There is no bad idea at Lakewood Health System.

“We have a saying: ‘Wow, not how,” said Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Teresa Fisher. “We don’t start with ‘How are we going to pay for that?’ Instead, we ask ‘Is this the right thing to do to take health and wellness to the next level?’”

Lakewood Health System is one of eight recipients of the Bush Foundation’s 2015 Bush Prize for Community Innovation. The Bush Prize is given to organizations with track records of making great ideas happen. The winners demonstrate a pattern of inclusive, collaborative and resourceful problem-solving processes that lead to innovative solutions. These solutions are effective, equitable and sustainable breakthroughs to community challenges.

“The Bush Prize is an investment in the future of organizations that know how to think bigger and think differently,” said Mandy Ellerton, Community Innovation Director. “We want to take some daily pressure off these extraordinary organizations to give them the time and space to think creatively about their next steps and new challenges.”

Bush Prize winners receive a package that includes promotional support and materials, and an unrestricted grant equal to 25 percent of the organization’s prior fiscal year budget, up to $500,000.

The Foundation received 110 Bush Prize applications from across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. Panels of community members within each of the three states chose the winners from their respective state.

“Innovation can be difficult to define in words, but the track record of these eight organizations paints a clear picture of the concept,” said Bush President Jennifer Ford Reedy. “They all think outside the box, and are open, resourceful and completely invested in finding solutions for the region.”

Lakewood Health System’s organizational culture has promoted remarkable solutions for its community in central Minnesota, including a first-of-its-kind initiative to address food insecurity. The Choose Health program makes healthy, locally grown foods more accessible through physician-prescribed community sustained agriculture shares. The program has improved both the physical health of participants and the economic well-being of local farmers.

Lakewood Health System continues to test and implement other innovations, including an initiative to reduce consumption of sugary beverages among its own employees and a community-wide focus on increasing physical activity.

“The culture supports staff bringing forward ideas. We have seen amazing proposals from our people at all levels,” Fisher said.

2015 Bush Prize winners

Cheyenne River Youth Project

Grand Forks Housing Authority

Hope Community

Impact Foundation

Lakewood Health System

Minnesota Valley Action Council

Northeast South Dakota Community Action Program (aka GROW South Dakota)

Rapid City Area School District #51-4