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Lake Region Healthcare (LRH) was one of eight programs honored Monday by Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson for their outstanding contributions to human services clients. The recipients of the 2014 Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Awards were recognized at a ceremony at the Elmer L. Andersen Human Services Building in St. Paul.

Jesson said winners in the fourth annual Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Awards share the department’s commitment to supporting healthy people, stable families and strong communities.

“The work we do in human services has real, profound impact – it’s a safe place to sleep, the chance for better employment, the ability to remain independent.  So what an honor it is to recognize these organizations for being leaders and innovators in this field,” Jesson said. “Together we are helping countless Minnesotans live more dignified and fulfilling lives.”

LRH CEO Larry Schulz said "It is an honor to be among this year's recipients of the Commissioner's award. This recognition of our commitment to improving the health of people in our region through wellness initiatives that address all the elements of health is great validation that we're on the right track." Several representatives from the LRH Wellness Committee were on hand to receive the award. "We believe this added focus on helping people achieve their optimal health and preventing illness is part of the formula to achieving the triple aim of improving quality, decreasing cost and increasing patient satisfaction with health care," he added. 

The 2014 Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Award recipients are:

• Ain Dah Yung (Our Home) Center, an American Indian youth and family-focused social service organization based in St. Paul that provides culturally relevant and cost-effective services, including emergency shelter for youth 5-17 and a transitional living program for youth age 16-21. With strong and proud cultural traditions as a foundation, Ain Dah Yung Center guides youth in learning traditional ways, shelters those struggling with homelessness, provides advocacy and case management so families can build upon their strengths, ensures the Indian Child Welfare Act is adhered to, and assists older youth in achieving the assets they need to be autonomous. Ain Dah Yung Center’s work is holistic ensuring that the entire family heals, grows and achieves.
• Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, a community-based mental health center based in St. Cloud that provides integrative services for families in Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Wright counties. CMMHC provides an array of behavioral health services including outpatient, crisis, case management, residential, and chemical dependency programs. CMMHC is implementing integrative care, a multigenerational clinical treatment for parents with serious mental illness who have children ages 0-5. Integrative care helps keep families together and promotes healthy development of young children through programming such as Circle of Security support group and Incredible Years Parenting Group, by building on relationships with in-home providers, and through close collaboration among mental health staff. CMMHC plans to continue implementation of integrative services within all of its programs with a focus on multi-generational, trauma informed care.
• FastTRAC Healthcare Pathways Program, a skills education and career-specific training program for adults with low incomes in Anoka County. Partners include Metro North Adult Basic Education, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Anoka Technical College, and Anoka County Job Training Center.  This unique collaboration has resulted in an innovative approach of integrating basic skills education and career specific training with an emphasis in older adult care services. The goal of this program is to assist educationally unprepared Minnesota Family Investment Program and Diversionary Work Program recipients and other adults with low incomes in gaining the skills to succeed in a career pathway and obtain a recognized industry credential and college credits.  Trainees earn eight college credits and a Nursing Assistant Credential. During their participation they receive intensive upfront career advising, support services, tuition assistance, and ongoing coaching while building a solid foundation to be successful in postsecondary training and to become employed at the end of training.
• Lake Region Healthcare, an independent, non-profit healthcare system working to improve the health of people living in Fergus Falls and the surrounding community through several unique wellness initiatives. With a mission to be Minnesota’s preeminent regional healthcare partner, Lake Region Healthcare has a 108-bed hospital, multi-specialty clinic, cancer center, assisted living community and fitness and wellness facility on the main campus in Fergus Falls, as well as a community garden. Outreach locations include a walk-in clinic in Fergus Falls and clinics in Ashby, Barnesville, Battle Lake, Elbow Lake, and Morris.  A team of over 80 medical staff and over 900 employees, Lake Region Healthcare is dedicated to helping improve the health of people in the community with integrity, teamwork, compassion and excellence.  Its healthcare wellness initiatives seek to engage community partners to work together at making Fergus Falls one of the healthiest places to live in Minnesota.
• ParentAware.org is a website that makes it easier for families statewide to find the quality care and education their children need to succeed in school and life. Partners Child Care Aware of Minnesota, based in St. Paul, and Parent Aware for School Readiness, based in Minneapolis, collaborated on the website, which connects parents to a database of more than 12,000 programs. Search results feature programs with Parent Aware ratings, helping families easily identify those that are using research-based best practices in school readiness. The online search tool enables parents to search for programs by location, schedule, education quality and types of care. Additional features include a more user-friendly search function and improved information resources.
• PrimeWest Health, a county-based purchasing managed care organization based in Alexandria that serves over 35,000 Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) participants in the 13 rural counties that own and govern PrimeWest Health – Beltrami, Big Stone, Clearwater, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, McLeod, Meeker, Pipestone, Pope, Renville, Stevens and Traverse. PrimeWest Health’s Accountable Rural Community Health (ARCH) program is an accountable care model specifically designed for rural areas and achieving the triple aim for rural MHCP participants. ARCH virtually integrates medical, behavioral health, public health, social services, and managed long-term services and support through value-based reimbursement, real-time electronic care management information sharing, and integration of health home-based care coordination and county-based case management.
• Red Lake Alcohol Rehabilitation Prevention Program, an alcohol and drug abuse prevention program using culturally specific treatment and prevention methods for youth and families on the Red Lake Reservation. Red Lake’s Alcohol Rehabilitation Prevention Program works with youth, families and the entire community by providing cultural specific treatment and prevention methods that utilize cultural heritage including oral tradition, language revitalization, cultural values, and spiritual practices to pass on to the next generations.
• Technology for HOME, a program that offers at home, in-person assistive technology consultation and technical assistance to help people with disabilities live more independently statewide.  A partnership between Bloomington-based Live Life Therapy Solutions, Inc., and DHS, Technology for Home works with people who want to stay home or move home. Expert consultants provide possible, cost-effective solutions using assistive technology and communicate with the county to develop a plan for people who receive home care or home and community based waiver services.  Since its launch in spring 2013, Technology for HOME has supported more than 500 individuals, and trained, assessed and followed up with people more than 3,000 times.