Ensuring our community supports and promotes easy, healthful choices
Since 2009, the Heart of New Ulm (HONU) has had a tremendous impact in helping people in New Ulm improve their health. Throughout our community, many individuals and organizations have worked together to ensure the places we live, learn, work and play all support and promote easy, healthful choices.
By tailoring policies, systems and changes to environments based on our community’s unique needs and culture, HONU has become woven into the fabric of our community and helped residents achieve impressive health outcomes.
2021 Highlights
Working off our three-year action plan for 2020-2022, HONU in 2021 continued its focus on three key areas: 1) healthy lifestyles, 2) mental health, and 3) addiction and risky use of substances. Thank you to the many community volunteers who served on the HONU leadership and action teams in 2020 and 2021!
HONU Impact Report
Health care is moving beyond hospital and clinic walls and out into communities. In New Ulm, Minn., the Heart of New Ulm has been paving the way. Results big and small have converged to transform the community and propel a shift to a culture where health is a shared value for all.
The Story of New Ulm:
A Population Health Transformation
The Heart of New Ulm Project was one of several stories of health care transformation spotlighted at the 2016 Healthcare Analytics Summit in Salt Lake City. A 20-minute documentary, produced by Health Catalyst, highlights the project’s enviable results across all major clinical and financial indicators and the importance of the Heart of New Ulm from a national health care perspective.
Featured Worksite Highlight:
J&R Schugel’s Worksite Garden
Anytime an employee at J&R Schugel Trucking needs a stress-relieving wellness break, they don’t need to walk any further than just outside the front door. There they’ll find an inviting worksite garden to help them re-energize and re-focus. The garden started out as a building morale project led by the company's Wellness Committee.
HONU Published Scientific Research
From its beginnings in 2009 through 2018, HONU was a population health research project conducted by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation® (MHIF). MHIF designed the award-winning initiative in partnership with key community partners, including New Ulm Medical Center, as a 10-year demonstration project to identify and deliver the best interventions to reduce heart disease at a population level.
The findings and successes from the 10-year research phase of the project have been published in 24 scientific articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals.
For Community Health Improvement Professionals
From our research partner, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation:
More Success Stories
Want to Make a Difference?
Send us a message and we'll help you connect to an initiative that interests you!