iq magazine - spring 2012

“ I had my angiogram and stents done right here and went home the next day. Now I feel terrific!”

- Cheryl, Brainerd

Over the years, Cheryl has been instrumental in fundraising efforts that made the Brainerd Lakes Heart & Vascular Center at Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center a reality. So when she experienced warning signs for a heart attack, she knew exactly where to go for expert care. Cheryl chose to tell her story to inspire others to visit Essentia for a healthy heart, just like she did.

Brainerd Lakes Heart & Vascular Center at Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in partnership with CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center

Thanks to the Brainerd Lakes Heart & Vascular Center

Read Cheryl’s story at HereWithYouStories.org or snap the smartphone QR code to find out more.

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4 Initiative Foundation 2011 Annual Report

18 Health Wanted As other sectors recover, the healthcare industry propels economic stability, growth and jobs in Central Minnesota.

22 Moving the Needle Injections of insight into the case for better health.

f e At u r e s

24 Rx for Success Big investments deliver big returns for these health-inspired companies.

32 Entry Level Ground-floor opportunities to improve health, happiness and the bottom line.

34 Double Vision When it comes to healthcare, divergent views can lead to higher costs.

d e p A r t M e n t s

About the cover:Health Wanted: design by eric rittmann

on the Job 46 the Safety czar

In the world of manufacturing, health-related costs are riveted to employee safety.

Sign of the times48 Mind Your business

Mental health disorders are a silent menace for families, firms alike.

resources50 charting a course

resources that affect savings, scales and salaries.

brainiac56 An IQ & A With...

Bush foundation director of engagement C. scott Cooper

3432

18 24

Printed with Soy-Based Ink on Recycled Paperw Range, Inc.

initiative foundation

President | Kathy Gaalswyk

Vice President for External Relations | Matt Kilian

Grants & Communications Specialist | Anita Hollenhorst

editoRiaL

Managing Editor | Elizabeth Foy Larsen

Writer | Laura Billings Coleman

Writer | Sara Mohs

Writer | John Reinan

Writer | Maria Surma Manka

aRt

Creative Services Coordinator | Eric Rittmann

Art Director | Andrea Baumann

Lead Photographer | John Linn

adveRtiSinG / SuBSCRiPtionS

Advertising Director | Brian Lehman

Advertising Manager | Lois Head

Advertiser Services | Eric Rittmann

Subscriber Services | Katie Riitters

405 First Street SE Little Falls, MN 56345320.632.9255 | www.ifound.org

Published in partnership with Range, IQ Magazine unlocks the power of central Minnesota leaders to understand and take action on regional issues.

rangeprinting.com

In i t ia t ive Quar ter ly Magaz inewww.IQmag.orgVolume 11, Spring 2012

ContentsIQ Magazine SPRING 2012

Let’s discuss your next project. WidsethsmithNoltiNg.com | 218-829-5117alexandria | baxter | bemidji | crookston | east grand forks | grand forks | red wing | rochester

ENGINEERIengineering

architectureARCHITECLAND SURVEYland surveying

ENVIRONMENenvironmental services

A community-driven, university-assisted partnership to create a plan that integrates housing, transportation, land use, and economic development. The process develops strategies to provide opportunities for the region and improve the quality of life for all residents in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties. Championing regional resilience in economic and environmental vitality.

Schedule for the 2 year projectall meetings are held from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the lodge in Baxter.round 3 ........................... June 12, 2012finalization meeting ........ August 14, 2012

For more inFormAtion www.incommons.org or www.regionfive.org

the work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under an award with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. the substance

and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. the author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this

publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government.

Spring 12 3

Dear Friends,This year, and for the past 25 years, our Trustees and staff have been proud to call Central Minnesota home. Although many areas are still recovering from the recession, an early spring seemed to bring a fresh scent of hope to our regional economy.

We finally see businesses hiring, manufacturers humming, local gov-ernments investing, nonprofits thriving, and yes, even buildings rising. Hovering under the modest growth numbers, there’s a cautious confidence in the air.

At the Initiative Foundation, we believe that a quality job is the most essential element of a stable family and a thriving community. Simply put, if you don’t have a good job, your singular goal is to get one. You are also less likely to buy, build, give, vote or volunteer. That’s why our five-year plan is focused on quality job creation and economic growth, because they ignite our communities.

Powered by 1,900 generous donors, committed staff, and outstanding board and volunteer leadership, we have achieved remarkable success this year, as outlined in this annual report.

Together, we have financed business expansions, promoted the promise of international exporting, invested in the financial health of critical nonprof-its, and helped business and community leaders unite to take local action on economic development. Our grants have supported workforce devel-opment, children and families, and uncommon partnerships that advance common-sense solutions. We have also helped families and organizations establish “Turn Key Funds” that leave a permanent legacy for communities while maximizing tax advantages for donors.

Following our annual report, this special IQ Magazine explores the important industry and issue of healthcare. It is a powerful engine for the regional economy and a primary concern for small businesses searching for ways to promote wellness and curb costs. Through local stories, we offer insight, ideas and information to improve the bottom line for everyone.

Enjoy the magazine!

All the Best,

Linda Eich DesJardins Kathy Gaalswyk Board of Trustees Chair President

At the Initiative Foundation, we believe that a quality job is the most essential element

of a stable family and a thriving community.

Linda Eich DesJardins Kathy Gaalswyk

4 Initiative Quarterly Magazine IQmag.org

2011 Annual ReportFor the period 1/1/11 – 12/31/11

MissionUnlock the power of central Minnesota people to build and sustain thriving communities.

Who We AreCreated in 1986 by local leaders and The McKnight Foundation, we are one of six Minnesota Initiative Foundations. Through leadership programs, grants and business investments powered by local generosity, we work to strengthen our hometowns and regional economy.

Five-year (2012-2017) Strategic Priorities1. Resilient Businesses

• Invest in economic drivers like technology and manufacturing

•Secure 1,500 quality jobs that pay at least $35,000 per year

2. Thriving Communities•Build a world-class workforce, starting

with early childhood and youth•Enhance quality of life, natural resources

& recreational amenities3. Effective Organizations

•Strengthen nonprofit ability to reduce employment barriers

• Improve fiscal health of nonprofits that provide critical safety nets

4. Local Philanthropy•Create community, agency and donor

funds that benefit local projects•Raise $14.6 million in endowment and

external funding

Service AreaWe are proud to serve the 14 counties and 160 cities of Central Minnesota.

Spring 12 5

Invested $39.68 million through 868 loans and investments in

locally owned businesses

Created or secured 11,219 living-wage jobs

Made 3,663 grants totaling $22.4 million

Awarded 661 scholarships totaling $529,072

Trained 1,936 leaders from 94 communities to plan and achieve

a brighter future

Trained 1,587 leaders to improve the water quality of 224 lakes and rivers

Trained 1,410 leaders from 280 nonprofits to manage

more effective organizations

Trained 994 leaders from 18 communities to prepare young children for lifetime success

Trained 248 leaders from 8 groups to improve the lives of

children with incarcerated parents

CountyResident Donations* to

Initiative Foundation

Initiative Foundation Investments**

in CountyROI

Benton $334,000 $3,327,000 896%

Cass $570,000 $3,763,000 560%

Chisago $354,000 $2,478,000 600%

Crow Wing $1,340,000 $9,107,000 580%

isanti $1,112,000 $2,895,000 160%

Kanabec $127,000 $962,000 658%

Mille Lacs $578,000 $3,181,000 450%

Morrison $1,297,000 $5,847,000 351%

pine $552,000 $2,784,000 404%

Sherburne $730,000 $3,888,000 433%

Stearns $1,428,000 $13,043,000 813%

todd $765,000 $3,089,000 304%

Wadena $390,000 $3,669,000 840%

Wright $524,000 $4,462,000 751%

TOTAL $10,101,000 $62,497,000 519%

*Rounded numbers include individual, business, government, and utility donations.**Rounded numbers include nonprofit grants, business financing investments, and scholarships.

ReTuRn on InvesTMenT

QuICK FACTs

Every donated dollar is matched by The McKnight Foundation and returns an average of $5.19 in grants, loans and scholarships to Central

Minnesota communities.

Our Results 25 Years of Impact in Central Minnesota (1986-2011)


Total Endowment Value: $32.9 millionTotal Assets: $47.8 million

A complete audit report prepared by CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP is available upon request.

BusIness FInAnCInGLocal Ownership, Quality Jobs

• Manufacturing 54% .............$845,142

• Technology 41% .............$640,000

• environment/Agriculture 4% ...............$65,000

• service 1% ...............$17,500

TOTAL ..........$1,567,642

GRAnTs & sCHoLARsHIPsUnlocking the Power of People

• Innovation Fund 23% ........ $312,475

• organizational effectiveness 21% ........ $286,346

• Community & Donor Funds 20% ........ $273,031

• Children, Youth & Families 11% ........ $145,000

• Hometown Improvement 10% ........ $130,930

• economic opportunity 8% ........ $105,000

• natural Resources Preservation 5% .......... $67,100

• scholarships 3% .......... $39,951

TOTAL ..... $1,359,833

Uses of Funds: $6,840,182 Business Investments $ 3,013,215 | 44%Grants, scholarships & Training Programs $ 2,603,109 | 38%Foundation operations $ 825,572 | 12%Fund Development $ 319,270 | 5%special Projects & other $ 79,016 | 1%

Sources of Funds: $9,045,197 Grants & Contributions $ 4,782,987 | 53%Business Financing Revenue & Repayments $ 2,424,478 | 27%Investment Income $ 1,729,152 | 19%other operating Revenue $ 108,580 | 1%

Training Programs expenses Incurred *Healthy organizations Partnership $ 454,673volunteers in service to America $ 353,841Healthy Communities Partnership $ 178,987early Childhood & Youth engagement $ 132,736Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership $ 105,290early Childhood Mental Health $ 17,749 TOTAL $1,243,276

*excluding Grants

Our Results 25 Years of Impact in Central Minnesota (1986-2011)

Financial Summary 2011

Spring 12 7

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At St. Cloud State, applied learning is among the backbone principles that help shape students’ education. Samantha Ivey has built her college career around one premise — involvement. Her political science and communications studies have taken her beyond the classroom. As president of the Student Government she’s had to apply her learning to real world challenges. And those challenges have helped her take her leadership and problem-solving skills to a completely different level. She’s also used her lessons learned in her political science and communication studies courses to serve on the executive committee of her social sorority, to chair committees and to confront student issues with maturity and logic.

