News

Contact: Sasha Dull

MADISON – Wisconsin Forward Award, the state’s premier organization for assessing and recognizing high-performance management principles, will honor the 2014 award recipients at a ceremony and reception at the Monona Terrace Conference and Convention Center in Madison on the evening of December 10, 2014. The ceremony will celebrate the accomplishments of four Wisconsin organizations that have benefited from the program’s services and learning opportunities, as well as the thousands of service hours contributed by its volunteer Board of Examiners.

Four organizations are accepting public recognition for their achievements in the 2014 Award program.

The American Society for Quality, Inc (ASQ) and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls will be recognized at the Excellence level – the highest level of achievement possible under the Wisconsin Forward Award. Excellence recipients demonstrate refined approaches, good-to-excellent results, and are considered industry leaders and role models for others.

American Society for Quality, Inc. is a not-for-profit membership organization and is the world’s leading community of people passionate about quality. ASQ creates better workplaces and communities worldwide by advancing learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve results. ASQ has 203 employees with 176 working at its world headquarters in Milwaukee, WI, and 27 working in the China, India, and Mexico National Service Centers (NSCs). As a champion of the quality movement, ASQ product offerings include concepts, technologies, and tools for everyone interested in learning to improve themselves and their world.

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls, is one of 13 hospitals in the Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). SJCP operates a 193-bed community hospital, and also provides outpatient, residential and in-home services in a variety of locations which allows the organization to meet the service needs of the communities it services across the care continuum. SJCP three core competencies–Servant Leadership, community partnership and a passion for mission-driven services to meet the needs of the most vulnerable–are leveraged by its 550 colleagues, 135 physician members of its medical staff and hundreds of volunteers. HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital is guided by an appreciation of its history, a sense of responsibility to meet community healthcare needs today, and a vision to maintain service excellence in the future.

Organizations receiving Proficiency recognition demonstrate significant progress in using performance management principles and practices to advance organizational excellence. 2014Recipients include:

Crossing Rivers Health, Prairie du Chien, is non-profit 25- bed Critical Access Hospital established in 1957 that employs more than 330 healthcare professionals. CRH provides more than 60 services to fulfill the healthcare needs of communities in across Southwest Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa, including medical, surgical, obstetrics, outpatient, rehabilitation, and emergency services. CRH demonstrates the true meaning of service excellence as it strives to deliver high quality, personalized healthcare and education.

Holy Family Memorial, Inc. is the recognized leader and the largest provider of health care services in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The HFM network, with more than 1,200 health care professionals, including 80 providers, is committed to providing each patient and their families with the highest level of personal care, respect, and attention to enhance his or her quality of life, including personalized spiritual care. Network services include an inpatient and outpatient medical center, Walk-In Care, more than 14 clinics, retail pharmacy, a home medical supply retail store, a medically-based wellness center, and a state-of-the-art rehab facility.

Wisconsin Forward Award, Inc. was created in 1997 by the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment to advance the competitive position and world-class status of Wisconsin organizations in the international marketplace, and to enhance learning, continuous improvement, and enterprise performance. The award, modeled after the Baldrige National Quality Award program, promotes excellence in organizational management, recognizes the achievements and results of Wisconsin organizations implementing performance excellence systems, and publicizes successful performance excellence management strategies.

All types and sizes of Wisconsin organizations are eligible to apply, including manufacturers, service companies, small businesses, educational institutions, health care organizations, and non-profit organizations, including trade and professional associations, government entities, and charities.

Bill Sexton, Chief Executive Officer at Crossing Rivers Health, shared the organization’s excitement at receiving this recognition. “Receiving this award is a great milestone achievement in our organization’s journey of excellence. To be recognized as a Wisconsin Forward Award recipient means we’re doing great things and on the right track in advancing our organization. We are dedicated to providing the best for our patients and our staff.”

Wisconsin Forward Award is administered by the Wisconsin Center for Performance Excellence. Visit www.wisquality.org to learn more about the program and awards gala.

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