SUMMARY
Over the past year, Riverwood Healthcare Center implemented several new innovative wellness strategies and partnershipsto support prevention and behavioral health from a system to individual level.
Riverwoodintroduced acoaching program and community outreachplatform to the Aitkin County and Garrison area communities. All programs were free and easily accessible to the community. The coaching program, designed to support patients with weight loss, reached over 300 individuals, with an average weight loss was 10 pounds per person. The community outreach efforts focused on engagement and empowerment with the wellness newsletter, health seminars, farmers market, 5Ks, and resources guides reaching several thousand people.
Riverwood also focused on wellness at a system level by forming a partnership with MDHto assess and implement evidence-based strategies to better address BMI, tobacco use and blood pressure in the clinic setting.
NARRATIVE
Following a year-long wellness campaign in 2012 called“BINGO –Win With Wellness” combined with the completion of the community health needs assessment, it was clear that there was not only a need but also high interest in prevention and wellness services among the residents in the Aitkin County and surrounding area. Minnesota Department of Health data revealed high rates of obesity, tobacco use and blood pressure among residents in Aitkin County. This data combined with an overwhelming positive response to Riverwood's 2012 community wellness campaign reinforced the decision to expand the wellness and prevention efforts for the Aitkin County community.
Therefore, Riverwood Healthcare Center implemented several new innovative wellness strategies supporting prevention and behavioral health.
Over the past year Riverwood has developed and introduced a comprehensive wellness coaching program as well as a community outreach platform. All programs werefree of charge and offered in three separate communities—Aitkin, Garrison and McGregor—for easy access.
The coaching program is designed to support patients with weight loss, with collaboration between the doctor/healthcare practitioner, patient and coach. Thus the reason for adding the coaching service to the electronic medical record and developing strong communication strategies. In 2013, the program served over 300 individuals, most of whom have been referred by a family practice provider. The coach’s use of evidence-based behavioral health strategies and motivational interviewing helped many patients improve BMI, weight loss, cholesterol, and A1C’s. The average weight loss per patient was 10 pounds. The coaching services at Riverwood have proven to be a very successful way to educate and empower patients to take action for improving their own health.
The community outreach efforts focused on connecting patients to existing local wellness resources and services. Resource guides were developed to encourage patients to access existing community wellness resources as a way to improve health. Riverwood’sHealthy Living newsletter, which educates the community about tools and methods they can use to stay well, is mailed to 15,000 community members each quarter. Additionally, Riverwood hosted two5K Run/Walks, a farmers market and several community health education programs. These efforts reached several thousand people as a way to empower and engage the community to embrace better health.
Furthermore, Riverwood has partnered with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to assess and implement evidence-based strategies to better address and treat BMI, Tobacco and Blood Pressure in the clinic setting. Improving the health of the community and patients requires working together with a need to learn from each other and partner whenever possible. Therefore, the partnerships with MDH are helping Riverwood address wellness and prevention from a system change level to further support change.
Riverwood has invested resources into seeking grants from the George Family Foundation and MDH to support some of the efforts listed above. Additionally, the organization has invested $20,000 annually to produce and mail its Healthy Living newsletter and $15,000 for administrative, public relations and marketing support to promote wellness within the organization and across the community.