To learn more about what St. Cloud State has to offer, visit www.stcloudstate.edu

ApplyInG ClASSroom leArnInGTo lIfe experIenCeS

SAmAnTHA Ivey,Student Government presidentrogers, minn.law school bound

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All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

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Spring 12 9

KEymastER $25,000 and greater

Anderson Brothers Construction CompanyBenton CountyBetty Ford Menzel Scholarship FundBlandin FoundationBob Wright Memorial IFPA Scholarship FundBremer BankBush FoundationCass CountyCenter for Rural Policy & DevelopmentGloria MacMillan CessnaCity of Little FallsCommunications Alternatives, Inc.Community Foundation of Greater DubuqueConnexus Energy Corporation for National & Community ServiceCrow Wing CountyDepartment of Health & Human ServicesEast Central EnergyEich Motor CompanyEmma B. Howe Memorial FoundationGranite Equity PartnersIsanti CountyThe Jay & Rose Phillips FoundationJane & Patrick Mitchell FoundationArnold & JoAnn JohnsonLittle Falls Scholarship FundLoren & Kathy Morey Family FundManufacturing Fund of Central MinnesotaMark Wood FoundationThe McKnight FoundationMedica FoundationThe Minneapolis Foundation Minnesota Community FoundationMinnesota PowerMinnesota Public RadioMorgan Family FoundationMorrison CountyOtto Bremer FoundationGladys & Leonard PaulsonPine CountyJohn & Bonnie SchlagelSchlagel, Inc.Shawn Grittner Memorial Scholarship FundSherburne County

State of Minnesota, Department of CommerceStearns County Stearns Electric AssociationJack & Betty ThomasU.S. Bancorp FoundationUSDA Rural DevelopmentU.S. Department of the TreasuryFran & Mil VoelkerWest Central Telephone AssociationWilliam & Ethel Nelson-Zimmerman Memorial

Scholarship FundWright CountyXcel Energy Foundation

PORtaL $10,000 to $24,999

AgStar Financial ServicesArvigBenton Telecommunications FoundationBlue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota FoundationBob & Marsha Bunger Endowment FundChisago CountyCity of MilacaCity of MoraCity of St. CloudCity of St. MichaelCity of SartellCity of Sauk RapidsCity of WadenaConsolidated Telecommunications CompanyFirst National Bank of MilacaFunders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable

CommunitiesKathy & Neal GaalswykHanowski Family FundJulius & Tracy Kurpius FundKuepers, Inc. Architects & BuildersThe Laura Jane Musser FundMel & Jeanette Beaudry FundMidMinnesota Federal Credit UnionNorthwest Area FoundationRobins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi FoundationSPEDCO Economic Development FoundationStearns-Benton Employment & Training CouncilEugene & Bernadine Waldorf

GatEway $5,000 to $9,999

American Heritage National BankBank of the WestBlackRidgeBANKCambridge Medical CenterCentraCare Health FoundationCentral MN Jobs & Training ServicesChuck & Barb ChristianCitizens State Bank of WaverlyCity of BaxterCity of Big LakeCity of CambridgeCity of LindstromCity of Long PrairieCity of Maple LakeCity of MelroseCity of PierzCity of Pine CityCity of StaplesCliftonLarsonAllen, St. CloudClow Stamping CompanyDeerwood BankDonald & Deanna EngenEssentia Health – St. Joseph’s Medical CenterGNP Company (Gold’n Plump)Gray Plant MootyLee & Jan HansonKanabec CountyLakeland Mold Company, Inc.Larson Boats, LLCLittle Falls Area Chamber of CommerceMarco, Inc.Mardag FoundationMille Lacs CountyMinnesota National Bank & AgencyNOR-SON, Inc.Peoples Bank of CommercePequot Tool & Mfg, Inc. Pine Country BankSchlenner Wenner & Co.Stephen & Gwyn ShelleyEverett & Rita SobaniaThe Sheltering Arms FoundationSundance Pay It Forward FoundationTodd County

Todd-Wadena Electric CooperativeViking Label & Packaging, Inc.Wadena CountyWidseth Smith Nolting and Assoc., Inc.Sharla & Warren WilliamsWoodland Bank

CORRIDOR $3,000 to $4,999

City of AnnandaleCity of ClarissaCity of CokatoCity of CrosslakeCity of Lake ShoreCity of MonticelloCity of NisswaCity of PaynesvilleCity of PrincetonCity of SandstoneCity of St. JosephDeZURIK, Inc.Donlar ConstructionCurt & Mary Beth HansonHBH ConsultantsDon Hickman & Sandra KaplanMatt & Jeanne KilianJo & Larry KorfLINDAR CorporationBill & Diane ScarinceShelley Funeral Chapels, Inc.Thelen Heating & Roofing, Inc.Venture Allies

PassaGE $1,000 to $2,999

Advance Design & SystemsAnakkala, Berns & CompanyDuane & Barb AndersonKeith H. AndersonAtomic Learning, Inc.Mayuli & James BalesBankVistaJoe & Mary BauerSteven & Ann BendaBrainerd Lakes Area Economic Development

Corporation

2011 was a special year for the Initiative Foundation, the confluence of its 25th Anniversary and the final year of a success-ful campaign that raised more than $13.8 million to build thriving communities and a strong economy in central Minnesota. To celebrate both milestones, we commissioned a Commemorative Wall that depicts a classic downtown and 25 symbols of

regional impact. A river of donor names will unite the Foundation with the generosity of its donors.

With great appreciation, we recognize the following donors for their investments of $1,000 or more, between 2007 and 2011.


Dan & Marie BullertLynn & Darren BushingerCentral Minnesota Community FoundationCity of AlbanyCity of AlbertvilleCity of AvonCity of BackusCity of BeckerCity of BelgradeCity of BerthaCity of BrahamCity of BrainerdCity of Breezy PointCity of Cass LakeCity of Chickamaw BeachCity of Cold SpringCity of Eagle BendCity of East Gull LakeCity of Eden ValleyCity of EmilyCity of Fifty LakesCity of FoleyCity of GarrisonCity of HinckleyCity of HoldingfordCity of IsantiCity of IsleCity of MenahgaCity of Montrose

City of MotleyCity of OgilvieCity of OnamiaCity of Pequot LakesCity of RandallCity of RiceCity of Rock CreekCity of RockfordCity of RockvilleCity of RoyaltonCity of Rush CityCity of SebekaCity of South HavenCity of SwanvilleCity of Taylors FallsCity of UpsalaCity of VerndaleCity of Waite ParkCity of WalkerCity of WaverlyCity of WyomingChristopher & Amber Close Family FundCliftonLarsonAllen, BrainerdClose-Converse, Inc.Gloria L. Contreras-EdinCrow Wing PowerD.J.Bitzan JewelersDeGraaf Financial, Inc.Richard & Kerwin Donat

Linda Eich DesJardins & Joseph DesJardinsFalcon National BankFarmers & Merchants State BankChris Fastner & Kathy Hakes-FastnerFirst National Bank of WalkerFirst State Bank of WyomingBruce & Mary FogleDan & Annette FrankGlenn Metalcraft, Inc.Pat & Carmel GorhamGrand View Lodge & Cote Family CompaniesGreat River EnergyDavid GruenesHappy Dancing TurtleCathy Hartle & Doug LarsenAnita & Brad HollenhorstLinda Holliday KaufmannTricia & John HoligHunt Utilities GroupIPEX, Inc.John KaliszewskiKennedy, Nervig, Carlson & VanBruggenPaul & Shirley KleinwachterKristine & Kenneth KowalzekKraus Anderson Construction CompanyLakeland IncorporatedLakes PrintingLittle Falls MachineLittle Falls Orthopedics

Larry LundbladMahowald Insurance AgencyMcDowall CompanyMinnesota Business Finance CorporationMINPACK, Inc.MN Elementary School Principals’ AssociationThe Moran Family FundNorth American State BankNorthern Technology InitiativeNorthway Group, Inc.Northwest Minnesota Foundation Robert & Marilyn ObermillerGlen Palm & Jane EllisonPark Industries, Inc. FundPlaza Park BankEarl & Christine PotterRandall State BankDavid & Judie RoseRotochopper, Inc.Julie Schueller & Brian PedersonDorothy & Mike SimpsonState Bank of Cold SpringState Bank of KimballSt. Gabriel’s HospitalDavid ToebenSandy VoigtWadena State BankDr. George & Raquel WallinThe Whitney Foundation

See your name on the 25th Anniversary Commemorative Wall

Visit us from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in Little Falls.

Spring 12 11

Building to a higher standard. Yours.

<< GULL LAKE YACHT CLUB / GULL LAKE, MN

Serving all of central Minnesota with offices in Baxter.

218-824-2040 or toll free 877-824-2040NorthwayConstruction.comMN Lic. #BC630593

2011 Contractor of the YearNARI - Minnesota Chapter

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The Initiative Foundation hosts 60 Turn Key Funds, local endowments and other vehicles through which donors create legacies of charitable support for current and future generations.

DONOR-ADVISED FUNDSAnderson Brothers Family FundBob & Marsha Bunger endowment FundBruce & Diane Gohman FundGaalswyk Family FundGranite equity Partners FundHanowski Family Fund Jane & Patrick Mitchell FoundationJohn & Bonnie schlagel endowmentJulius & Tracy Kurpius Fund Loren & Kathy Morey Family Fund Mark Wood Foundation Mel & Jeanette Beaudry Fund

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDSAlternative sources of energy FundArchie & Isabelle Powell Family Memorial

scholarship FundBetty Ford Menzel scholarship FundBeverly M. Pantzke scholarship FundBob & Pauline Johnson Memorial scholarship FundBob Wright Memorial IFPA scholarship FundLittle Falls scholarship Fundshawn Grittner Memorial scholarship Fundstaples Knights of Columbus-Lloyd & Marion

Giddings scholarship Fund staples-Motley Dollars for scholars Fund William & ethel nelson-Zimmerman Memorial

scholarship FundZes scholarship Fund

Giving toand ThROuGh

The Foundation

COMMUNITY FUNDSGreater Pine Area endowmentIsle Area Community Foundation Longville Area Community Foundation endowmentMorrison County Area Foundation Rum River Community Foundation staples Community Foundation Three Rivers Community Foundation

AGENCY FUNDSBig Fish Lake Association FundConservancy Fund of Roosevelt & Lawrence

Area Lakes AssociationFriends of sherburne national Wildlife Refuge FundGull Chain Preservation endowment FundHorizon Health Partnership in Life FundLake Region Conservation Club Fund Leech Lake Area Watershed FoundationMinnesota Pioneer Park endowment FundPaws & Claws Animal sheltersacred Heart-Knights of Columbus Fund Wright County Historical society Fund

EDUCATION FUNDSCuyuna Lakes education Foundationsauk Rapids-Rice education Foundation

FIELD OF INTEREST FUNDSChildren, Youth & Families FundCrow Wing environment Protection Advised Fund Family Farm FundJosh Richardson Youth Arts Fund Planning & Preservation FundThrive Fund

SPECIAL PROJECTSMusser Partnership FundTrees for Wadena Fundveteran’s Art Project FundWadena Regional Wellness Center FundWadena Tornado Relief Fund

BUSINESS LOAN FUNDSMenahga Loan FundPrinceton economic Development Loan Fundst. Cloud state university Microlending FundTodd-Wadena economic Development Loan FundWadena Tornado Relief Loan Fund

Building to a higher standard. Yours.

