Gardetto donates $1 million to support wellness pilot at Aurora Health Care

Milwaukee – Local businesswoman Nan Gardetto announced she will donate $1 million to the Aurora Health Care Foundation to pilot an innovative integrative medicine program that aims to help people better manage and prevent chronic health issues. This program, named the Lifestyle Initiative is expected to begin in mid–2015 focusing on people served in 16 Aurora Health Care clinic sites in eastern Wisconsin.

“Visionary donors like Nan Gardetto allow Aurora Health Care to explore innovative, effective ways of providing care, so that more people who face serious health issues have better tools to manage their health – physically, mentally and spiritually,” said Nick Turkal MD, president and CEO of Aurora Health Care.

Chronic health conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, impact communities globally. They are the root cause of more serious health issues, including hospitalization, amputation, loss of vision and others, especially when symptoms go untreated.

Additionally, a recent survey of 800 Aurora Health Care patients showed that more than half of the respondents were interested in receiving primary care that was holistic and well–focused. One out of three of those interested patients shared they would consider switching doctors in order to receive this type of care.

The Lifestyle Initiative will study the impact of integrative medicine in primary care plans on individuals prone to developing or currently managing chronic health issues. The project will engage 16 Aurora primary care clinic locations, monitoring clinical metrics –such as blood pressure changes, BMI reduction and overall quality of life improvement.

“This commitment to integrative medicine aims to help people lead their best, healthiest lives, while creating a sustainable, expandable care delivery model,” said Gardetto, who also serves on the Aurora Health Care Board of Directors.

This program aims to provide a stronger support team to help individuals recognize symptoms and empower them to better manage their health, with the potential of reversing damage often created by chronic health issues.

For more information on Aurora Health Care’s Integrative Medicine program, visitwww.aurora.org/services/integrative-medicine.