(l to r) Kipp Zalman, Nancy Lemke, Shawn Nordby, Mark Stritt, Kevin Taylor, Dave Long, Ronda Ehly, Mark Callahan, Leslie Schroeder, Bri Skrdlant and Bruce Cutright pose with the check presented to the winners of the Oakeson Steiner Big Idea.
On November 10, 2021, the Mary Lanning Healthcare Foundation hosted the Oakeson Steiner Big Idea.
Similar to the “Hastings Big Idea”, Mary Lanning Healthcare employees were encouraged to submit their ideas for a piece of equipment, technology, or other initiative at Mary Lanning. Five applications were selected by administration to present at the Oakeson Steiner Big Idea pitching event. The winner would receive $6,000 from Oakeson Steiner Wealth & Retirement to fund their big idea.
Oakeson Steiner has been a faithful friend of Mary Lanning Healthcare for more than 22 years, and this year they invited employees to present big ideas that would strengthen their department and impact patient satisfaction. “Our job is to improve lives by helping employees plan for the future,” said Josh Yost, Managing Partner at Oakeson Steiner, “the Big Idea allowed us to improve quality of work for the people that our team interacts with every day. We were grateful for the opportunity to participate.”
Five finalists pitched their big ideas in front of judges, Mark Stritt and Leslie Schroeder, representatives from Oakeson Steiner. Members of the Mary Lanning Administrative team also joined employees who attended to support the presenters. The top five finalists included:
Sheri Trindle - IPV-1C Device
Bri Skrdlant and Nancy Lemke - Moveable Car Seat
Kipp Zalman and Kevin Taylor - De-icer Drop Spreader
DeAnn Carpenter - Automatic Vital Signs Machine
Steph Wagner - Portable Vein Visualization System
After careful deliberation, Mark and Leslie announced that they wanted to fund not one, but two big ideas. Bri Skrdlant and Nancy Lemke received $2,500 to purchase a moveable car seat to educate new parents on safe car seat installation. Kip Zalman and Kevin Taylor were also awarded $4,500 to purchase de-icing drop spreader to minimize risk of falls on the Mary Lanning campus and expedite the process of applying ice salt.
Nancy Lemke and Bri Skrdlant, Registered Nurses on the Labor and Delivery floor, expressed their gratitude: “We are grateful for this grant from Oakeson Steiner for the purchase of the Training Seat III. It will serve as a vital tool while educating new parents on car seat use. Our goal is to make car seat use safer and more effective. The Training Seat III will help our patients gain confidence and insight into the proper installation of their car seats for their newborn's first ride home as well as every future ride.”