<< GULL LAKE YACHT CLUB / GULL LAKE, MN

Serving all of central Minnesota with offices in Baxter.

218-824-2040 or toll free 877-824-2040NorthwayConstruction.comMN Lic. #BC630593

2011 Contractor of the YearNARI - Minnesota Chapter

NorthwayConstruction_IQYachtClub2012:Layout 1 5/21/12 1:55 PM Page 1

For more information about our Turn Key Fund program, call us at (877) 632-9255 or visit www.ifound.org/donorcenter.

190 2nd Ave SW, P.O. Box 38Milaca, MN 56353

(320) 983 - 3101

“Our goal is financingto help our communities grow”

MILACA - ISLE - GILMAN

www.fnbmilaca.com

FIRST NATIONALBANK OF MILACA

“Community Banking Since 1897”


Foundation BoARD & sTAFFB

oard

of

Trus

tees

sta

ff

Lee HansonGray Plant Mooty

Linda Eich DesJardinsEich Motor Company

Ismail AliSt. Cloud Schools

Barbara AndersonEssentia Health

John E. BabcockThe Bank of

Elk River

Our heartfelt gratitude to trustees whose terms

ended in 2011:

Mayuli BalesCasa Guadalupe & Catholic Charities

Charles Black LanceCentral Lakes College

Pat GorhamGorham Companies

Reggie ClowClow Stamping

Larry KorfDeZURIK

Earl PotterSt. Cloud State

University

JR SpaljSpalj Construction

Company

Gene WaldorfRetired, 3M

Former Minnesota Legislator

CHAI

R

vICE

-CHA

IR

Kathy GaalswykPRESIDEnT

Mary BauerDevelopment Officer

Dan BullertBusiness Finance Officer

Lynn BushingerChief Financial Officer & Treasurer

Sara DahlquistChildren Youth & Families Specialist

Chris FastnerProgram Manager for VISTA & Organizational Development

Dan FrankSenior Program Manager for Community & Economic Development

Sharon GottwaltBusiness Finance Assistant

Cathy HartleSenior Program Manager for Organizational Development

Don HickmanVice President for Community & Economic Development

Tricia HoligProgram Assistant for Organizational Development

Anita HollenhorstGrants & Communications Specialist

Linda HollidayVice President for Organizational Development

Jolene HowardProgram Assistant for Grants & Training

Lois KallsenOffice & Facilities Coordinator

Matt KilianVice President for External Relations

Kris KowalzekFinance Assistant

MaryAnn LindellExecutive Assistant

Katie RiittersExternal Relations Assistant

Eric RittmannCreative Services Coordinator

Julie SchuellerFinance Assistant

Sandy voigtDevelopment Officer

405 First Street SELittle Falls, Mn 56345877-632-9255www.ifound.org

Chris CloseClose-Converse Properties

Arnie JohnsonJohnson Enterprises

Mary SamMille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Spring 12 15

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SArtell-St. Stephen RachelBachman LydiaGrace

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SArtell-St. Stephen (cont.) SallyLeFranTraut KileySullivan AbbieWhitney

SAuk Centre

JacobGerhartz AlexandraMiller ChristineReitsma CarissaRodenbiker KarlaSchneider

SAuk rApidS-riCe KaitlynBrown ElizabethRogers Christopher

Rothstein AnnaViere

St. miChAel-Albertville

MichaelBruner KevinCaron CoryRothstein MarshallSmith

teChniCAl high SChool, St. Cloud

ZoeBohnen BrandonCash SamuelEggers BrookeKatzmarek

WAtertoWn-mAyer SamuelHusman EmilyTschida AaronVraspir AftonWindsperger

ZimmermAn

JeffryAnderson AdamFordahl MatthewOnarheim EmilyTiminski

visit www.resourcetraining.com to view photos from our 25th annual recognition event.(888) 447-7032. 4150 2nd Street South, Suite 550. St. Cloud, MN 56301.

StudentsofExcellence“ACADEMIC SUCCESS IS THE

LAST TRUE PAR TNERSHIP,” Matt Bul lard, Pres iding Super intendent at the Students of Excel lence Banquet and Recognit ion Ceremony on Apr i l 25.

25TH ANNUAL AWARDS & RECOGNITION CEREMONY

As other sectors recover, the healthcare industry propels economic stability, growth & jobs

in Central Minnesota.

Eric Hylen was on the road to a dead-end career.

After more than a decade as a short-haul trucker, the Sartell resident

was bored and unfulfilled by his job. So when he was laid off in 2009, the father of two was shocked, but didn’t panic. “I looked at it as the kick in the butt to get me to do what I needed to do, which was change careers,” said Hylen, now 45. “I knew that I wanted to get into a job that I could enjoy.”

The day after his layoff, hylen got behind the wheel of his own vehicle and drove straight to the Minnesota WorkForce Center in St. Cloud. There, he took the first step toward a new career in a field that’s providing an outsized share of job growth, opportunity and income in central Minnesota and throughout the state: the healthcare industry.

The healthcare business is the larg-est industry in Minnesota, employing about 427,000 people—or 16.3 percent of total state-wide employment. In central Minnesota, there are 45,500 healthcare jobs, representing 17.5 percent of total employment.

And those numbers are expected to climb still higher. Over the coming decade, healthcare is estimated to provide about 103,000 new jobs statewide and about 14,500 new jobs in central Minnesota. That’s growth of 25.5 percent state-wide and 33.6 percent in central Minnesota.

Spring 12 19

Over the coming decade, healthcare is estimated to provide about

14,500 new jobs in central Minnesota. That’s growth of 33.6 percent.

HealtHy OppOrtunitiesFor people looking for long-term, gain-ful employment, healthcare is an excellent choice. “If you want to steer someone to a career, healthcare is a great place,” said Cameron Macht, a regional analyst in the Willmar office of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “From the perspective of the labor market, there’s not much bad to say about it.”

Macht should know. his job is study-ing the economy and employment prospects in the Initiative Foundation region. A query to his office uncorks a geyser of facts and statistics highlighting the positive impact of the healthcare business on the local economy. And in most cases, the impact is even more positive in central Minnesota than in the state as a whole.

That’s because on average, healthcare jobs in central Minnesota pay $5,000 to $6,000 more annually than the overall average for all other jobs in the region. In addition, the multiplier effect of healthcare jobs is higher than almost any other industry.

“You can’t discount the technology, food service, hospitality, construction and other jobs that are produced in our region as a result of the healthcare industry,” said Kathy Gaalswyk, Initiative Foundation president. “In addition to the partnerships between those sectors, the industry is poised for growth because our area has such outstanding educational opportuni-ties and stellar human resources.”

Macht points out another benefit: The typical healthcare job isn’t an end, but a beginning.“healthcare provides a really good career ladder,” he said. “You can start off as a certified nursing assistant, then move up to an LPN (licensed practical nurse) or RN (registered nurse). The higher your training level, the higher your wages go. If you go from $10.50 an hour as a certified nursing assistant to $28 for an RN, that can change a person’s life.”

pOsitive prOgnOsisWhen Eric hylen arrived at the WorkForce Center, he met the person who would guide him on his journey. Kathy Frank is a career planner for the Stearns-Benton Employment and Training Council.

The program Frank leads her clients through is geared toward getting them into careers that promise growth. For many, healthcare is a fairly easy choice.

“In healthcare, they know they’re going to get a job and keep it,” Frank said.

Career planning at the WorkForce Center begins with a program called Career Trek. Students explore their interests, skills and personalities, and take several different assessment and aptitude tests. For hylen, every one of the half-dozen tests he took sug-gested nursing as one of his top career choices.

Even then, he had doubts about whether he could make such a dramatic change, going

Eric HylEn: “I’ve always been a people person, and now I help people every day.”

from a macho, male-dominated job to a nurturing, female-dominated field.

hylen began as a nurse’s aide, a required step for all nursing students. “It kind of tells you whether you’ve got the stomach for the work,” he said. Within three months, he had a job as an aide at St. Benedict’s, a senior community in St. Cloud. he took to the job immediately.

tHe MayO effectSt. Benedict’s is part of CentraCare health System, based in St. Cloud, which employs 6,500 people in facilities serving 14 cen-tral Minnesota counties. using conserva-tive multipliers, CentraCare’s $800 million annual budget translates into an overall eco-nomic impact of about $1.3 billion a year, making it the largest economic engine in the St. Cloud area.

“Anecdotally, I’ve been told there are a number of blocks in Sartell where there are 10 houses on the block and eight of them have someone working for CentraCare,” said David Borgert, CentraCare’s director of community and government relations.

CentraCare is finishing a $225 million expansion of its flagship facility, St. Cloud hospital—a project that gives further insight into how the economic impact of healthcare goes far beyond people in medical professions.

“We had 100 subcontractors on this proj-ect, and 80 percent of them came from within 30 miles of St. Cloud,” Borgert said. “We had

nearly 1,500 individuals working on this at some point —usually about 225 tradespeople on site on any given day.”

healthcare also creates retail and hospi-tality jobs to serve patients and their families.

“Look at Rochester,” Borgert said. “Without Mayo, it’s a sleepy little town.”

