Interview

Helping Children Face Increasing Daily Stress

Lindsey Patee Deeb, APRN, CNP, CEO, Grow Pediatrics

Please share some of the history behind Grow Pediatrics.

Grow Pediatrics began as Dakota Pediatrics in the late 1970s. It was founded by my mother-in-law, Jane Vanroekel, MD, and her husband, Robert J. Deeb and was one of the few female-owned health care practices in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area at the time. Originally located in South Saint Paul, the practice moved to our current Inver Grove Heights location in 1983. Dr. Vanroekel continued to grow the practice through the 1980s, ’90s, and 2000s until her passing in 2009.

In 2010, my husband Robert and I took over the practice, making it not only one of the few female-owned health care groups in the area but also one of the few nurse practitioner–owned practices in Minnesota. We’ve overseen its growth through the past 15 years. In 2017, we opened a second location in Richfield and rebranded as Grow Pediatrics. Since then, we’ve transitioned from a sole ownership model to a partnership and continued expanding—adding new partners (Brett Mortenson, Michelle Ohnstad and Linnea Sorensen), acquiring an Eden Prairie location and recently breaking ground on a new Lakeville clinic. 

What are some of the most unique things about the practice?

First and foremost, following the tradition of Dr. Vanroekel, we focus on providing family-centered, personalized care. We believe in truly getting to know our patients and families and building long-term relationships, which helps support stronger preventive care and better health decisions over time.

As a privately owned practice, we’re not driven by corporate or private-equity pressures that prioritize profitability over patient care. This allows us to devote the time and attention needed to build meaningful relationships with families.

Finally, we are one of the few nurse practitioner–owned health care groups in Minnesota. While our team includes both pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners, we believe having nurse practitioners in ownership and leadership roles brings a valuable perspective to how we deliver primary care. 

What do you mean when you say that you provide a holistic approach to health?

When we talk about providing a holistic approach to care, we mean looking beyond just the patient to consider the whole family. We think not only about what’s happening right now, but also about the patient’s past and long-term health.

While we treat the usual acute illnesses, we also focus heavily on prevention and helping families understand how to support their physical and mental health. Our care is grounded in standard, evidence-based guidelines, but we also recognize that every family is different. Because of that, we work to tailor those recommendations in ways that make the most sense for each family.

Recent federal policy around childhood vaccinations seems antithetical to empirical science. What do you tell parents who have questions about these issues?

At Grow, we’re committed to having open, honest and respectful conversations with families about vaccines. We believe vaccines are safe and effective, and we follow the AAP vaccine schedule, which is basically the original CDC schedule and supported by strong evidence.

At the same time, we recognize that the traditional approach to vaccine hesitancy hasn’t been very effective, as vaccination rates continue to decline nationally. While we strongly recommend vaccines, we understand that these decisions can feel very personal for families and often require thoughtful discussion and education.



Our goal is to make sure families feel comfortable having those conversations with us. Regardless of where a family stands on vaccines, we want them to feel heard, respected and never shamed. By building strong relationships with our families, we believe we’re better able to address misinformation and share evidence-based guidance about why we recommend vaccines. Ultimately, we believe these discussions should happen through shared decision-making with a trusted health care provider, rather than being shaped by misinformation on social media.

A big part of our role is partnering with families to develop sustainable care plans.

Please tell us about the Children’s Health Network and your work with that organization.

The Children’s Health Network (CHN) is a group of independent pediatric practices affiliated with Children’s Hospital of Minnesota. The network helps practices like ours navigate the complexities of our health care system while also connecting us with a community of like-minded pediatric providers. Whether it’s payer contracting, credentialing assistance or coding advice, CHN helps us focus on patient care and less on the administrative burdens of running a practice.

Through CHN, we work together to stay up to date on current guidelines and evidence-based practices in pediatric medicine. The group also provides a space to discuss and take an active role in addressing important pediatric health issues within our community. Our affiliation with CHN strengthens the collaborative approach that we value at Grow Pediatrics.

There is a growing mental health crisis among adolescents. How do you see
this in your practice and how do you address it?

