Hospital ‘Putting Their Money Where Our Mouth Is’

Rarely does a person leave a doctor’s office without being reminded to eat healthy and get plenty of exercise.

For many, the advice rests in the ears during the drive home, maybe for a couple days, but too often it ends up atop the trash bin of best intentions.

Over the last few years Ministry Door County Medical Center has made it a priority to make tangible inroads to help community members commit to exercise. A big part of that comes through increasing sponsorship of the county’s burgeoning running and cycling scene in the form of sponsorship, promotion and medical support.

Matt Luders, business health and wellness executive at the hospital, says their sponsorship is an important part of the role they play in the community.

“As the largest employer in the county, we feel the need to support the community and give back and thank the people supporting us,” Luders says. “That means getting involved in the community on the wellness side, not just responding to illness.”

The hospital has supported silent sports on the peninsula for many years, including providing athletic trainers for local youth and high school sports. In 2013, under the leadership of Kevin Grohskopf, chief business development officer at the hospital, they increased their support even further.

Part of that came in response to the 2013 Door County Community Health Needs Assessment, which pinpointed obesity as an increasing health problem for residents of Door and Kewaunee counties.

The hospital aims to decrease the number of people categorized as overweight or obese by 5 percent by 2016. Supporting events such as this weekend’s Ride for Nature to benefit the Ridges Sanctuary, the Door County Half Marathon, and the Door County Triathlon are a big part of their plan to reach that goal.

Much like a matching grant, Luders says that Ministry’s sponsorship is a way to leverage its dollars to support a breadth of goals and initiatives.

“It’s us putting our money where our mouth is,” he says. “We have to do more than just tell people to be healthy. By supporting these events, both monetarily and medically, we’re giving it more than lip service. We’re giving tangible support to help people live healthier lives, and making it affordable for everyone.”

Financial sponsorship plays a huge role in keeping these events thriving. Sean Ryan, director of the Door County Triathlon and the Fall 50, says “sponsors subsidize the true cost of participation for our athletes.”

That support helped the Door County Half Marathon (for which the author is the course director) bring more than 2,300 runners and their friends and family to the peninsula in May. In July, another 2,000 athletes will take part in the two-day triathlon in Egg Harbor, sending people to restaurants, gas stations, shops and hotel rooms and creating enormous economic impact for the county.

Before working for the hospital Luders worked at the Door County YMCA, where he witnessed the impact of the events every day. Not only did he see new faces in the facility as they trained for a run or a ride, but he saw new niche communities blossom.

“We’ve seen running and biking clubs form because of these events,” Luders said. “It’s inspiring to see the impact it has on people beyond race day.”

Support beyond dollars

While financial support is crucial, Ministry’s role in these events goes to another level on race day and in pre-race planning.

Ryan says the value of Ministry’s medical role can’t be over-stated. While participants in his events often focus on tangible aspects of an event, he considers those minor concerns.

“It’s nice to have a well-designed course, an organized packet pickup, a cool medal and t-shirt,” he says. “But none of that is critical. Fluids and medical support, those are critical.”

Ministry’s sponsorship includes providing the services of their highly trained and experienced sports medicine specialists and doctors at the events.

To illustrate the importance of that role, Ryan quotes Chris Troyanos, the medical coordinator of the Boston Marathon, whom he works with each April.

“Chris calls these ‘planned mass casualty events’,” Ryan says. “On a good day, in ideal conditions, he expects a casualty rate of three percent. In extreme conditions or if you’re ill prepared, it’s going to be much worse, so the role of the medical support team is extremely important.”

At the Door County Triathlon, Ryan says, the medical tent will be busier than the emergency room at Ministry’s Sturgeon Bay hospital on a given day. “You better have a great medical partner who can help you weather that storm,” he says. “Fortunately, Ministry has been there for us since the beginning.”

Though their efforts are aimed at health improvements for the entire peninsula, Luders says Ministry reaps its own internal rewards from supporting the silent sports community as well.

At last month’s Blossom Run in Egg Harbor, Luders gathered all the Ministry employees who were taking part in the event as runners or in support roles for a photo. That’s when they realized the kind of culture they were helping to create.

There were nearly 40 Ministry employees and family members taking part in or supporting the race.

“So not only is this support impacting the community, but we see it directly with our own employees,” Luders says.

Thanks to the support of sponsors like Ministry, such pictures are growing with each year throughout Door County.