For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Sonja Carlson, 763-684-6805

Buffalo Hospital’s DAAN initiative featured on Capitol Hill

BUFFALO, Minn. 08/06/2007--To ensure policy makers know about the many hospital programs created to help the people in their districts and states, the American Hospital Association shares case examples with Capitol Hill through Hill Faxes. Buffalo Hospital’s innovative initiative to help community members live a healthy, balanced life, DAAN™, was featured in a recent Hill Fax.  “We’re thrilled to be held up as a case study for the country to learn from and follow as we live our mission to improve the health of our communities,” says Steve Hatkin, president of Buffalo Hospital. 

“Today’s health care model is designed to pay for doctors and hospitals to care for you when you’re sick, not to keep people healthy,” continued Hatkin. “As a mission driven organization focused on serving our community and promoting health, we need to change that paradigm and recognize that a critical step in halting today’s escalating health care costs is to help people get and stay healthy rather than merely taking care of them while they’re sick.”  The Hill Faxes are designed to educate legislators about the importance of this work and to rethink the way we view and pay for health care.  The Hill Fax about DAAN reads: Summary: Buffalo Hospital identified obesity and cardiovascular health as a local public health issue in need of attention. In response, they created an initiative to help people of all ages make regular exercise, healthy eating and reduced stress a part of daily life. DAAN – a Native American word meaning to live a healthy, balance life – offers hands-on elementary school curriculum, adult wellness education and a fitness laboratory to help participants take control of their health. Today, DAAN can be found in schools, work sites and other places in the community.

“We recently had the Schlafke family from Annandale share their DAAN experience with Representative Anderson and Senator Koch to educate them both the importance of addressing the obesity epidemic at the community level,” continued Hatkin.  Today, one in three families’ children are overweight and one in seven are obese. Parents Jamie and Fred Schlafke are part of the DAAN@Work pilot at Annandale Middle School and their daughter Elizabeth has studied the DAAN Youth Curriculum at Annandale Elementary School and they’ve all found the program motivating and educational.   “Preliminary results indicate that DAAN successfully helped children control their body mass index,” says Mona Volden, RN, community health outreach manager.  “And parent surveys indicate that student intake of fruits and vegetables improved significantly.” 

For more information about DAAN, call 763-684-6805 or visit www.buffalohospital.org. To view this or other Hill Faxes, visit www.caringforcommunities.org.