Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

December 29, 2014

MHA Newsline: Dec. 22, 2014

In this issue 

Holiday greetings from MHA

Season’s greetings from the Minnesota Hospital Association! We send our best wishes to you and hope you enjoy this holiday e-cardreturn to top  

Lake Region Healthcare receives DHS Commissioner’s Award

Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls was awarded the 2014 Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Award from the Minnesota Department of Human Services for its commitment to supporting healthy people, stable families and strong communities. Lake Region Healthcare is dedicated to helping improve the health of the people in the community through a variety of wellness initiatives, including a community garden. In 2014, 4,500 pounds of fresh produce was donated to WIC families and area food shelves, serving more than 3,000 individuals. 

The goal of the hospital’s wellness efforts is to make Fergus Falls one of the healthiest places to live in Minnesota. Watch a short video describing the community garden here. Learn more about the Take Roots Community Garden.  return to top   

Rural Palliative Care Networking Group addresses appropriate hospice use

While coverage for hospice services is generously available through Medicare, it is significantly underutilized by beneficiaries in Minnesota. Minnesota ranks in the third quartile nationally with a utilization rate of 2.26 percent.   

Stratis Health’s Targeting Resource Use Effectively project (TRUE) was a one-year project to help eligible patients get into hospice care sooner, and to increase appropriate referrals to and utilization of hospice in Minnesota through the identification of barriers to access.   

Stratis Health has worked with the Alexandria community using a community-based approach to identify barriers and solutions to hospice referral and utilization in their community.   

At the Rural Palliative Care Networking Group on Jan. 15, three area Alexandria hospice programs will share their story on how they are working together with their community partners to improve end-of-life care for the people in their community. Attendees will be able to: 

  • Identify myths regarding hospice services. 
  • Describe a community-based approach to improve the appropriate use of hospice care. 
  • Identify strategies to promote the “goals of care” discussions when there is a serious illness. 

To register for in-person attendance, click here. To register for conference call attendance, click here. For questions, contact Janelle Shearer, Stratis Health, 952-853-8553.  return to top   

Closing keynote at Winter Trustee Conference will inspire attendees to change perspective

John Geenen is a Jack Nicholson impersonator as well as a captivating keynote speaker with a powerful inspirational message. His keynote, “When You Change Your Thinking, You Change Your Life,” delivers the message of “perception is a matter of perspective” with just a touch of “Jack” to make it fun. 

A simple change in perspective can change a loss into a win, a failure into a success, and a disaster into an opportunity. Geenen’s closing session will provide you with truths and methods on how to change your perspective and change your life. 

Click here for a video message from John.  

The Winter Trustee Conference is scheduled for Jan. 9-11 at the Marriott Minneapolis Northwest in Brooklyn Park. Click here for more information. 

Continuing education for nursing home administrators
The content of this conference has been approved by the Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators for up to 9.25 contact hours.  return to top   

Newsline holiday schedule

Newsline will take a holiday break next week and will return to its normal publishing schedule on Monday, Jan. 5.  return to top