Hospital Honored for Rural Health Promotion
Award Commemorates Devoted OHA Associate 

COLUMBUS – A small northwest Ohio hospital with a big reputation for community health promotion has received new recognition for its work from the Ohio Hospital Association’s Foundation for Healthy Communities.  Fostoria Community Hospital became the first recipient today of the David Hendershot Rural Health Promotion Award.

The award was presented to Laura Ritzler, director of the hospital’s Positive Lifestyles wellness department, by Dr. Alvin D. Jackson, director, Ohio Department of Health.  Jackson was the featured speaker at a Leadership Luncheon during the Ohio Hospital Association Annual Meeting at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. The award comes with a $1,000 check made possible by contributions to the Foundation in Hendershot’s memory.

Fostoria Community Hospital is a critical access hospital serving Seneca, Hancock and Wood counties. The hospital’s Positive Lifestyles department has been providing a comprehensive wellness program to hospital employees, local companies and the community for more than 17 years – long before such efforts gained current popularity.

Community collaboration is a key component of Fostoria’s Positive Lifestyles work. Examples of programs the hospital has offered with local community partners include:

• A health ministry program with 13 local churches to offer health screenings, education programs and loaned medical equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs.

• A task force with local emergency medical services, American Red Cross, American Heart Association and schools that results in installation of more than 40 automated external defibrillators throughout the community and training of 230 people to use them to improve survival rates in sudden cardiac arrests.

• Tobacco cessation and prevention services for local businesses, school children, pregnant women and others.

• A 13-week after-school nutrition and exercise program with Fostoria Community Schools and a local YMCA to help prevent obesity among sixth-graders in addition to an adult weight loss program that has helped more than 400 persons lose weight.

• A 13-week after-school nutrition and exercise program with Fostoria Community Schools and a local YMCA to help prevent obesity among sixth-graders in addition to an adult weight loss program that has helped more than 400 persons lose weight.

• Numerous other programs including child safety seat checks, flu and pneumonia vaccinations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes, community health needs assessments, cancer and heart health screenings and a summer walking program.

The award presented to Fostoria is named for David Hendershot, a field director for the Ohio Hospital Association more than 26 years before his death in October 2006.  Hendershot was a passionate supporter of Ohio’s small and rural hospitals and often worked with OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities to help provide support and resources to help those hospitals better serve their communities.

Larry Thornhill, President and CEO of Berger Health System in Circleville, wrote of Hendershot, “I was convinced from the moment I met him that he was committed to the strengthening and sustaining of small and rural hospitals in the state of Ohio. His drive and energy was, I believe, directly responsible for many smaller hospitals to still be in operation today.”

“David was a true friend and advocate of Ohio’s rural hospitals and the communities they serve. He will be truly missed,” wrote David Meckstroth, President/CEO of Upper Valley Medical Center in Troy.

The Foundation plans to give the David Hendershot Rural Health Promotion Award annually to honor his work and maintain his passionate support of Ohio’s small and rural hospitals for the betterment of the communities they serve. 

Also nominated for the award were:

• Bucyrus Community Hospital

• Community Memorial Hospital, Hicksville

• Fulton County Health Center, Wauseon

• Magruder Hospital, Port Clinton

• Harrison Community Hospital, Cadiz

• Holzer Medical Center – Jackson

• Memorial Hospital of Union County, Marysville

• Morrow County Hospital, Mount Gilead

• University Hospital Conneaut Medical Center

The Foundation for Healthy Communities was established in 1994 and its mission is to advance good health for all Ohioans. It initiates and champions health improvement and education by engaging partners, promoting proven strategies and advocating for wellness. Learn more about the Foundation for Healthy Communities at www.HealthyCommunitiesOhio.org.

The Ohio Hospital Association was established in 1915 and currently represents 170 hospitals and 40 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA is a membership-driven organization that provides proactive leadership to create an environment in which Ohio hospitals are successful in serving their communities. Visit OHA at www.ohanet.org. 

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