For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Meredith Johanson, Buffalo Hospital, 763-684-6801

Buffalo Hospital receives Community Health Commitment Award

BUFFALO, Minn. 01/15/2007--The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) recently honored Buffalo Hospital for its commitment to community health. The MHA Health Care Awards honor the best and brightest in Minnesota health care, and the Community Health Commitment Award recognizes the staff and physicians of Buffalo Hospital for their commitment to improving community health and working collaboratively with others in the community.

In this photo of a group of men and women in semi-formal dress, the man in the center is holding a glass trophy with an circular shape.

Representatives from Buffalo Hospital and the community gathered to receive the prestigious Community Health Commitment award from the Minnesota Hospital Association. Pictured with the award, from left: Sonja Carlson, director of marketing and communications, Buffalo Hospital; Melissa Hanson, DAAN Youth curriculum coordinator; Barb Brower, dietitian, Buffalo Hospital; Mitch Weinzetl, chief of police, City of Buffalo; Mary Clem, executive director of the Buffalo Hospital Foundation; Joe Hagerty, chief deputy, Wright County Sheriff; Chuck Klaassen, chairperson, Buffalo Hospital Board of Trustees; Wayne Fingalson, Wright County engineer; Kelly Lewis, Heart Safe Communities coordinator; Melissa Mulder, DAAN@Work coordinator; Pat Hackman, SAFE Communities director; Mona Volden, community program manager, Buffalo Hospital; Sandy Niklalus, Bendix Elementary School; Steve Niklalus, superintendent, Annandale School District.

"Buffalo Hospital has a long-standing history of working to improve the health of the communities it serves. From leading the state in innovative traffic safety practices to combating the obesity epidemic, Buffalo Hospital has partnered with a variety of committed community leaders including schools, local law enforcement, government, and many others to address the leading health challenges," says Steve Hatkin, Buffalo Hospital president. "We are committed to improving the lives and communities of those we serve and proud of the health initiatives we are involved in."

The Buffalo Hospital Foundation's mission is to serve as a catalyst for innovative services and facilities to improve community health. "Raising much needed funding and support for this important work, the foundation has allowed us to further build on our long standing history of success," continued Hatkin.

Current health initiatives

Following are the current health initiatives impacting our communities' health:

Safe Communities of Wright County

Safe Communities of Wright County is a collaborative effort focused on reducing crashes through safety education and prevention. This effort began in 1997 and has seen the rate of severe injury and fatal crashes in Wright County decline by an average of 38 percent, without factoring in population growth. Now an independent 501(c)3 organization, Safe Communities of Wright County is led by a volunteer board of directors comprised of leaders in local law enforcement, public health, schools, insurance, traffic engineers, Buffalo Hospital and Allina Medical Transportation.

DAAN inspires healthy choices

To inspire wise nutrition and activity choices, Buffalo Hospital launched DAAN (dā on). A Native American term that means to live a healthy, balanced life, DAAN services can be found in area schools, work sites and the community.

The Fitness Laboratory offers the most advanced science available today to evaluate body composition, cardiovascular health, biomechanical motion and metabolism.
The King Wellness Center offers consultation, education and social support to enable community members to apply laboratory information about their body to set realistic goals, design more efficient and personalized exercise programs, and achieve wellness results.
DAAN@Work features a mobile fitness lab that utilizes assessment knowledge at individual and aggregate workplace levels to create individualized wellness plans with participants, educational sessions on key topics and social support programs to promote healthy lifestyle choices.
The DAAN Youth Curriculum incorporates many take-home family activities and features parent educational offerings to ensure parents and children work together to make healthier choices.

Heart Safe Communities

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that by placing defibrillators in public places and training citizens to use them, communities speed response times and double survival from sudden cardiac arrest.

Buffalo Hospital Foundation -- in partnership with Allina Medical Transportation, the Community Health Foundation of Wright County and scores of schools, civic organizations and area businesses -- has educated more than 2,400 citizens about sudden cardiac arrest and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), while placing more than 80 defibrillators throughout Wright County.

And more...

Buffalo Hospital has partnered with a variety of other community groups and organizations to address top health issues including...

joining area long-term care organizations to create the Memory Connection and support those affected by memory loss
supporting youth asset building through United for Youth, an initiative focused on helping youth become responsible, successful and caring adults
joining MEADA (Methamphetamine Education and Drug Awareness) Coalition of Wright County to educate the medical professional on this growing drug epidemic

Fifth Minnesota Hospital Association award

This is the fifth time Buffalo Hospital has been honored with an award from Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA).

In 2006, Buffalo Hospital was named Innovator of the Year in Patient Care for implementing one of the most integrated electronic medical record systems in the nation.
As one of the largest employers in the area, Buffalo Hospital has been named the Best Minnesota Hospital Workplace twice, an award designed to honor hospitals that "go the extra mile" in enhancing employee satisfaction.
In 2003, Buffalo Hospital was the first small hospital in the nation to offer InstyMeds, an automatic teller machine (ATM) dispenser of prescription medications for Emergency and Urgent Care patients.

About Buffalo Hospital

Part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Buffalo Hospital is a not-for-profit regional medical center committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves in and around Wright County. Information about Buffalo Hospital's services, along with the latest health information, can be found online at www.buffalohospital.org.

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