Celebrating Giving - Allina Health

GIVING BACK
- 10 -
2007 Allina
Community Giving
Campaign
“We help give hope by caring for those in need”
was the theme for this year’s employee giving
campaign.
Employees of the Hospitals were invited to
consider various giving opportunities. Choices
included support for the Mercy & Unity Hospitals
Foundation for our family of clinical programs and
services, the Caring for Co-Workers Fund and
scholarship funds. Employees also had the option
of supporting the United Way or other not-for-profit
organizations through the campaign. An additional
option this year was giving a donation to the 35W
Bridge Fund.
The 2007 campaign raised more that $112,000
from 380 donors.
Holiday Food
and Toy Drive
With snow in the air and festive
holiday trimmings decking the
halls, the employees, medical
staff and volunteers again this
year reached deep into their hearts
to provide toys, hats and mittens,
and food for children in need in
our communities. More than 60
large boxes of toys and clothing
and over half a ton of food were
collected throughout November
to mid-December. The toy and
food drives are conducted through
the Foundation to benefit Southern
Anoka County Community
Assistance Program through
donations from Unity Hospital
and Toys for Joy through donations
from Mercy Hospital. These
charities distribute the toys and
foods to families in need in
Anoka County.
Assisting those in need in our
communities has been important
to Mercy and Unity Hospitals’
employees, volunteers and
medical staff. Their generosity
reflects their caring spirits.
Take Heart ANOKA COUNTY
On Thursday night, December
13, Lindsey Paradise was in
the stands watching her Fridley
High School basketball team
playing a game. A referee
collapsed on the basketball
court. At that moment, Lindsey,
who is 16, had looked away
from the game when she heard
her mother gasp and saw the
official, Dale Wakasugi, 49, on
the floor, motionless. Suddenly
the game came to a halt.
Lindsey flew from the stands
and slid on her knees right up
to him,” her twin sister, Alyssa,
said. “Just by looking at her,
you could tell she was in a
zone.” She began administering
cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) to Dale. After four rounds
of CPR didn’t work, Lindsey
had a spectator grab the
automated external defibrillator
(AED) hanging on a nearby wall.
Lindsey, who had just received
training the previous month on
how to operate a defibrillator
through the Fridley Police Youth
Explorer Program, said that
instinct took over. Alyssa said
the gym was so quiet she could
hear the defibrillator’s voice
prompts echoing throughout
the facility. Lindsey and another
good Samaritan administered
the shock and Dale regained a
pulse. “I saw his chest going up
and down,” Lindsey said. “We
were talking to him, saying,
‘Keep breathing, Dale,’ and we
were trying to comfort him.”
First responders arrived, taking
Dale to Unity Hospital and
then later to Mercy Hospital
for surgery. The emergency
medical technician said that it
was Lindsey’s quick action that
saved Dale’s life.
This story is illustrative of a
new initiative adopted by Mercy
& Unity Hospitals Foundation
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2008
on behalf of our communities.
Anoka County has been
chosen as one of four national
demonstration sites for the
“Take Heart America” program.
Each year over 300 people
suffer from sudden cardiac
arrest (SCA) in Anoka County
and the surrounding area. The
current survival rate for SCA
is 5%. The goal of this ground
breaking program is to more
than quadruple the survival
rate from sudden cardiac arrest
by providing widespread CPR
training and public education,
placing AEDs and other
automated CPR devices in the
community, improving first
responders’ CPR techniques
and deployment of devices,
and optimizing hospital care
for cardiac arrest patients. The
goal of Mercy & Unity Hospitals
Foundation is to help expand
the “Take Heart America”
program beyond the confines
of Anoka County to all of our
service area and more. We
want to make Lindsey’s story
your story too.
For further information on
“Take Heart Anoka County”
contact Kent Canine at
763.236.8254 or
kent.canine@allina.com.
- 11 -