We are definitely seeing an increase in mental health crises among preteens and adolescents in our patient population. During well-child visits, we routinely screen for mental health concerns. When issues come up — either during those visits or separately — we provide as much in-clinic support and counseling as we can and often refer to and collaborate with outside mental health specialists.

As primary care providers, we see ourselves as the “hub” of the wheel, helping connect patients and families with the many other providers involved in their care. Because we are a small, privately owned practice our providers can dedicate more time to this type of care coordination, even when it isn’t reimbursed.

We are also involved in a mental health task force through CHN that is working to improve best practices across pediatric groups and expand resources for teens and families. One focus of this group is identifying new pathways to help patients access mental health support more quickly and strengthening collaboration with outside specialists.

Chronic illness is another area that seems to be more common in pediatrics than ever. How do you see this manifested in your practice?

Chronic illness is something we’re definitely seeing more often in pediatrics, and it shows up in many ways in daily practice. Conditions like asthma, allergies, ADHD, anxiety and obesity are increasingly common, and many kids are managing more than one condition at a time. We’re also seeing more children with complex medical needs who require coordination between specialists, schools and therapists.

Pediatrics today isn’t just about treating acute illness — it’s also about long-term management and supporting the whole child. A big part of our role is partnering with families to develop sustainable care plans and helping them navigate medications, lifestyle changes, school supports and mental health resources.

We also talk a lot about the social and environmental factors that influence health, like sleep, nutrition, physical activity, screen time and stress. Ultimately, managing chronic illness in pediatrics takes a team approach—working closely with families, schools and specialists to help kids not just manage their conditions, but continue to thrive.

Provider burnout is a problem across all specialties. How does Grow Pediatrics address this issue?

At Grow, we try to support a healthy work–life balance for our providers and staff in several ways. Most team members work three to four days per week, which helps create a better balance between work and personal life. Because we are privately owned, we’re also able to keep provider schedules manageable. Our care philosophy emphasizes building relationships with families, so visits are intentionally longer and providers are rarely overbooked.

We also encourage connection outside the clinic by organizing group events throughout the year. Within the clinic, we work to maintain a culture where providers and staff feel comfortable bringing up concerns or needs. Finally, we try to use technology whenever possible to reduce some of the more tedious parts of health care. Whether it’s internal communication tools to streamline collaboration or AI to help make charting more efficient, these small improvements can go a long way in reducing provider and staff burnout.

What are the biggest challenges that lie ahead for pediatrics?

One of the biggest challenges facing primary care pediatrics is the increasing daily stress that many children and adolescents are experiencing, and how it affects their growth and development. Increased screen time and exposure to social media, especially algorithm-driven platforms, are already showing measurable effects on adolescent mental health. While there is some emerging data on how these factors affect brain development and social-emotional well-being, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term impact.

At the same time, the ongoing shortage of pediatric and pediatric mental health providers makes it harder to address these growing needs. As mental health concerns continue to rise among youth, primary care pediatric providers will likely face increasing challenges in supporting these patients with already limited resources.

Recent federal cuts to Medicaid funding, both nationally and specific to Minnesota, are creating considerable challenges to public health. How do you see these actions affecting children?

Any reduction in Medicaid funding is deeply concerning, particularly because children depend so heavily on this program — especially here in Minnesota. When coverage is cut, children often lose access to care, even if they remain technically eligible. This happens because parents may

lose their own coverage or families face complicated renewal processes that disrupt enrollment. 

The impact of Medicaid cuts is well-documented and straightforward. Children’s health relies on stable family coverage and a strong, accessible care system. When funding is reduced, we see longer wait times, fewer preventive visits and delays in care. These disruptions often shift care away from cost-effective primary care settings like ours and toward more expensive emergency services.

While policy changes may be aimed at adult populations or budget concerns, children frequently bear the most immediate — and lasting —consequences. Interruptions in care during critical stages of development can have long-term effects on their health and well-being. 

Lindsey Patee Deeb, APRN, CNP, is the CEO of Grow Pediatrics.