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treatment in an effort to improve the quality of life of patients.
Mayo Clinic Health System—Fran- ciscan Healthcare is a Gold Spon- sor at Earth Fair, an annual event put on by Coulee Partners for Sus- tainability. The event is intended to increase environmental aware- ness and sustainability. A team
of volunteers from Franciscan Healthcare provides interactive ac- tivities that intrigue and motivate children and their parents to try gardening. Since traditional row gardening is not always an option in an urban setting, the volunteers show people how square-foot gar- dening (small, intensively planted, raised-bed gardens that employ organic methods such as compost- ing) might work for them. “We know that these efforts pay off,” says Oslund, “when non- gardening participants often exclaim enthusiastically, ‘Hey,
I can do that!’”
More than 2,000 children attend the Enchanted Forest annually. Franciscan Healthcare promotes healthy-living-related projects such as straw bale gardening (planting a garden in bales of straw rather than soil) at the event, as well as fun and healthy eating and physical activities. The medical center is the event’s
premier sponsor. It offers two interactive sites throughout the enchanted walk where children and their families receive nonfood treats or a healthy snack, as well as helpful resources related to health and nutrition. “An obstacle course and other fun physical activities delight children and parents alike,” says Oslund.
The new portable teaching kitch- en will allow a chef and registered dietitians to teach patients and community members to prepare great-tasting meals with fresh, healthy ingredients. The focus in- cludes basic preparation skills for cooks of all ages, quick options beyond microwavable items and preprocessed foods, and informa- tion about ingredient selection, how to read labels, substitutions that don’t sacrifice flavor, and the health benefits achieved by fol- lowing a balanced diet.
Oslund and Lori Freit-Hammes, wellness program director, repre- sent Franciscan Healthcare in the La Crosse Area YMCA’s Pioneer- ing Healthier Communities initia- tive. Created to respond to rising chronic disease rates from main risk factors of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating, the initia- tive encourages the community to eat well and move more.
Mayo Clinic Health System—Fran- ciscan Healthcare is a member of Fifth Season Cooperative, which produces, processes and markets healthy, local foods to regional food service providers includ-
ing Franciscan Healthcare. The organization also sponsors the Grow Your Brain Fall Festival on the Farm. Grow Your Brain helps students create, maintain and sus- tain gardens at school through the development of garden clubs and participatory cooking demonstra- tions using local produce.
In addition, the Franciscan Health- care Auxiliary produces the Tiny Tim Gala, Jingle Bell Brunch
and Festival of Trees each No- vember. Over the past 27 years, these events have raised more than $950,000 for programs that support health and well-being in the community, including WAFER, Inc. WAFER supports the educa- tion and skill development of low-income families so they can incorporate healthy and nutritious foods into their daily meals.
PLANS FOR FUTURE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING “Mayo Clinic Health System— Franciscan Healthcare is proud to collaborate with Hillview, West- ern Technical College and the La Crosse Community Foundation to develop the new Horticulture Edu- cation Center at Western Technical College and the energy-efficient housing that is being built on the site of the old greenhouse,” says Dr. Johnson. “When we support community-based efforts to create a local, sustainable, accessible food system, we’re supporting our own commitment to encourage people to grow, eat and prepare whole, natural foods to improve community health. At Franciscan Healthcare, we believe that ensur- ing good health and well-being
for all people is the future of health care.”
Mayo Clinic Health System—Franciscan Healthcare is committed to fostering respect for our own well-being and the health of our environment.
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