Digital DiagnOsishealthcare is creating new jobs that didn’t even exist just a few years ago. Essentia health employs nearly 13,000 people across its four-state system, many in central Minnesota, especially the Brainerd area. It’s among the many healthcare systems that are on the verge of a new industry boom. “You’re going to see an explosion in telemedicine,” said Rebecca

Radcliffe, Essentia’s workforce planning and development manager, referring to video and other electronic connections that allow health-care providers and patients to meet without being physically together. “We’ll need people to build, design, program and install these instruments. So there may be a job called a telemedicine technician in the future—that’s something we don’t have right now.”

In fact, Radcliffe said, computer-focused healthcare jobs are increasingly important and will become even more so. Skilled workers are needed to enter electronic records, update systems and create software that will allow different medi-cal systems to communicate with one another. “Students might not be thinking of that as a healthcare skill, but we need it actively,” she said.

DaviD BorgErt: “I’ve been told there are a number of blocks in sartell where there are ten houses on the block and eight of them have someone working for CentraCare.”

In central Minnesota, there are 45,500 healthcare jobs, representing

17.5 percent of total employment.

continuED on pagE 39

Spring 12 21

$5.82

Estimated savings on absenteeism for every $1 spent on workplace wellness.

80%

Percent of obese adults with diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol, and/or osteoarthritis.87.5%

Estimated percentage of healthcare claims that result from an individual’s lifestyle.

131%Percentage rise in work-based health insurance premiums between 1999 and 2009.

2011First year all states had obesity rates of 20 percent or higher.

$180Amount a comprehensive worksite health program saves each year on health-care costs and time away from work, per employee.

Average excess medical expenditures per smoker per year.

$1,623

Additional annual healthcare costs for body mass index of 40 or higher.

$5,500

Return on InvestmentAitkin 75Anoka 51Becker 67Beltrami 84Big Stone 6Blue Earth 42Brown 27Carlton 44Carver 2Chippewa 57Clay 22Clearwater 83Cook 28Cottonwood 26Dakota 8Dodge 31Douglas 15Faribault 68Fillmore 40Freeborn 70Goodhue 24Grant 41Hennepin 30Houston 18Hubbard 60

Itasca 61Jackson 7Kandiyohi 55Kittson NRKoochiching 73Lac qui Parle 21Lake 35Lake of the Woods NRLe Sueur 49Lincoln 39Lyon 33McLeod 25Mahnomen 82Marshall 46Martin 36Meeker 43Mower 58Murray 13Nicollet 4Nobles 54Norman 62Olmsted 1Otter Tail 56Pennington 38

Pipestone 23Polk 71Pope 10Ramsey 69Red Lake 74Redwood 34Renville 65Rice 17Rock 11Roseau 32St. Louis 64Scott 5Sibley 52Steele 29Stevens 12Swift 53Traverse NRWabasha 9Waseca 47Washington 3Watonwan 72Wilkin 14Winona 37Yellow Medicine 19

Diet and exercise, sure. But, education and

income levels? Researchers dissect data related to

health behaviors, clinical care, the physical environment,

and even socioeconomic factors in order to determine these

county health rankings. Minnesota is naturally above

average, but it all adds up to improving our quality of life.

To learn more, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.

RiskFactors

For every

Employees:50

suffer from stress

use alcohol excessively

have high blood pressure

don’t exercise

don’t wear seatbelts

are overweight

have high cholesterol

have cardiovascular disease

smoke

are asthmatic

161512116

12

221613

10Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Sources: American Institute for Preventive Medicine; U.S. Workplace Wellness Alliance; American Diabetes Association; Indiana University-Purdue University; United Health Foundation; Kaiser Family Foundation.

Source: University of Wisconsin and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Injections of insight into the case for better health

CASS

81WADENA

66

MORRISON

76

CROW WING

59

SHERBURNE

50

STEARNS

20BENTON

45

ISANTI

63

KANABEC

79

MILLE LACS

80

WRIGHT

16

TODD

77

PINE

78

CHISAGO

48

How Well Are We?

Benton Cass Chisago Crow Wing Isanti Kanabec Mille Lacs Morrison Pine Sherburne Stearns Todd Wadena Wright

Adult Diabetes & Obesity (2004-2009)

% in

cre

ase

in o

be

sity

% in

cre

ase

in d

iab

ete

s

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention22 Initiative Quarterly Magazine IQmag.org

$5.82

Estimated savings on absenteeism for every $1 spent on workplace wellness.

80%

Percent of obese adults with diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol, and/or osteoarthritis.87.5%

Estimated percentage of healthcare claims that result from an individual’s lifestyle.

131%Percentage rise in work-based health insurance premiums between 1999 and 2009.

2011First year all states had obesity rates of 20 percent or higher.

$180Amount a comprehensive worksite health program saves each year on health-care costs and time away from work, per employee.

Average excess medical expenditures per smoker per year.

$1,623

Additional annual healthcare costs for body mass index of 40 or higher.

$5,500

Return on InvestmentAitkin 75Anoka 51Becker 67Beltrami 84Big Stone 6Blue Earth 42Brown 27Carlton 44Carver 2Chippewa 57Clay 22Clearwater 83Cook 28Cottonwood 26Dakota 8Dodge 31Douglas 15Faribault 68Fillmore 40Freeborn 70Goodhue 24Grant 41Hennepin 30Houston 18Hubbard 60

Itasca 61Jackson 7Kandiyohi 55Kittson NRKoochiching 73Lac qui Parle 21Lake 35Lake of the Woods NRLe Sueur 49Lincoln 39Lyon 33McLeod 25Mahnomen 82Marshall 46Martin 36Meeker 43Mower 58Murray 13Nicollet 4Nobles 54Norman 62Olmsted 1Otter Tail 56Pennington 38

Pipestone 23Polk 71Pope 10Ramsey 69Red Lake 74Redwood 34Renville 65Rice 17Rock 11Roseau 32St. Louis 64Scott 5Sibley 52Steele 29Stevens 12Swift 53Traverse NRWabasha 9Waseca 47Washington 3Watonwan 72Wilkin 14Winona 37Yellow Medicine 19

Diet and exercise, sure. But, education and

income levels? Researchers dissect data related to

health behaviors, clinical care, the physical environment,

and even socioeconomic factors in order to determine these

county health rankings. Minnesota is naturally above

average, but it all adds up to improving our quality of life.

To learn more, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.

RiskFactors

For every

Employees:50

suffer from stress

use alcohol excessively

have high blood pressure

don’t exercise

don’t wear seatbelts

are overweight

have high cholesterol

have cardiovascular disease

smoke

are asthmatic

161512116

12

221613

10Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Sources: American Institute for Preventive Medicine; U.S. Workplace Wellness Alliance; American Diabetes Association; Indiana University-Purdue University; United Health Foundation; Kaiser Family Foundation.

Source: University of Wisconsin and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Injections of insight into the case for better health

CASS

81WADENA

66

MORRISON

76

CROW WING

59

SHERBURNE

50

STEARNS

20BENTON

45

ISANTI

63

KANABEC

79

MILLE LACS

80

WRIGHT

16

TODD

77

PINE

78

CHISAGO

48

How Well Are We?

Benton Cass Chisago Crow Wing Isanti Kanabec Mille Lacs Morrison Pine Sherburne Stearns Todd Wadena Wright

Adult Diabetes & Obesity (2004-2009)

% in

cre

ase

in o

be

sity

% in

cre

ase

in d

iab

ete

s

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

W hether it’s a weight loss contest or offering on-site med-ical services, investing in employee wellness is a growth business, even in the wake of a recession. Estimates suggest that every dollar invested in employee wellness

returns between $3 and $6 in reduced absenteeism, improved produc-tivity and avoided medical costs. Yet, as a recent survey from the global human resources consulting company Towers Watson discovered, more than a third of employees with access to wellness programs choose not to participate, while 60 percent believe their company is only moderate-ly-to-not-supportive when it comes to their efforts to be healthy.

That’s too bad, especially when you consider what’s at stake. “Finding solutions to get and keep people healthy should really be everyone’s concern,” said Jason Bernick, the director of corporate affairs at Bernick’s Beverages and Vending in St. Cloud and the co-chair of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation’s wellness initiative. “If new employers choose to locate to this region because they know they’ll have healthy people to employ, we’ll all benefit.”

Today, companies across the country are reshaping their employees’ attitudes about wellness while also controlling healthcare costs. here are three central Minnesota companies that are leading the way to a healthier future.

Big investments deliver big returns

for these health-inspired companies.

By Laura Billings Coleman | photography by John Linn

Spring 12 25

“My idea was that if you take care of your employees, they’ll have more energy, work harder, and like working for you.”

— Doug Huseby


Becker Furniture World Becker

For wellness programs to work, research says it’s critical to have the support of top managers. Few bosses may be more

committed than Doug huseby, the owner of Becker Furniture World and a true believer in the benefits of investing in employee health.

“We feel our employees are our most important assets, but most of the time, you do more maintenance on your trucks, furnace and air conditioning,” said huseby, who started Becker Furniture World with two employees back in 1978 and now employes 287. “My idea was that if you take care of your employees, they’ll have more energy, work harder, and like working for you because they know you care about them.”

huseby sketched the outlines of his own employee wellness initiative nearly 25 years ago, while sitting at his mother’s bedside in an intensive care unit. Overwhelmed by the chronic illnesses and catastrophic costs he witnessed, he asked his doctor why modern medicine didn’t focus more on preventive

measures. “he said, ‘We wait until you come here and then we work on you,’” huseby said. “I thought what a dumb system.”

Back at work, huseby installed air puri-fiers, filtered water, and hired a cook to create fresh fruit and vegetable juices for employees, encouraging them to take breaks to exercise. The company’s health insur-ance costs went down almost immediately, according huseby, who has since spun off another business, The ultimate Wellness Center, aimed at sharing his cost-saving interventions with other companies.

While huseby clearly has a passion for health—adding on-site fitness centers, biometric testing, chiropractic services, and even vitamin recommendations for all of his employees—he admits that most of his employees don’t share his enthusiasm until they have a problem. Case in point: Kay Johnson, a visual merchandiser who arranges furniture vignettes throughout 300,000 square feet of retail space. “I was moving a table and something in my back just went wrong,” she said. When it didn’t improve on its own, Johnson made a same-day appointment with the store’s on-call chiropractor. Through a series of adjustments and microcurrent massages she was back at full strength by the end of the month, able to return to her regular morn-ing workouts in Becker’s fitness center.

