Abbott Northwestern Hospital Receives $2 Million Gift For Integrative Medicine From The Ted And Roberta Mann Foundation

MINNEAPOLIS, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott Northwestern Hospital has received a $2 million gift from the Ted and Roberta Mann Foundation to support the hospital's Institute for Health and Healing.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000407/ALLINAHCLOGO )

"This generous gift from the Ted and Roberta Mann Foundation, combined with the gift from the George Family Foundation, will allow us to continue our focus on creating a healing environment for patients and staff at Abbott Northwestern," said Denny DeNarvaez, president of Abbott Northwestern. In November 2002, Abbott Northwestern announced a $2 million gift from Penny and Bill George and the George Family Foundation.

Roberta Mann Benson is the daughter of Ted Mann, the theatre magnate, movie producer, real estate owner and philanthropist, who died in 2001 in Los Angeles. She received her bachelor's degree from St. Mary's University in Minnesota and is a life coach and currently pursuing a master's degree in counseling and psychotherapy at the Adler Institute in Minneapolis.

"My father instilled in me a deep commitment to philanthropy and a need to give back to the community," said Mann. "Twelve years ago, my father started the Ted Mann Family Resource Center at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) to serve early stage breast cancer patients. There, integrative medicine is used in the form of mind-body approaches to coping with cancer. He funded the Center with a $12 million commitment."

A desire to continue the Mann family legacy of supporting innovations within the medical field resulted in the $2 million commitment to the Institute for Health and Healing, which also embraces the holistic model of care, incorporating mind, body and spirit. Mann gives of her time and energy, as well as financial assistance to both local and national organizations and has a sincere passion for others. She has also encouraged her son, John, and daughter, Blythe Brenden, to be active in the leadership of local non-profits in their communities. Blythe, who lives in Minneapolis, serves on the board of the family foundation and is very active in numerous not-for-profit organizations. "The entire family is dedicated to making a difference in the world," said Sid Mallory, president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation.

The Institute for Health and Healing emphasizes the role of self-care and combines the best of conventional medicine with the best of other healing traditions. The Institute supports and promotes holistic models of care that embrace the needs and strengths of the individual's mind, body and spirit. Programs of the Institute for Health and Healing include:

Outpatient Services -- to be located in new space at the corner of East 28th Street and Chicago Avenue that will open in July, services will include healing therapies such as acupuncture and massage therapy Inpatient Services -- provided to patients while at the hospital, one-to-one services promote healing and include music therapy, massage therapy and other mind-body therapies Research -- to identify best practices through data analysis and participation in clinical trials Education -- professional education in conventional and complementary care, patient and client education that promotes self-managed health and wellness, and community classes and programs that provide an understanding of the principals and therapies of integrative medicine

"The Institute for Health and Healing is more than a place," said DeNarvaez. "It is a catalyst for developing, demonstrating and implementing new models of integrative medicine throughout Abbott Northwestern. Our vision is that the Institute for Health and Healing at Abbott Northwestern will be the national model in whole-person, patient-centered care by providing inpatient and outpatient care, research and education."

Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern Hospital is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a non-profit network of hospitals, clinics and other health care services. Abbott Northwestern is found online at http://www.abbottnorthwestern.com/ and the latest health information is at http://www.medformation.com/ .

CONTACT: Jennifer Syltie Johnson, Abbott Northwestern Hospital MediaRelations, phone, +1-612-863-4801, or pager, +1-612-654-7488

Web site: http://www.abbottnorthwestern.com/http://www.medformation.com/