Tag: support

New Adventurama community fundraiser and outdoor adventure supports patient comfort and care needs

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Excitement continues to build for Hennepin Healthcare Foundation’s Adventurama fundraising event set for Sunday, June 4, 2023. This urban adventure invites teams of two adults to solve clues, complete physical and intellectual challenges, capture photos and create memories in the heart of Minneapolis all while supporting patient comfort and care needs at Hennepin Healthcare.

“This is the first of its kind for our organization, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about this new adventure,” said Paula Wilhelm, Hennepin Healthcare Foundation’s Annual Giving & Engagement Manager. “Hennepin Healthcare and its HCMC hospital have been fixtures in downtown Minneapolis for over 130 years. We serve the majority of our patients downtown; we are the largest employer now and are planning a bright future here. This event will bring people into our neighborhood for fun and laughter in support of our community.”

While specific details about the challenges cannot be revealed, they may involve climbing stairs, rolling barrels, or stacking blocks. Teams complete the course at their own pace up until 3 p.m.

“The surprise element for Adventurama is one of the best parts of its appeal, and we wouldn’t want to spoil that for anyone,” shares Wilhelm.

Proceeds from Adventurama will benefit the comfort and care of patients. This can include support to spiritual care, the emergency clothing closets, music therapy, immediate food support, appointment transportation, out-of-town family lodging, prescription co-pays, Child Life, and Children’s Literacy programs at Hennepin Healthcare, Minnesota’s largest safety-net hospital.

“Our mission keeps our doors and hearts open to all,” explains Wilhelm. “With more than 75 percent of our patient population on financial assistance, our revenue doesn’t always cover the services that enhance the care and comfort of those we are so honored to serve. Hosting this community event will start the conversation and build awareness of these needs.”

The Adventurama journey begins in Commons Park, across from U.S. Bank Stadium, and continues to 12 pit stops within a three-mile radius of HCMC, with an after-party at Finnegans. Registration is open to the first 100 teams of 2 adults. Register a team, sign up to volunteer, donate or learn more at hennepinhealthcare.org/rama23.

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About Hennepin Healthcare Foundation

Hennepin Healthcare Foundation has the honor of connecting the generosity of the community to the mission of Hennepin Healthcare. Caring for anyone at any time with any condition takes resources and a team of exceptional staff. Generosity removes barriers to healthcare access, enhances the patient and family experience, and advances efforts in medical education, clinical research, and community health. Visit hennepinhealthcare.org/foundation

About Hennepin Healthcare

Hennepin Healthcare is an integrated system of care that includes HCMC, a nationally recognized Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and acute care hospital, as well as a clinic system with primary care clinics located in Minneapolis and across Hennepin County. The comprehensive healthcare system includes a 473-bed academic medical center, a large outpatient Clinic & Specialty Center, and a network of clinics in the North Loop, Whittier, and East Lake Street neighborhoods of Minneapolis, and in the suburban communities of Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, Richfield, and St. Anthony Village. Hennepin Healthcare has a large psychiatric program, home care, and operates a research institute, philanthropic foundation, and Hennepin EMS. The system is operated by Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc., a subsidiary corporation of Hennepin County.

Healthy work/life balance is essential for caregivers

Office for Professional Worklife is the first of its kind to address physician stress

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For many professions, finding the right balance between work schedules and home life can be challenging. Health care providers are not immune to this issue. In fact, stress and burnout are prevalent in the medical field and if left unaddressed, can affect both providers and patients.

“Physician burnout is  an epidemic,” explains Dr. Mark Linzer, an internal medicine physician and nationally recognized expert on issues surrounding physician burnout. “But research has shown that there are effective ways to improve the workplace and decrease clinician stress.”

After researching the topic for 20 years, Dr. Linzer is bringing his expertise home to focus on a new innovation at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) – the creation of the Office for Professional Worklife (OPW).

“We believe healthy providers are essential to achieving our organizational goals of providing outstanding patient and family centered care,” says Dr. Linzer. “In doing this, we want our clinicians to feel supported when they provide high quality care to their patients.We also want them to be available for their families and their own self-care.  This will result in more energy for patient care, better recruitment and retention, more loyalty to the organization, and better morale among clinicians and staff.”

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Dr. Mark Linzer and Sara Poplau

Dr. Linzer and his colleague Sara Poplau, Senior Research Project Manager and Assistant Director of the OPW, will head the program that focuses on offering wellness services that improve the work lives of all HCMC providers. There’s a national need for this type of focus on stress and burnout, and they hope this program will become a model for other care systems.

“Providers need to know their workplace is supportive of  work life balance,” says Dr. Linzer. “This can be accomplished by implementing wellness initiatives that redesign workflow in the clinics and improve communication between provider groups.” Linzer and Poplau  hope to create a model of the supportive organization that promotes humanism in medicine and the highest quality care for patients.

Services offered by the OPW will include: one-on-one discussions about work-life; advocacy for ways to improve balance between work and life for providers; and partnering with the HCMC Provider Wellness Committee, Wellness Champions and Department Chiefs to ensure that the needs of providers are heard and addressed. “We hope by elevating work-life balance to the level of this office that providers will know this is a serious issue and there is help,” said Sara Poplau.

One unique feature of the OPW will be a “reset room” where providers can go for quiet time to recharge during the busy workday. It will serve as an “oasis” for providers during stressful times.

“Our providers work very hard and are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality care for those in need,” Dr. Linzer says. “We all come with the best intentions, but sometimes we get stressed. Addressing issues before they cause burnout is critical to making sure that providers are practicing medicine in the best environment possible.”

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