Star Tribune names FirstLight Health System a 2017 Top 150 Workplace

FirstLight Health System has once again been named one of the Top 150 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2017 and will also be published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 25.

Produced by the same team that compiles the 26-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The analysis included responses from over 69,000 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations.

The rankings in the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces are based on survey information collected by WorkplaceDynamics, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention. FirstLight was ranked 23rd out of 50 mid-sized companies.

Randy Ulseth, FirstLight’s CEO, comments “Every day, FirstLight employees demonstrate the core behaviors that make it a Top Workplace: excellence, teamwork and professionalism while taking the time to be active participants in their hometown communities.”

Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, “The companies in the
Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.”

To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Over 2,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely based on employee responses.

FirstLight Health System Nurse Practitioner Beth Good Wins National Association’s Excellence Award

FirstLight and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners™ (AANP) congratulate Beth Good, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, who is receiving a 2017 American State Award for Excellence this week at the AANP’s national conference in Philadelphia. The AANP annually bestows this prestigious award to a nurse practitioner (NP) in each state who demonstrates excellence in their area of practice. Dr. Good, who is one of 7,663 NPs currently licensed in Minnesota, is traveling to Philadelphia to be honored at the AANP’s Salute to the States event.

The State Award for Excellence, founded in 1991, recognizes an NP in each state who demonstrates excellence in clinical practice. In 1993, the AANP extended the state award to recognize the efforts of an individual who had made a significant contribution toward increasing the awareness and acceptance of NPs. Past recipients have included physicians, legislators, educators, and others making a difference in the field. NPs are also eligible for the advocate award for non-clinical practice initiatives related to leadership, precepting, policy, politics, research, education, or community affairs.

Good practices at FirstLight Health System in Mora, Minn., where she has helped numerous patients suffering from mental illness since she started there in 2012. In addition to her role at FirstLight, Good is a nurse clinician consultant for an independent private practice and is the director of psychiatric services at Recovering Hope Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in Mora. 

“I am so proud to represent FirstLight and the other amazing NPs who serve our communities,” said Good. “I especially want to acknowledge Dr. Tim Richardson, my collaborating psychiatrist; Jessica Stokes, RN; and my colleagues Janet Wilkinson, APRN, ANP-BC and Mary Lagaard, DNP, APRN. These amazing individuals have all helped me to be the provider and person I am today.”

Good has been a psychiatric nurse for 29 years and a specialist in prescribing psychotropic medications for the past 17. She has a holistic philosophy of care, one that is focused on treating the mind, body, and spirit with a positive, dynamic, and recovery-focused approach to health and overall well-being.     

“Beth is a well-known champion for integrating behavioral health services at FirstLight and has worked in collaboration with our Family Practice providers to provide quality mental health services to those in need,” said FirstLight CEO Randy Ulseth. “We commend Beth for her dedication and service to helping address the mental health crisis confronting Central Minnesota.”

About Beth Good, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC                                                                                           Dr. Good provides psychiatric medication management and psychotherapy/health counseling to her patients and their families, employing Cognitive Behavioral therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, trauma-informed intervention, and sensory-integration techniques in her practice. Over the past six years she has been instrumental in integrating behavioral health services at FirstLight Health System in Mora, Minnesota and is currently serving as Integrative Behavioral Health Treatment Director at Recovering Hope Treatment Center, a women’s residential treatment program also located in Mora.

In her work, Dr. Good enjoys discussing health and life goals with her patients, focusing on their strengths and resilience to work through their challenges to chart a positive course forward.  Dr. Good uses evidence-based medications and approaches to treat psychiatric/mental health disorders, staying current with the latest therapies.   

Beth received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Minnesota, specializing in psychiatric mental health nursing; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mankato State in 1988, and a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from Georgia State University in 1994. For her capstone project at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Good developed and designed The Good Mood Protocol for the Screening, Referral and Management of Major Depression, now a widely used protocol. In addition to the AANP Award of Excellence for Minnesota, Dr.  Good received the March of Dimes, Nurse of the Year Award for Advanced Practice. 

Get your required MN High School Sports Qualifying Exam, for free!

Also learn about:

• Hydration
• Facts about energy and sports drinks
• Information on concussions, mental health and nutrition