My Aurora Health Care

Aurora Health Care, a not-for-profit Wisconsin integrated health care provider, was created around a single idea: There is a better way to provide health care.

The 29,000 people of Aurora are working together to give people better access, better service and better results than they can find anywhere else.

Established in 1984, Aurora has become a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora has sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin, including 13 hospitals, more than 100 clinics and over 130 community pharmacies. More than 3,400 physicians are affiliated with Aurora Health Care, including over 700 who make up Aurora Medical Group.

Aurora, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Medical School, operates community clinics in the Milwaukee area, most of them in under-served neighborhoods. The clinics emphasize prevention and wellness while providing a wide range of primary care.

Aurora’s community outreach efforts also include an extensive parish nursing program that serves more than 35 congregations.

Aurora Health Care is committed to helping individual employees identify their risk factors, educating them on behavior changes and guiding them in the development of a personalized wellness plan.

Aurora offers a variety of health care plan options for their employees. Several deductible options are available for in-network and out-of-network plans. Deductibles are waived on all preventive care services. 

In 2007, Aurora started a Health Risk Assessment program for employees. This program has become the core of their wellness efforts. Incentives are provided to take the test and to pass or improve results in three key areas; blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index.

They currently have about 50 percent participation in this program.

Wellness Programs

Wellness programs are developed by 18 local wellness committees around the state. The local committees arrange nutritional programs, fitness programs and community runs/walks. They also share best practices between sites. Aurora has established a corporate wellness committee that monitors the local wellness activities and innovative healthcare solutions: Aurora Health Care

Location: Eastern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois

Industry: Healthcare provider

Size: Nearly 29,000 employees in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other facilities in eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

is in the process of developing a tool kit of best practices to share with all facilities. This committee comprises representatives from human resources, EAP (Employee Assistance Program), complementary medicine, care management, wellness coordination, employee health, nutritional services, and internal communications.

Currently Aurora is focusing on programs that can be developed and offered very efficiently at the local-site level.

Programs planned include an educational series being developed by the corporate wellness committee called “Innovative Ideas to Inspire.” This program will be web-based with weekly articles, links, games, etc.

The corporate committee is also developing a Wellness Management Toolkit. This kit will provide managers with tools to integrate wellness into all levels of management.

For instance, managers will be given materials to encourage employees to participate in HRAs and other wellness activities, provide healthy snack choices for internal meetings and encourage physical activities like climbing stairs and walking on breaks.

Some wellness programs are site specific. For instance, at Aurora Sinai Medical Center stair wells were repainted in pleasing colors to encourage employees to climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Wellness fairs are also held at many sites.

In a very unique program, six Aurora sites sponsor a weekly Farmer’s Market in the facility parking lots. They have partnered with local groups like Growing Power 1  to make these arrangements very popular.

Some Aurora sites include wellness centers designed primarily for patient rehab and similar services. When space is available, employees are allowed access for personal use.

Posted by Joe

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