The money his company saves when a 13-year e m p l oy e e l i k e Johnson doesn’t have to spend weeks recov-ering is “just the tip of the iceberg,” said huseby. “Those are the 25 percent of costs you can see and measure, but underneath there’s the 75 percent that costs you even more”—expenses like hiring temps, providing

PrescriPtion

for success

1. form a we

llness commi

ttee. selec

t

employees wh

o really und

erstand your

company’s be

nefits, the c

ost of insur

ance

and why the

company is d

oing what it

is

to help empl

oyees stay h

ealthy.

2. make it r

egular. crea

te a calenda

r of

fun wellness

events that

get people

excited abou

t staying he

althy severa

l

times throug

hout the yea

r.

3. keeP heal

th informati

on Private.

“employees d

on’t want to

participate

in wellness

efforts if t

hey think

information

about their

health condi

tion

is going to

be shared,”

said huseby.

training and the lost institutional knowledge and productivity a high-performing team member brings to his stores everyday.

huseby’s approach to employee health

has kept health insurance premiums flat, dras-tically cut workers’ compensation costs, and created a culture of health that’s quite a few steps ahead of most Minnesota companies.

Back on track: When visual merchandiser Kay Johnson’s back went out, she got same-day treatment from the store’s on-call chiropractor. WorkEr WEllnEss: employees at Becker

furniture World make the most of the workout center and Huseby’s custom-designed training programs.

Fancy FooD: On-site chefs offer alternatives to burgers and fries.

“You see people working out together during their breaks, so from an esprit de corps standpoint it’s definitely improved morale.”

— Brian Myres


wellness resources after seeing a company-sponsored screening of the documentary film “Food, Inc.” Blum consulted with well-ness team leader Martin hackenmueller for exercise and nutrition tips, and worked with her manager to create a schedule that could include an hour-long workout lunch. Since then, she’s lost more than 50 pounds, and her success story has been featured on the com-pany’s intranet, where employees also share healthy recipes and fitness tips.

“You see people working out together during their breaks, so from an esprit de corps standpoint it’s definitely improved morale,” said Brian Myres, ING Direct’s head of sales in St. Cloud, who now takes part in com-munity and company-sponsored 5K races and proudly displays the trophies ING’s employees win. “My name is on one of those trophies, so I’m happy about that.”

Minnesota and Wilmington, Delaware, with comprehensive health assessments, ergonom-ic interventions, on-site fitness centers and clinics where employees can go for a quick consult without having to see their doctors.

Two years ago, the company created an even more comprehensive plan to leverage some of their employees’ competitive edge by inviting them to complete a health Risk Assessment, and then offered financial incen-

tives for healthy lifestyle decisions like going to the gym. To earn the same perks in subsequent years, employees must meet or exceed the previous year’s bio-metric benchmarks, including blood pres-sure and Body Mass Index (BMI).

A little over half of ING Direct’s employees take part in the effort, which cost $140,000 to imple-ment and which Baag estimates has saved $564,000 in healthcare expenses and lost produc-tivity. Magdalena Blum, a 41-year-old account inter-est and IRA specialist, decided it was time to take advantage of her employer’s

ING Direct St. Cloud

Last November, while most office work-ers’ waistlines were expanding with the caloric surge of holiday parties

and boxed chocolates, 122 employees at ING Direct in St. Cloud took their fitness to the next level. For the last two months of the year, teams of six competed to track the most mile-age during their workouts, all for a chance at the grand prize—wearing jeans through the month of January.

Thirty days of casual Fridays might not be enough to get most employees moving, but almost any contest puts the thrift bank’s staff into a fighting frame of mind, according to Dongho Baag, M.D., the company’s director of wellness. “Being a financial institution, our culture is that everyone is very competitive.”

Since 2004, Dr. Baag has been in charge of an extensive corporate wellness pro-gram that serves ING Direct’s nearly 2,600

employees in St. Cloud,

PrescriPtion for success1. go team. “Businesses that have the best

chance for long range success recognize

that improving wellbeing is something you

do with people not to people,” said martin

hackenmuller, ing Direct’s health and

wellness team leader in st. cloud.2. think long anD short-term. helping

employees reduce their life-time risk of

developing diabetes or other diseases can

save money in the long term, but Brian

myres says encouraging exercise and other

stress-reducing efforts can have a more

immediate pay-off, too: “People who feel

good are going to do a good job at work.”

3. rethink sick Days. switching from sick

days to paid time off may encourage

employees to take preventive measures more

seriously, said Dr. Baag. “we advertise

our flu shot program every year by saying,

‘why give up 7 days of Pto for the flu

when you could use it on vacation?’”

on tHE Ball: InG direct staffers hold a meet-ing while seated on stability balls, which help posture and improve core strength.

BikE at Work: An InG direct employee makes use of a state-of-the art workstation.

succEss story: IrA specialist Magdalena Blum lost more than 50 pounds working with InG direct’s wellness team leader.

Spring 12 29

“The more you can do to keep healthy employees healthy, the less you’ll pay over time.”

— Reggie Clow


lot of wellness programs are based on people like me who are way overweight and make improvements, but this way rewards people who don’t get worse. That’s a nice simple message to remind people about health.” iQ

Clow Stamping Merrifield

TV’s “Biggest Loser” has spawned countless corporate health spin-offs, including a popular weight loss

competition last year at Clow Stamping, a family-owned metal and fabricating firm that offered a cash prize to the company’s weight loss champ.

unfortunately, that kind of contest doesn’t do anything to reward the employ-ees who are already fit and taking care of themselves. “We need to give them kudos, too, so that healthy people feel rewarded for staying healthy,” said Tara Moghadam, one of Clow’s owners.

Clow’s “defacto health czar,” Moghadam takes some of this inspiration from Zero Trends, a book from researchers at the university of Michigan health Management Research Center that proposes a simple strategy for

keeping health costs from spiraling: Don’t get worse.

“The more you can do to keep healthy employees healthy, the less you’ll pay over time,” said Reggie Clow, Clow Stamping owner and Initiative Foundation trustee.

Two years ago, the company decided to convert an unused space into an employee fit-ness center where Moghadam herself teaches yoga. Clow also restructured its healthcare package, raising deductibles from $100 to $1,200, a jump it offset by creating health Savings Accounts for every employee. Clow contributed the first $600 in the account, then offered to match the first $200 employees contributed on their own. “That money is yours, so when you’re paying that first dollar yourself, you pay more attention to how you’re using healthcare,” said Twyla Flaws, Clow’s personnel manager. “We’ve seen some claim savings because of that.”

To keep employees enthusiastic about their health, Clow turned to a fitness celebrity closer to home—Gary Walters, a Brainerd man who’s made headlines and raised thou-sands of dollars with his “Walters Wacky Adventures,” a partnership with the Brainerd Lakes-based mentoring nonprofit Kinship Partners. Past stunts have included e x t e n d e d stays on water tow-ers and walk-ing across Minnesota. In May, Walters announced his plans to lose 100 pounds by November 16. Clow employees who are inspired by his efforts can fol-low along with their own fitness plan, earn-ing cash for the weight they drop.

“The nice twist is that even if you don’t need to lose, employees who maintain their weight in six months can earn a prize, too,” said Walters. “A

PrescriP

tion for

success

1. health c

luB helP

. “it mi

ght not

be cost-

effectiv

e for mo

st small

compani

es to st

art

a gym, b

ut we ha

d a spac

e sittin

g open a

nd

donated

equipmen

t so it

was an e

asy choi

ce,”

said mog

hadam. “

companie

s that d

on’t hav

e

that mig

ht consi

der kick

ing in a

little

every mo

nth towa

rd their

employe

es’ heal

th

club mem

berships

.”

2. go gener

ic. “our

new pla

n requir

es gener

ic

prescrip

tions, s

o we spe

nt some

time edu

cating

employee

s about

the cost

differe

nce betw

een

brand na

mes and

generics

,” said

flaws. “

a

lot of p

eople di

dn’t rea

lize how

much th

ey

were pay

ing.”

3. Junk the

Junk fo

oD. “we

have bee

n trying

to

get heal

thier fo

ods in t

he vendi

ng machi

nes,

but i th

ink ther

e would

be a hue

and cry

if

we repla

ced ever

ything,”

said mo

ghadam,

who

recommen

ds start

ing with

a few s

mall cha

nges

to make

healthie

r option

s go dow

n more e

asily.

lEaDing By ExamplE: Clow stamping co-owner tara Moghadam is the company’s health czar and yoga teacher.

HEaltHy BusinEss: Clow stamping converted an unused space into an employee fitness center.

Built-in saFEty: A wrist strap automatically pulls an employee’s hand away when a machine starts cutting.

By Laura Billings Coleman | Illustration by Chris McAllister

When it comes to a company’s balance sheet, an investment in employee wellness pays off. Multiple studies suggest that creating any kind of an employee wellness program can return up to $6 in health savings for every dollar invested.

If your small business isn’t quite ready for a state-of-the-art fitness center or on-call chiropractor, try some of these low-cost/high-yield health strategies:

Nearly two-thirds of Minnesotans work in sedentary jobs, and less than half have employers who encourage them to be active. One $4 solution: the pedometer. This spring, employees at Becker Furniture World were given inexpensive pedometers to log the miles they pace around the 300,000 square foot store at the head-quarters in Becker. “I’ve increased my average daily steps by 4,500 steps, and everyone else is wearing them, too,” said Phil Knutson, director of operations. Employees who meet the recommended 10,000 steps a day goal get a chance to win prizes, “but mostly it’s a friendly competition that gets more activity in your life.”

Last year, ING Direct arranged showings of “Food, Inc.” and “SuperSize Me,” documentaries about the health consequences of fast food and factory farming, at their St. Cloud office. “We had several people who were really affected by those movies,” said Dr. Dongho Baag, the company’s head of health and wellness. Other titles to check out: “Food Matters,” “Fresh,” “hungry for Change,” “The Future of Food” and “Forks Over Knives.”

Less than a quarter of Minnesota workers have access to low or reasonably priced fruits or vegetables at an on-site food service. If you swap the fresh flowers in your lobby with a basket of fresh fruit, you can improve the food landscape for the 85 percent of Minnesotans who don’t get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.

