M A Y 2 0 1 4

S P E C T R U M H E A L T H
C O M P A N I E S
Proudly serving the communities of Babbitt, Brainerd, Burnsville, Cook, Duluth, Ely, Eveleth,
Grand Rapids, Metro/Faribault, Orr, Rochester, St. Cloud, Silver Bay and Willmar.

Eveleth/Virginia Office
2000 Siegel Blvd
Eveleth, MN 55734
218-741-3013
FAX: 218-741-1448

Twin Cities Office
6205 Crossman Lane
Inver Grove Heights, MN
55076
651-451-0569
FAX: 651-455-1179

www.spectrumhealthcos.com

is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neuro-
logical disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling vol-
untary muscles (muscle action we are able to control, such as those in the arms,
legs, and face). The disease belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron
diseases, which are characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor
neurons. Eventually, all muscles under voluntary control are affected, and individ-
uals lose their strength and the ability to move their arms, legs, and body. When
muscles in the diaphragm and chest wall fail, people lose the ability to breathe
without ventilatory support. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure,
usually within 3 to 5 years from the onset of symptoms. However, about 10 per-
cent of those with ALS survive for 10 or more years.
Seeing as all of us work for a healthcare company, Im sure at one time or another you have heard of or met someone
with ALS, aka Lou Gehrigs disease. In honor of ALS Awareness Month, I want to share my ALS story with you. My
dad, Steve Venaas, was officially diagnosed with ALS in the beginning of 2012, though his symptoms started to appear
in late 2010.

The first indication that something was wrong with my dad was he began to stumble over words, forcing him to speak
shorter, simpler sentences. The doctors initially suggested these symptoms were due to anxiety and stress caused by the
recent death of his father (my grandpa). Within the next year or so, he completely lost his ability to speak, chewing and
swallowing became difficult and his muscles started to weaken. Luckily we were still able to communicate daily; he
caught on quickly to texting and also used an assistive speech device to talk for him. After visiting several doctors and
specialists, he finally received a diagnosis, Motor Neuron Disease, which was more specifically diagnosed as ALS with-
in a few months. Due to the rapid onset of this disorder, he was forced to retire in the summer of 2012 after working
as a butcher for 30+ years. This was devastating for him because his work was his livelihood; he got to spend every day
with his best friends and customers he had known for decades. His ALS continued to progressed very quickly;
Continued on page 3

Michelle Kosnitch, LPN
at Ely CFL since 2008,
recently came across
another Carefree-
Carefree, AZ!


In each monthly article for our
newsletter, I try to focus on issues
and events that deal with our Mis-
sion, Values and organizational
goals. I have shared with you
issues and events both within and
outside our company that impact
our operations and shape our
future. Some of it is good and
refreshing like the new projects we
have been able to do, and some may not be very good
such as the state and federal budget problems, impacting
our rate cuts over the years.

Taking an excerpt from our Mission statement,
Through the use of dedicated and professional
staff, next week the nation celebrates National Nurs-
es Week. While Spectrum employs nearly 500 individu-
als, with varying backgrounds and skill levels, nurses
make up a small percentage of this total. Much of our
success can be attributed to the quality (nursing) opera-
tions provided throughout our service areas, which
includes regulatory compliance, but above all the
compassion and dedication to those served. Thank you
to our RN and LPN personnel!

The majority of the Spectrum team serve in roles direct-
ly and indirectly caring for those we serve - - whether
youre in Home Care, Assisted Living or our corporate
offices. Regardless your role, you all make a difference
to the clients, families, vendors, co-workers you come
in contact with.

In order to be the best, we need to hire the best!
Spectrum is always looking for hardworking, dedicated
people to join our team. Assisted Living and Home Care
referral bonuses are available for referring an employee,
client or resident. Ask your supervisor for additional
details.

