Grant Regional Health Center, Fort HealthCare and Southwest Health Center Receive Quarles & Brady/Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative Community Engagement Award
September 12, 2024 (Madison, Wis.)— The national law firm of Quarles & Brady and Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) are proud to announce the winners of the ninth annual Community Engagement Award. The first-place $2,500 prize was awarded to Grant Regional Health Center and honorable mention $500 prizes were given to Fort HealthCare and Southwest Health Center.
“The Community Engagement Award showcases the inspiring and dedicated programs and initiatives that health care organizations and their partners have created to improve their community,” said Tim Size, executive director of RWHC. “I’m thrilled to recognize these health care organizations and honored to provide them with resources that can help them achieve their goals.”
Located in Lancaster, Wis., Grant Regional Health Center’s winning proposal was to use the winning funds to strengthen its “Growing Lancaster” initiative that strives to address challenges the town faces with workforce shortages, declining enrollment in schools and an aging population. The hospital partnered with Amcor, a local manufacturing business to create a committee dedicated to highlighting the benefits of improving Lancaster’s inclusivity and diversity efforts. The committee noted that southwest Wisconsin has experienced an increase in Latino families and the “Growing Lancaster” initiative will help the community’s efforts to be more welcoming for Latino families by implementing plans such as English Language Learner education opportunities, more culturally diverse events, working with local businesses to gain insights into their workforce needs and more.
The proposal from Fort HealthCare stemmed from their mission to improve the health and well-being of its community with a vision to be the healthiest in Wisconsin. To do this, Fort HealthCare partnered with the Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson (HCFA) to focus on multiple factors influencing health, including social, economic and environmental determinants. The partnership is committed to providing stable housing to directly impact those critical areas, improve health behaviors and reduce emergency room visits. Fort HealthCare has rented two vacant homes to the HCFA and donated land to Habitat for Humanity to build a duplex.
Southwest Health Center’s proposal involved a partnership with the University of Wisconsin – Platteville that allows students of Dr. Janamarie Truesdale, Forensic Studies professor, to use Southwest Health Center’s computerized tomography and other radiology services to research bones that are a part of investigations by the County Examiner’s Office. The partnership introduces students to the field of radiology and allows for a more in-depth investigation into the cases of unidentified individuals. The partnership also gives students the opportunity to pursue publishable research that may lead to future breakthroughs in the field. Medical imaging is important and helps provide families with information and closure in a timely manner.
“Every year, we have the opportunity to reward rural hospitals who are teaming up with wonderful partners that help strengthen their community health and wellness,” said Sarah Coyne, Health & Life Sciences partner in the Quarles Madison office. “We appreciate their work and thank the three hospitals for their commitment to making Wisconsin a better place to live.”
About Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC)
Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, headquartered in Sauk City, Wis., has been providing affordable and effective services to health care organizations since 1979. RWHC is owned and operated by 40 rural acute, general medical-surgical hospitals. The cooperative's emphasis on developing a collaborative network among both freestanding and system-affiliated rural hospitals distinguishes itself from alternative approaches. RWHC offers a variety of programs and services to its members, as well as other clients across the nation.