Only 11 percent of on-site vending machines in Minnesota offer affordable fruit and other healthy alternatives, making it a little too easy to opt for the soda and candy bar combo during the afternoon lull. Consider working with your vending machine provider to offer low-fat pretzels, air-popped popcorn, baby carrots, nuts and other more nutritional offerings. Replacing that 12-ounce soda with water could save an employee more than 51,000 calories over a year—the equivalent of 14 pounds.

ING Direct recently sponsored a recipe contest, inviting employees to submit a healthy dinner for four for just $15. Employees got to test recipes and vote among the three finalists, who competed for a chance to win two weeks worth of groceries for dinner. “People had a lot of fun, but it was an intentional effort to dispel the myth that you can’t afford to eat well,” said Martin hackenmueller, health and wellness team leader at the St. Cloud office.

With more than 300 calories a slice and nearly no nutritional value, does anyone really need another sheet cake in the conference room? If sugary treats are what bonds you, try building morale and cel-ebrating successes with healthier traditions, like knocking off early for a game of softball.

Treadmill and stand-up desks have been gaining traction as a way to combat computer slump. If you can’t afford new office furniture, try conducting some meetings with everyone standing. Not only are the meetings less likely to drag on, you and your employees will burn three times the calories you would sitting down.

A recent study from the International Journal of Workplace health Management found that workplaces that welcome dogs have workers who are less stressed as the day goes on—a pet-driven perk that can cut down on absenteeism and boost morale. To make the case to management, the next annual “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” is June 22. iQ

Ground-floor opportunities to improve health, happiness and the bottom line.

Decorate with fruit

Revamp a vending machine

Swap recipes

Banish the birthday cake

Stand up to meetings

Throw ‘em a bone

Step it up

Rent a movie

Spring 12 33

mployers and employees gaze at healthcare from vastly different vantage points. The employer sees a cost to be contained. The employee sees an expen-

sive benefit to be maximized. Education, transparency and mutual benefit is often the way to bring savings into focus. The message: When employees are healthier, everyone’s bottom lines are improved.

The Mills Family of Companies, an iconic Brainerd-based company that includes 31 Fleet Farm stores across the upper Midwest, found a solution for a familiar challenge. “We’re a little heavier than we should be, we don’t eat all of our fruits and veg-etables, and we don’t exercise enough,” said Jon Schloemer, the company’s benefits administrator.

In fact, the company’s 6,000 employees offer a fairly accurate reflection of Minnesota’s own health profile, where two-thirds of adults are employed in sedentary jobs, six in ten are overweight or obese, one-third don’t get enough exercise, and only 15 percent eat their recommended daily allotment of fruits and vegetables.

Several years ago, the company began to see a healthcare trend that was also very typical — double-digit annual premium increases that spurred Mills to start looking for cost-containing solutions. In 2005, the company shifted to a more consumer-directed health plan, encouraging employees to take more responsibility for premiums and co-pays with a well-funded health Reimbursement Account. In 2008

they took the approach several steps further, partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota to create a program that would give employees more incentive to make lifestyle choices that could improve their health and—and Mills’ management hoped—the bottom line.

Employees were invited to take part in a series of on-site clinics that offered biometric tests and preventive health screenings, making employees aware of everything from their blood pressure to Body Mass Index (BMI).

Since participation was voluntary, the company dangled an especially appealing carrot, offering a “buy down” on the monthly premiums of employees who earned a “passing” grade for their good health and habits, and offering incentive points for healthy behaviors like eating well and exercising. A year later, half of the employees who had “failed” the first health measurement test passed with flying colors.

By improving the health of those at-risk employees, BlueCross and Mills management estimate the company avoided more than $1.8 million in medical costs in a single year. Since the program began, the company’s premiums have remained flat and they haven’t had to reduce any benefits to their employees.

With healthcare expenditures consuming nearly 16 percent of the country’s gross national product, containing costs has become everyone’s business. In order to make lasting changes that improve everyone’s bottom line, employers and employees must share a com-mon vision of healthcare.

By Laura Billings ColemanPhotography by John Linn

EEE


HEaltHy cHoicEs: the Mills family of Companies created a highly successful healthcare program that offers employees more incentives to make positive lifestyle decisions.

Spring 12 35

“My health is my business, not my employer’s.”

It’s true that employees have taken on a larger share of their own health insurance premiums, paying an annual aver-age of $1,354 more for family coverage than they did in 2000. But with healthcare costs more than doubling in the last decade, employers now pay an average of $13,700 to provide family coverage—premiums that cut deep into every cost center.

In a recent survey from Towers Watson and the National Business Group on health, two-thirds of companies reported that the biggest hurdle to keeping benefits affordable was their employees’ poor health habits. So, while many employers are dangling cash rewards, premium cuts and other “carrots” aimed at encouraging employees to make healthy choices, 20 percent of 248 major American companies have adopted a “stick” approach, charging penalties and higher premiums to employees with such risks as smoking and obesity.

“I admit that I’m overweight, but I still feel good.”

Obesity actually outweighs smoking when it comes to excess healthcare costs. A recent Mayo Clinic study of 30,000 employees found that smokers racked up about $1,275 annually in addi-tional healthcare costs over non-smokers, but obese employees cost even more. While a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered “normal,” having a BMI of 30 or higher resulted in average annual excess cost of $1,850, while employees with a BMI of 40 or more cost $5,500 every year.

Obesity is the number-one risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, a prevent-able disease that now affects 269,000 adults in the state. Even if a person doesn’t have diabetes, she may see its rise reflected in her annual premi-ums. The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total cost of diabetes in Minnesota exceeds $2.7 billion per year and while two-thirds is a direct result of medical bills, the remaining third stems from indirect costs such as lost work productivity.

Walking regularly and losing just 5 to 7 percent body weight (10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person) has been shown to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes in 58 percent of people with pre-diabetes.

“The biggest challenge is getting people to understand their choices have a direct impact not just on their own health, but on the healthcare costs imposed on their coworkers as well.”—Jon Schloemer, The Mills Family of Companies

FOCUS :Fresh FOCUS FOCUS :Fresh FOCUS


“I’ve been smoking for years, so why quit now? The damage is done.”

The number of adults who smoke in Minnesota has dropped by nearly 5 percent in the past decade, but there still nearly 600,000 adults who haven’t kicked the habit. If an employer offers a smoking cessation plan and a person is ready to quit, the health benefits will start to kick in quickly. Within just 20 minutes of the last cigarette, a person’s heart rate will slow, and within 24 hours the carbon monoxide levels in the bloodstream will return to normal. After a year of being smoke-free, a person’s risk of heart disease will be cut in half, and within five years, that person’s stroke risk will be the same as any non-smoker. After 15 years, heart disease risk will drop to that of someone who’s never smoked at all.

“Since I’m paying a lot for health insurance, I make sure I use it.”

Though it’s important to see a doctor when you need care, estimates from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey sug-gest that nearly a third of the more than 956 million doctor visits Americans made in 2008 weren’t necessary, resulting in nearly $60 million in wasted healthcare dollars.

having a trusting relationship with a doctor who knows her patient well and coor-dinates his care can cut health costs over the long term, but consumers still have the right to ask questions about their treatment and its potential costs. A recent survey in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 80 percent of physicians admit to having ordered unnecessary tests for a patient, mostly to avoid malpractice suits.

In fact, up to one-third of the $2 tril-lion of annual healthcare costs in the united States each year is spent on drugs and devices that don’t work, ineffective end-of-life care and tests patients don’t need. A 2010 study for Consumer Reports found that more than

half of 1,200 healthy middle-aged men and women had received screening tests for heart disease that posed risks that outweighed the potential benefits.

Procedures like these are the reason why nine medical specialties combined forces to create the “Choose Wisely” campaign, encouraging physicians and patients to question potentially unnecessary orders like stress imaging tests at annual check-ups and antibiotics for sinusitis. To see their list of “Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question,” visit choosingwisely.org.

“It doesn’t matter where you go. All healthcare costs are basically the same.”

The price tags for medical procedures can vary widely in the same city. According to newchoicehealth.com, one of a growing number of medical price comparison tools on the Internet, the cost of a colonoscopy in Central Minnesota can range between $2,250 and $6,600 depending on the provider. Prescription medications can also be worth pricing ahead of time. Though many healthcare plans now mandate generic drugs when they’re available, a recent ABC News

investigation found that a generic prescription antidepressant filled for $14 at one pharmacy cost $267 at a pharmacy in the same city.

“Inappropriate emergency room use is also very expen-sive,” said Marc Manley, M.D., M.P.h., vice president

and chief prevention officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. In fact, a 2010 survey found that more than half of the 124 million visits to the ER were for non-emergency care, costing an average of $788 a visit.

“The biggest challenge is getting people to understand their choices have a direct impact not just on their own health, but on the healthcare costs imposed on their cowork-ers as well,” said Jon Schloemer, of The Mills Family of Companies. After switching to their more consumer-directed plan, he added, “a lot of our employees told us they had no idea what it cost to go to the doctor because they had never looked.”

The shift toward Flexible Spending Accounts and health Savings Accounts is making those fees more transparent to con-sumers. “When employees have a little skin in the game, that can encourage them to price things out,” said Manley. iQ

Two-thirds of companies reported

that the biggest hurdle to keeping benefits

affordable was their employees’

health habits.

FOCUS :Fresh FOCUS

FOCUS :Fresh FOCUS

FOCUS :Fresh FOCUS

Spring 12 37

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ing many possible career paths from a single starting point. “I started as a staff nurse in a big hospital,” she said. “Then I was an OB/GYN nurse practitioner, then I worked in an emergency room. I went into education and now I’m a director. And I never left nursing.”

Central Minnesota has a strong demand for nurses and other healthcare workers, she said, in part because of the retirees who flock to the area’s many lakes. To meet the needs of that older population, Central Lakes College offers a gerontological nursing course, one of the few LPN nursing programs in the state to do so.

nurses neeDeDNext on the list is nursing, an area that will continue to be in high demand as nurses are asked to take greater leadership roles in patient wellness initiatives and care man-agement. “Nursing leadership is a huge and expanding area,” Radcliffe said. “We’re going to want those students who start with a two-year degree to continue on for a four-year degree and maybe even a master’s.”

Many of those nurses will begin their training at schools like Brainerd-based Central Lakes College, where Connie Frisch is director of nursing. Frisch said the nurs-ing profession parallels healthcare in offer-

tElEmEDicinE: essentia employees practice using video technology that allows

healthcare professions and patients to meet without being physically together.

