New cold plasma generators installed at Diamond Willow Assisted Living aim to disable virus presence

Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Alexandria recently added a disinfecting tool in another effort to help keep its residents healthy.

Cold plasma generators have been installed in Diamond Willow’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that produce electric fields filled with highly charged ions. The ions act as a natural scrubbing agent, disabling viruses and other harmful microorganisms in the air as well as on frequently touched surfaces.

Manufactured by Top Product Innovations in North Carolina, a third-party laboratory found that the system has successfully disabled the Norovirus at a rate of 93.5 percent in 30 minutes.

Diamond Willow also purchased other advanced disinfecting equipment earlier this year that creates an electrostatic-charged fog and clings to surfaces and kills germs.

Each assisted living location is limiting its capacity to 15 residents per facility to promote a homelike feel, said Natalie Zeleznikar, CEO of Diamond Willow. Individual rooms have a bedroom, bathroom, closet and nearby kitchenette. Diamond Willow has 10 locations in Minnesota including Alexandria, Baxter, Cloquet, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Little Falls, Mountain Iron, Park Rapids and Proctor. For more information, visit DiamondWillow.com .

Vantage Bank named among best community banks to work for

Vantage Bank has been named by Independent Banker Magazine to its “2020 Best Community Banks to Work For” in recognition of the bank’s efforts to create an exceptional work experience for its employees.

Allowing staff members to make decisions in their areas of focus is key, according to a news release, especially at a smaller bank where employees often wear multiple hats.

Vantage Bank was also recently ranked in the top ten nationwide for Commercial and Mortgage

Lending in the under $500 million division.

Vantage Bank is a full-service community bank guided by a staff and board of directors who represent a broad spectrum of the agricultural and professional community. They are committed to developing the communities in which they serve by providing a better banking solution focused on customer needs. Vantage Bank is proud to fulfill the needs of Alexandria, Kent and the surrounding areas. For more information, visit vantagebankmn.com .