Now that summer is officially on the horizon, we con-
tinue to have the small guest cabin on Lake Shagawa
in Ely that is available for free for any Spectrum Em-
ployee. Go up there, enjoy the beautiful scenery and
recreational opportunities. Your only expense is your
gas and groceries. If interested contact your supervisor
for scheduling. If you go, the staff at Lakeside and
Carefree Living will welcome you and give you a per-
sonal tour of their wonderful facilities.

Enjoy the warmer weather and be safe. Thank each and
every one of you for your good work each day.
Merle
Merle Sampson
H o r i z o n s P a g e 2
MESSAGE FROM THE OWNER / CEO
Cook CFL
Ruth Rathman

Babbitt CFL
Melissa Davey

Brainerd CFL
Lorna Heidmann
Angela Herold
Tiffany Reed
Debbie Hegli
Michelle Wagoner

Burnsville CFL
Chrystal Bruestle
Jennifer Lanigan

Silver Bay CFL
Constance Haldorson

Orr CFL
Emily Koch
Kendra Wallin
Karla Knapper
Tessa Mankus
Heather Fealy

Eveleth HC
Katherine Disterhaft
Lyndsey Wright

Willmar HC
Rebecca Johnson
Mikayla Holm
Quality in a
service or product
is not what you
put into it. It is
what the client
or customer gets
out of it.

Peter Drucker

H o r i z o n s P a g e 3
Actors & Actresses, Royal Families, Presidents, Disney
Characters and Barbie All Reside at Carefree Living in Silver Bay

On Tuesday, April 8, Joanne Anderson, an 82-year-old resident of Carefree Living
in Silver Bay, displayed an extensive, decades-old paper doll collecton to resi-
dents, staf, and guests. She displayed boards flled with paper dolls datng back
to 1898 and more than 150 untouched paper doll books and albums. Actors and
actresses from the 1940s to today, presidents, royal families, ballerinas, Disney
characters, TV characters, Barbie, and others are represented in Andersons
books.

As a four-year-old child, Anderson was reading a magazine when she came upon
an advertsement for a paper doll collecton representng the Queen of England.
At the tme (1935), money was tght, and she thought she shouldnt ask for any-
thing. Yet she mustered the courage to approach her aunt, who at the tme was the only one in the family who had a job. She
asked her aunt for the money to make the purchase; her aunt looked at her and said, Absolutely! This was the start of Ander-
sons collecton. The cost: 10 cents. Submited by Gretchen Jacobson, Administratve Coordinator, Silver Bay CFL
extensive muscle deterioration and weight loss, inability to chew or swallow, constant fatigue and breathing problems.
My dad was a strong, healthy man and to watch him go through that and have no way to help was devastating. I cant
imagine how he felt knowing his body was failing him but his mind was still sharp as a tack. In April of 2013 he had a
feeding tube inserted to help combat his drastic weight loss caused by the inability to swallow. This helped for a little
while, enough to fulfill his dream of buying an RV and spending the summer traveling and camping. Again his disease
took a turn for the worse in September 2013, when he suffered his first bought of pneumonia. After a few days in a Du-
luth hospital, at his request he was allowed to go home. The next few months were very hard for him physically. He was
in and out of the clinic and hospital for various different reasons. He was constantly on a bi-pap machine to help him
breath. On December 2
nd
he was again admitted to the hospital, this time to the ICU for respiratory failure. They told
him he would not be able to breathe on his own ever again. Per his request he did not want to be put on life support.
He passed away December 5
th,
2013 at the age of 54. Unfortunately, my dad he was not one of the lucky 10% who sur-
vive for more than 10 years.

Someone once told me my dad was a perfect gentleman which he absolutely was. My dad was kind, patient, devoted,
positive, honest and a genuinely good person. He loved being with his family, my mom (his wife) of 32 years, 3 children
and 3 grandchildren, and we were blessed to have him in our lives. My dad once told me Worry won't add a single mo-
ment to our lives. I truly do live 1 day at a time. Life isnt always fair, but I am happy knowing my dad is no longer suf-
fering.

