MARKETINGEXECUTIVEJOINSTRINITYHEALTH

Trinity Health is pleased to announce that Pam Hopkins has joined our leadership team as Vice President of Marketing and Com succeeds Randy Schwan, MBA, who is retiring after 28 y Health, including 20 years as vice president.

Hopkins will oversee development and implementation initiatives in keeping with Trinity’s mission and play a sig shaping the organization’s communications strategy

A healthcare executive with more than three decades of and marketing experience, Hopkins began her career as consultant with Odney Advertising Agency in Bismarck tenure, she was responsible for providing strategic com marketing consulting to the agency’s largest healthcare

She joined Medcenter One Health Systems in 2005, bec President of Marketing She led brand development and Medcenter’s regional care system and spearheaded the augu a St ateg c Planning and Marketing Committee of the Medcenter One Board.

In 2012, when Medcenter merged with Sanford Health, Hopkins became Executive Director of Marketing, serving as Sanford’s senior marketing leader for the Bismarck Region leadership team

Hopkins has been an active community supporter, serving as a Chamber of Commerce Junior Achievement Business Consultant to elementary classrooms She is a graduate of the Leadership Bismarck program through the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC and also served as a volunteer program director

The Underwood native graduated summa cum laude from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and marketing She also studied at Oxford University, England

Schwan joined Trinity Health in 1995 as Director of Marketing and Community Education and was promoted to the position of Vice President in 2003. Later he was named Vice President, Mission Integration, a role that involved integrating Trinity Health’s Mission and Strategic Vision as a core business process across the care system During his 28-year tenure, he was often the public face of Trinity Health, appearing at press conferences during times of natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic

Among the initiatives he oversaw were rebranding programs in 1999 and 2018, promotion of key service lines, Trinity Health’s centennial celebration and guiding communication strategy for the opening of the new Healthcare Campus and Medical District

Weigh2changeclassreceives Cdcrecognition

Trinity Health’s Center for Diabetes Education’s diabetes prevention program, Weigh 2 Change, was awarded its Certificate of Full Plus Recognition from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for offering an effective, quality and evidence-based program that meets all standards for CDC recognition

The center already held a Certificate of Full Recognition from the CDC; however, the CDC now recognizes Trinity Health’s Center for Diabetes Education’s diabetes prevention program as a FULL Plus member meaning that it will retain its recognition for five years as opposed to three years.

“The sustained success of your lifestyle change program makes an invaluable contribution to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, both in your community and nationally,” said Miriam T. Bell, MPH, Team Lead of the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program. “It is programs like yours that are turning the tide in the fight against the epidemic of type 2 diabetes.”

Weigh 2 Change is a yearlong lifestyle intervention program that helps people – especially those with prediabetes –make lasting lifestyle changes to improve health and prevent type 2 diabetes Its key components are nutritional and exercise counseling, group support and the use of trained lifestyle coaches

An estimated 96 million people in the U S have prediabetes – defined by the CDC as a person with a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes Research shows that people can lower their risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% by losing 5-7% of their body weight and exercising moderately 30 minutes a day, five days a week

Program Coordinator Michelle Fundingsland, RDN, LRD, says the CDC recognition gives participants the assurance that they’re receiving education and support that are effective and science-based “This has been a team effort throughout the years,” she said “We’re extremely proud to have our program recognized by the CDC We owe this to our team and our program participants who have worked hard to achieve this success and maintain it ”

Weigh 2 Change will begin its August session with “Session Zero” meetings, which are informational sessions where potential participants learn about the program to decide whether it’s right for them. Session Zero meetings will be held June 27 and July 25 at noon in the Trinity Health Community Conference Room at Town & Country Center. Only one session zero meeting is required. If you are unable to attend one of the session zero meetings, please call 701-8572850 to discuss available options.

Weigh 2 Change classes are held on Tuesdays from 12 to 1 p.m. or 4 to 5 p.m. in the Trinity Health Community Conference Room.