receive my degree.

So we took a celebratory selfie to commemorate the event:

Four months later, I retired from Mayo Clinic, and we began developing the plans for HELPcare and HELPcare Clinic in earnest.

A year ago this month we first laid eyes on the building that now houses HELPcare Clinic.

Dr. Dave began seeing patients in February, just nine months ago.

Stephanie Kimmes, our nurse practitioner, joined in May.

We've seen the hand of God in this project from its conception three years ago today, providing what we need when we need it, and bringing both members to join and the staff we need to serve them.

We're so grateful for how this effort has been blessed and looking forward to see how it will grow to serve the Austin community and beyond.

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Lee Aase

Lee Aase is the founder of HELPcare LLC, which provides comprehensive membership, marketing and management services for provider-owned HELPcare Clinics, as well as metabolic health education and coaching for people interested in restoring health and reversing disease through lifestyle changes. Lee and his wife Lisa live in Austin, MN and have six married children and 19 grandchildren.