Healthcare also creates retail and hospitality jobs to serve patients and their families. One study credited CentraCare

with a $50 million annual impact on St. Cloud’s hospitality business.


Spring 12 39

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Healthcare is critical to hometown economics. By Elizabeth Foy Larsen

Ask any resident of a central Minnesota town why they live

there and they’ll inevitably talk about the sense of family that one

can only get by living in a small town. Those same close relationships are a primary benefit of being a rural doctor or healthcare worker. “Rural healthcare is like taking care of your neighbor,” said Tim Rice, the president and CEO of Lake-wood Health System in Staples. “Our pa-tients are all like family.”

A robust healthcare system also provides critical life support to local economies. That includes St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls, which has an annual payroll of $30 million. “A strong medical community is always part and parcel of a strong broader community,” said Chad Cooper, the president of St. Gabriel’s. “It provides jobs and a basis to support infrastructure that might not be sustainable without that eco-nomic foundation.”

Even smaller clinics can make a substantial impact on a community. Rice estimates that for every physician hired, an additional ten jobs are creat-ed—from a nurse to an X-ray technician to a physical therapist and even some-one to handle billing. “Our healthcare system is very physician-driven,” said Cooper. “There is very little that occurs in our system that isn’t the result of a physician’s orders.”

While 12 percent of Minnesota residents live in its most rural areas, the

Minnesota

Department of Health estimates that fewer than 5 percent of doctors prac-tice in those communities. The short-age is expected to get even worse in the upcoming decade, especially in family medicine, as the Baby Boomers retire and our population ages. While it used to take Lakewood one year to successfully recruit a physician, it is now taking two to three years—a situation Rice calls a serious challenge.

While there are a number of chal-lenges when it comes to recruiting physicians to rural healthcare facilities —including spousal employment op-portunities, a heavier call burden and the challenge of selling a home in a nationally weak housing market—both Cooper and Rice agree that the quality of life in central Minnesota is a huge sell-ing point. Access to the area’s lakes and outdoor sporting activities are a draw, as is the region’s close proximity to the Twin Cities, Fargo and Duluth.

In addition, many small communi-ties have highly developed technological infrastructures, making it easier for a spouse to telecommute and families to stay in touch with the larger world. And for those who appreciate what central Minnesota has to offer, a healthcare job can be a perfect opportunity.

“If we look at our physicians in this community, a number have ties to the immediate area,” said Cooper. “We need to appeal to folks who have a vested in-terest in all the great things that rural communities have to offer.”

Rural healthcare is like taking care of your neighbor, our patients are all like family.

tim ricE: president and CeO of

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Spring 12 41

turn to page 52 for a list of area colleges with healthcare related programs, certificates and degrees.

A Decade of DemandHealthcare Jobs with Expected

High Demand by 2020

Average annual wage

Job in Minnesota

Home health aide $23,260

Physical therapist aide $25,430

Nursing aide $26,670

Pharmacy technician $31,140

Paramedic $32,340

Medical assistant $33,180

Health information technician $38,390

(coding and billing)

Licensed practical nurse $38,920

Dental assistant $41,170

Physical therapy assistant $42,540

Mental health counselor $42,680

Substance abuse counselor $45,170

Public health social worker $51,050

Radiologic technician $59,000

Clinical psychologist $63,610

Dental hygienist $70,560

Registered nurse $73,770

Pharmacist $112,680

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The college is also increasing its training emphasis on long-term home care, anticipat-ing an increased demand for in-home elder care as the Baby Boom generation ages.

The nursing profession itself, in fact, is heading for a big generational shift. By some estimates, a third or more of the nurses cur-rently working in central Minnesota will start to retire within the next five years. That will open up spots for people like ex-truck driver Eric hylen, who now has his LPN license and expects to be licensed as an RN about a year from now.

hylen already makes more money as an LPN than he did as a trucker, and when he gets his RN license, he can expect to see his pay jump $20,000 a year or more.

Just as important as the money is the sat-isfaction of an important job done well.

“Caring about people, caring about doing a good job, taking pride in my work—those are things I think about every day,” hylen said. “I’ve always been a people person, and now I help people every day. iQ

On average, healthcare

jobs in central Minnesota

pay $5,000 to $6,000 more

annually than the overall average

for all other jobs in the region.

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On the Job

By Maria surma Manka | photography by John Linn

safety czarIn the world of manufacturing, health-related costs are riveted to employee safety. Protect and serve — it’s all in a day’s work for Cary Simon.

A s the human resources director at DeZuRIK, the Sartell-based global manufacturer of industrial valves, Cary Simon makes sure that employees go home in the same condition they were

in when they got to work. his laser-like focus on worker safety protects not just DeZuRIK employees, but also the company’s bottom line. That’s because worker’s compensation insurance rates are determined by a manufacturer’s safety record. We asked Simon to give us a peek into how jobs get done without any aches or breaks.

my doctor knows best.DeZuRIK works with an occupational doctor who has an intimate understanding of the company’s operations and job functions. Thanks to this relationship, I can more accurately evaluate whether an injury is job-related and when the employee can return to work. If manual labor isn’t possible, the doctor can recommend temporary administrative jobs. This saves on workers’ compensation costs and helps the employee regain productivity more quickly.

the numbers don’t lie.When a new eye protection policy was instituted, I tracked the number of incidents before and after its implementation and found a drop in injuries and workers’ comp claims. It was my trifecta of success: safer employees, lower costs for DeZuRIK and the numbers to prove it.

listening saves the most money.I value employee input, even if it’s a criticism. Take the eye protection example: Because many workers’ comp claims were eye injuries from particulate matter, a new policy required employees to wear a face shield even during menial tasks. But some employees were concerned about efficiency and taking time to put on a cumbersome shield. I found safety glasses that were easier and faster to use than a shield, yet provided the necessary protection. Employees could work efficiently and more safely, and the number of claims decreased.

stretching isn’t always a good thing.Making sure employees aren’t continually overreaching or stretch-ing is one way to prevent injury from repetitive tasks. I work with an insurance adjuster who assesses the ergonomic layout of a workstation and identifies high-risk areas, like jobs that require constant straining. Sometimes a simple retrofit is all that is needed to decrease the likeli-hood of an incident.

i take my work on vacation.I make sure my children are tuned in to the safety hazards around them, even when we are on vacation. Whether I’m pointing out a street light whose wires are going into the ground without a conduit or workers riding down the highway in the back of a pick-up truck, I live, breathe and even relax with safety on my mind. iQ

cary simon: strives for a “... trifecta of success: safer employees, lower costs for deZurIK and the numbers to prove it.”


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Spring 12 47

anxiety or depression than some-one with a chronic disease.

Unfortunately, getting help can be costly, even if insurance pays for treatment. “Insurance doesn’t cover the gas and the time,” said Max’s mom, Mary.

Even more difficult is the fact that there is a shortage of mental health providers in central Minnesota. “It can take many months for someone to get in to see a psychiatrist,” said Dr. Jon Bowar, adult psy-

chiatrist at St. Cloud Hospital. “It’s difficult to set up new programs when we don’t have the resources to meet the needs of those already waiting to be seen.”

Fortunately, employers can help. Corporations across the coun-try have reported that educating

employees about mental health has resulted in reduced health expenses and other financial benefits, according to Mental Health America, a Virginia-based nonprofit that advocates for mental health issues. Companies can also offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which is a set of services that are designed to help employees meet life’s challenges, from depression to substance abuse. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, businesses see a return of anywhere from $5 to $16 for every dollar invested in an EAP.

Even if a company doesn’t feel that it can invest in an EAP, it’s crucial for employers to encourage employees to seek help for mental health issues that are impacting them or their families. Resources like the Minnesota Thrive Initiative, a project started by the Minnesota Initiative Foundations in 2007, helps families, especially those with children affected by mental health issues, by gathering community resources, increasing awareness and providing support.

Max’s treatment included anxiety counseling, play therapy, and medication, which helped him learn to recognize his feelings of anxiety and develop coping skills. Now 9, he has transitioned from his special education reading group back into the regular classroom. On his first reading test, he scored the highest grade in his class.

“He was very proud,” said Max’s mom. “And, so were we.” IQ

signs of the times

By sara Mohs & elizabeth foy Larsen | Illustration by Chris McAllister

Mind Your business

By the time he was in first grade, Max W.’s parents noticed their son was acting out in school and isolating himself from other kids. When his behavior started to impact both his social life and school-

work, they consulted with school officials, doctors and specialists.Max, it turned out, suffered from an anxiety disorder. If arriving at a diagnosis felt like an ordeal, finding treatment pre-

sented its own challenges. Mary W., Max’s Mom, missed many hours of work and had to constantly reshuffle her schedule to get Max to his appointments at the Lakeland Mental health Clinic in Fergus Falls, 25 miles from their home. “If I was working a normal nine-to-five job, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” she said. “I was lucky to have a job that allowed me the flexibility to get away two or three times a week.”

Max’s family isn’t alone. Twenty-five percent of our nation’s youth struggle with anxiety, 11 percent from depression, and 14 percent from mood disorders, according to Dr. Joe Spalding, medical director of child and adolescent psychiatry at St. Cloud hospital. Those percent-ages increase in adults: 20 percent of adults experience at least one depressive episode in a lifetime; one in six suffer from an anxiety dis-order each year.

In addition to being physically and emotionally debilitating for the sufferers and their families, mental health issues can be a major

strain on a company’s morale and bottom line. According to the National Alliance for Mental health, mental illness causes 217 million missed work days each year, more than diabetes and asthma.

Given their prevalence and impact on the economy, why are mental illnesses still shrouded in so much mystery?

“The media gives a lot of attention to very sensationalized incidents where some-body with a mental illness becomes violent and hurts people,” said Dr. Read Sulik, psychiatrist and senior vice president of

behavioral health services at Sanford health in Fargo, ND. “In reality, that’s extraordinarily rare.”

People also believe that mental illness is a choice. Actually, Sulik says people with mental illness have no more control over their

Mental health disorders are a silent menace for families, firms alike.

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Mental illness causes 217 million missed work days each year, more

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Spring 12 49

GEnEral rESOUrCE dirECTOry

alliance for a Healthier Minnesotawww.MNAlliance.orgThe Alliance is made up of several Minnesota-based corporations, who collectively employ more than 800,000 people. Working with the Minnesota Department of Health, the Alliance works to engage community members in fun and informative programs in order to help Minnesotans get and stay healthy.

american institute for Preventive Medicinewww.healthylife.comAIPM develops and implement health promotions, wellness programs, medical self-care, and disease management programs and publications. AIPM helps organizations reduce health care costs and absenteeism, while helping employees or members improve their health and well being.

