Two new providers join Cornerstone Family Practice
Anna Svennungsen, ARNP, left, and Tammi Noonan, DNP, at right, are the newest members of the team at Cornerstone Family Practice. (Press photo by Molly Moser)
By Molly Moser
Cornerstone Family Practice welcomed two new providers last month, rounding out their roster to four physicians and four nurse practitioners. Tammi Noonan, DNP, and Anna Svennungsen, ARNP, have begun seeing patients and are enjoying their new positions.
Svennungsen has had an eventful year. She and her husband, Kyle, returned to the U.S. from Slovakia, where he was completing graduate school and the couple did missionary work. They lived in the Twin Cities area before purchasing a home in Prairie du Chien, Wis., where Kyle serves as a pastor. The couple had their first child, a son named Odin, just two months ago, and now both are adjusting to their new careers.
Svennungsen studied nursing at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and went on for more schooling at Winona State University in Winona, Minn. As an ARNP, she is able to assess, diagnose, and prescribe medication to the patients she sees. She enjoys being able to make a difference in the lives of her patients.
“I grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota. My providers knew me and my family personally,” she told The Press when describing why she felt drawn to family practice and to Cornerstone. “I want to be able to develop a rapport with patients of all ages, get to know them and their families; ask how the football game went,” she smiled.
Both Svennungsen and Noonan agree that their new work environment is a positive one. “We’re lucky to have supportive colleagues,” Svennungsen said. She’s paired with Dr. Jeff Hoffmann, while Noonan is paired with Dr. Andy Smith as a mentor. When either of the doctors are practicing elsewhere or happen to have the day off, the on-call doctor pops in to check on Cornerstone’s newest employees, providing a wide range of advice from computer issues to coding questions.
“The great thing about this place is that we’re all a team,” Noonan explained. “If it’s your patient, it’s my patient.”
“And there’s good communication, so nothing falls through the cracks,” Svennungsen chimed in. They both credit the nurses at Cornerstone, on whom they depend daily.
Noonan worked as an oncology nurse at Medical Associates in Dubuque for 16 years before earning her doctorate from Clarke University. “I knew Dr. Hoffmann, and I asked to do a rotation at Cornerstone,” she recalls. “I was here as a student for over a year, and I just kept coming back.”
She and her family make their home in Cascade. Noonan and her husband have a daughter in college, a son in high school, and a son in junior high. They enjoy traveling, golf, and Hawkeye football.
Noonan is looking forward to treating children, problem solving, and diagnosing patients as a family practitioner. “I enjoy the challenge,” she told The Press. Her favorite part of medicine is taking the time to get to know her patients and learn their stories.
“Both Tammi and Anna are very caring and thorough in their evaluations of patients. I know that we are fortunate to have them join our team, and I am confident that patients will be pleased with their care and expertise,” said Dr. Jeff Hoffmann.