Fortunately, my dad qualified for Medicare allowing him get nursing and therapy services through Spectrum. Although
he was a very private and stubborn man, he really liked his nurse, Natalie Jensen, and didnt mind her visits. Thank you,
Natalie! My dad is a great example of someone who, with help from Spectrum, was able to stay in his home even
though he was very ill.

In honor of my dad, I plan to participate in the 2015 Black Woods Blizzard Tour (a 3 day, 400 mile snowmobile ride) to
raise funds for the ALS Association. They helped my dad get the equipment he needed when he was sick without hesita-
tion; it is such a wonderful organization. The ALS Association also holds several Walk to Defeat ALS fundraisers
throughout the year in many different cities. Please visit their website (alsa.org) for more information.


Submitted by:
Brittany
Venaas (Wolf)

Pictured:
Steve Venaas,
Summer of
2013.
ALS from page 1

H o r i z o n s P a g e 4
SPECTRUM
(S)MILES UPDATE
Congratulatons to: Chris Annen, Monika Brown, Lyndsey
Brown, Dawn Carlson, Jan Carter, Kathy Celley, Jes-
sica Gifford, Deb Kahn, Jen Karr, Deb Lenzen,
Yvonne Morrison, Cory Nynas, Bobbi OBrein, and
Alicia Sobyra who received recogniton from their supervisors or
co-workers for going above and beyond their day-to-day dutes.
These individuals will receive points that can be applied towards
Spectrum merchandise shown in the Spectrum (S)Miles catalog. To
recognize someone for their outstanding contributons, request a
Spectrum (S)Miles recogniton form from your branch ofce or ob-
tain one from a designated locaton. Hundreds of (S) Miles have been
given to deserving Spectrum employees since the program began in
2010.
Would you like to receive our newsleter via email? Sign up by emailing: humanresources@spectrumchealth.com
Period Ending April 30, 2014

Lost Time Accidents..0
Injury-Related Days Lost this Month......0
Injury-Related Days Lost 2014...........0
Minor injuries Reported 2014.....12

Please work safely!
Lost-time injuries drive up our cost of providing quality care.
humanresources@spectrumchealth.com
Competing financial priorities getting in the way of
saving for retirement?
Planning for retirement is an important financial goal. But competing financial
priorities can often get in the way. How do you make it all work? The Personal
Financial Dashboard, a free online planning tool available on the plan website,
can help. Its an easy way to organize your finances, see where you stand, and
make smart money decisions that help you get where you need to go.
An overview gives you the basics and links to a demo of the tool.
http://www.ingdelivers.com/PFD/overview.pdf

For more information contact:
Scott Lichter, Retirement Plan Consultant
952-653-1077
slichter@christensengroup.com
Scott is a free, confidential resource for employees to discuss retirement solu-
tions and individual investment opportunities.
UPDATE YOUR
OFFICE 365 PROFILE
Update your profle to introduce
yourself to co-workers.


HOW DO I EDIT MY PROFILE?
1. Click your name > About me in the top right corner of any
of your Outlook or SharePoint web pages.
2. Click edit your profle.


3. Review or edit your Basic Informaton page or go to another
page by clicking Contact Informaton or Details.











4. To add or update your About me text, click in the About me
box and type a personal descripton. Use the formatng tools
in the ribbon to add special text efects such as bold type, and
bullets.
5. Click Save all and close.
Britanys
ENEFITSSpectrum is constantly evaluat-
ing valuable and cost-effective and bene-
fits for it's employees. Currently, based on in-
dividual employment status, the follow-
ing benefits are available:
Additional details are available from administrative
personnel. Annual open enrollment will be conducted
Fall 2014.
Insurance
Reimbursement
Dental Insurance
Life Insurance
Paid Time Off
401k Retirement
Tuition discount with
Rasmussen College
Scholarship Program
Employee Assistance
Program
And more!