Citizens Solutions Program www.bushfoundation.org/solutions/engagement/citizen-solutions-health-careBetween April and July 2012, Minnesotans will come together in more than 40 community conversations (CitizenSolve.org) to share their concerns about and ideas for fixing health care in the state. Supported by the Bush Foundation, the results of the meeting and ongoing conversations will guide the ultimate policy proposals of the Minnesota Health Care Reform Task Force.

County Health rankingswww.countyhealthrankings.org With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the University of Wisconsin compiles these County Health Rankings based on a model of population health that emphasizes the many factors that, if improved, can help make communities healthier places to live, learn, work and play. (See page 23 for Minnesota’s county rankings.)

Health Force Minnesotawww.healthforceminnesota.org HealthForce Minnesota is a collaborative partnership of education, industry and community that was created to increase the number and expand the diversity of healthcare workers; to integrate health science education practice and research; and to enhance patient care.

HealthyMinnesota www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/ NGAtoolkit/toolkit.htmlDeveloped by the Minnesota Department of Health, this toolkit guides employers through the design, implementation and evaluation of worksite wellness initiatives. Recommendations are based on the most current health promotion literature, national guidelines and first-hand experience from MDH staff coordinating the department’s own worksite wellness program.

iSeek.orgwww.iseek.orgiSeek is a career, education, and job resource that makes it easier for Minnesotans to research, organize and understand successful paths to the careers, education and jobs of their choosing. iSeek works with the state’s workforce development and education authorities to develop career planning, education, and workforce development policies and resources.

Minnesota department of HealthOffice of Rural Health & Primary Carewww.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpcThe Office of Rural Health and Primary Care promotes access to quality health care for rural and under served urban Minnesotans. The website includes a variety of reports and briefs regarding workforce needs and shortages, health care assessments and examples of successful rural health delivery projects.

Mental Health association of Minnesotawww.mentalhealthmn.orgMHAM works to enhance mental health, promote individual empowerment and increase access to treatment and services for persons with mental illnesses. The website provides a variety of resources and support, including a free anonymous screening tool for mood and anxiety disorders.

Minnesota Chamber of Commercewww.mnchamber.com/benefits/ wellness.cfmThe Chamber provides a list of healthcare and insurance providers in Minnesota (including Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Health Partners and Medica) that provide worksite incentive and wellness programs as well as a compre-hensive list of wellness sources, specifically for businesses.

Minnesota department of HealthFacility and Provider Databasewww.health.state.mn.us/divs/fpc/ directory/providerselect.cfmThe database offers contact information and state registration or licensure status for Minnesota health care providers. Provider types include boarding care homes, home health agencies, home care providers, hospices, hospitals, housing with services, nursing homes and supervised living facilities and other non-long term care providers and can be filtered by type, location or name.

Wellness Council of america www.welcoa.orgWELCOA is a respected resource for workplace wellness in America; with a membership in excess of 3,200 organizations, they are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all working Americans.

Resources th at a f fe ct savings, scales and salaries.



UCare Minnesota and UCare Wisconsin, Inc. are health plans with Medicare contracts. © 2011, UCare H2459 H4270_081211_4 CMS File & Use (08172011)

Discover UCare for SeniorsSM, the simple, affordable health plan that provides great benefits at a great price—just what you’d expect from health care that starts with you.

Visit: UCareplans.org to access rates, plan details, and more.

Call: (toll free) 1-877-523-1518(TTY) 1-800-688-2534, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Pat– UCare member

UC503_UFS_IQM_7.75x4.625.indd 1 4/24/12 11:15 AM

Spring 12 51

alexandria Technical & Community College, alexandriawww.alextech.edu • Health & Fitness Specialist• Medical Coding Specialist / Administrative

Specialist / Laboratory Technician / Transcriptionist

• Nursing• Nursing Assistant• Phlebotomy Technician• Practical Nursing

anoka-ramsey Community College, Cambridgewww.anokaramsey.edu • Biomedical Care / Technician / Technologist• Clinical Research Professional• Community Health• Fitness Specialist• Holistic Geriatric Health /

Hospice and Palliative Care• Integrative Health and Healing• Nursing

anoka Technical College, anokawww.anokatech.edu• Emergency Medical Services• Health Technology• Medical Assistant • Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide• Practical Nursing• Surgical Technology

Central lakes College, Brainerd / Stapleswww.clcmn.edu • Dental Assistant• Medical Assistant• Nursing • Nursing Assistant• Practical Nursing

College of St. Benedict’s , St. Joseph / St. John’s University , Collegevillewww.csbsju.edu• Dietetics• Nursing• Nutritional Science

Minnesota State Community & Technical College, Wadenawww.minnesota.edu • Medical Administrative Assistant /

Coding and Insurance / Receptionist / Transcriptionist

• Nursing• Pharmacy Technology• Practical Nursing

Pine Technical College, Pine Citywww.pinetech.edu• Health Sciences• Long-Term Care Assistant• Medical Assistant / Laboratory Technician• Nursing• Nursing Assistant• Phlebotomy• Practical Nursing

ridgewater College, Willmar & Hutchinsonwww.ridgewater.edu • Biological Sciences• Emergency Medical Technician• Health Information Technician• Healthcare Administrative Assistant• Medical Assistant / Coding Specialist • Nursing• Nursing Assistant• Paramedic

St. Cloud State University, St. Cloudwww.stcloudstate.edu• Biomedical Sciences• Biotechnology• Community Health• Medical Laboratory Science• Nursing• Radiologic Technology

St. Cloud Technical & Community College, St. Cloudwww.sctcc.edu • Cardiovascular Technology• Dental Assistant / Hygienist• Health Care Technician• Health Data Specialist / Information Technology• Nursing• Nursing Assistant• Paramedicine• Sonography• Surgical Technology

University of Minnesotawww.umn.eduThe University of Minnesota has five campuses located throughout the state (Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Morris and Rochester) and each one has their own healthcare-related programs and fields of study.

lOCal COllEGES and THEir HEalTH-rElaTEd FiEldS OF STUdy.


Spring 12 53

Arts in the ParkGregory Park, Brainerd, MN

Sunday, July 1, 2012Celebrating 38 Years of Handmade

Art in the Brainerd Lakes Area!

140 ArtistsEntErtainmEnt:

Pat surface – Folk singerPaul imholt – Dulcimer

Mike the Banjo Man

Wednesday July 4th The American Celebration

4 pm — paradEBeginning at Clearwater rd. & Golf Course rd., Baxter, MN

6 pm — EntErtainmEnt in the lot between target and the BodyWorks, Baxter, MN

Bill Musel — MCWayne renn & People Mania — featured entertainment

10 pm — thE LEgacy choraLE singing the National Anthem

10:15 pm — WorLd cLaSS firEWorkSBest seating for the fireworks is in the entertainment area

parking at thE arb — $5 A fundraiser for the Northland Arboretum

please call brainerd community action at 218-829-5278Visit our website for more information

www.brainerdcommunityaction.org

Brainerd | Baxter

MinnesoTA’s 4Th of July CAPiTAl

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Spring 12 55

iQ: What about key themes – anything that’s being talked about over and over again?CSC: Improving health behaviors. In part, this is about the responsi-bility people have to make healthy choices in their lives. But it’s also about the challenges, like the difficulty of accessing healthy food in some communities.

iQ: all right now… the elephant in the room… Why should people get involved given that the ruling on the new federal law could change everything?CSC: Talking about health care is important… regardless of the legisla-tion. We have a silver tsunami of a rapidly aging population that is going to change health care needs. And we have a health care system that, from a cost perspective, is spiraling out of control. We have to deal with this as a society.

iQ: How can people in central Mn participate?CSC: Go to citizensolve.org. There is a calendar of the more than 40 meetings throughout the state. And there are opportunities to participate in conversations online, including Tele-Town halls, which are a tech-age version of conference calls where you listen in and respond. iQ

iQ: Healthcare isn’t a topic that your organization has tackled before, why now?CSC: Back in 2008, Governor Dayton’s admin-

istration created the bipartisan Minnesota health Care Reform Task Force, which is charged with devel-

oping an action plan to improve access to health care, lower health care costs and improve the health

of all Minnesotans. So they approached us about our past work, including our initiative that tackled last year’s state budget chal-

lenges. They liked our approach so we made the commitment, partnering with the Citizen’s League and the

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

iQ: Why should people, especially business owners and community leaders, care?CSC: Most approaches to difficult community problems leave out the fact that regular people are the experts in their own lives. We want to talk to people—including small business owners and people who are self-employed—about their health first. And then figure out what that tells us about what needs to be changed. If the experts aren’t talking to people whose lives are affected, you just won’t get the best solutions.

iQ: What are people thinking as they walk in and out of those conversations?CSC: When people enter the room, they’re often convinced that they don’t know very much. They might have a philosophy— “I don’t want govern-ment involved” or “I want a single payer plan.” When the meeting is over, people walk away say-ing “I understand what the major factors are” or “I can see the challenges about where to put our resources.” And then they are able to take these new ideas and have more thoughtful conversa-tions with their neighbors, coworkers, family and the wider world.

iQ talks to Bush Foundation director of engagement C. Scott Cooper about Citizen Solutions, a non-partisan effort to get Minnesotans involved in the future of health and health care in our state.

C. Scott Cooper C. Scott came to the Bush Foundation to lead its communication and out-reach efforts in 2009, bringing with him more than two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, public affairs advocacy and political and community organizing.

In addition to being a 2007 Bush Leadership Fellow, he also completed a Humphrey Policy Fellowship in 2005-2006. His current board service includes roles with the Sierra Club, GiveMN.org, the Center for Victims of Torture and the Blue-Green Alliance.

An IQ&A with Elizabeth Foy Larsen


RANGEDELIVERS.COM/REVEAL

CHANGE IS COMING

Here at Range, our ideals and high standards

have stayed the same and always will, but

our ideas and philosophies are continuing to

evolve. Go online to catch a glimpse of where

we’re headed and see what we have to reveal

as we turn a new page here at Range.

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Homes I We make it welcoming. You make it home.

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iq magazine - spring 2012

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