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Affinity Celebrates National Volunteer Week

Volunteers contributed more than 150,000 hours of service in 2008

04 / 28 / 2009

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MENASHA, Wis. - Volunteers play an integral part in organizations throughout the Fox Valley. Affinity Health System honors, during National Volunteer Week, the health care volunteers who have donated more than 150,00 hours of their time.

The impact of volunteers’ efforts is staggering:

• Volunteers contributed more than 150,000 hours of service to Affinity Health System last year.
• The cost savings to Mercy Medical Center due to volunteer programs and the work of more than 550 volunteers was more than $1,000,000.
• Time donated by more than 425 St. Elizabeth Hospital volunteers amounts to more than $996,000.
• Through their fundraising efforts, volunteers contributed $88,000 to St. Elizabeth Hospital capital needs and $7,500 in scholarships to local students.

“We want to thank and acknowledge the hundreds of volunteers who make our hospitals run,” said Daniel E. Neufelder, president and CEO of Affinity Health System. “Thank you, volunteers, every day you are heroes who make a difference in our workplace and the lives of those you serve.”

Affinity’s volunteer programs offer many opportunities to meet the interests, skills, and schedules of a variety of volunteers ages 14 or older.

Those who are interested in volunteering can find out about Affinity’s volunteer program at www.affinityhealth.org/volunteer. Information on volunteering can also be obtained by calling the Volunteer Services department at each hospital: at Mercy Medical Center (920) 223-0225; St. Elizabeth Hospital (920) 738-2425; and Calumet Medical Center (920) 849-7506.

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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a Catholic mission-oriented regional health care network, is a partnership of Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. Affinity Health System is the Fox Valley’s third largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and is nationally listed among the top 50 hospitals for quality and efficiency (Thomson Reuters, Modern Healthcare). For eight consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI Health (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation – Affinity ranks no. 29 in the 2009 report. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent among hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It is ranked 31st in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 22 family practice and specialty clinics – including two fully operational Medical Home models – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.