Cooperative Extension Service Communications and Technology Department 3354 1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071 (307) 766-6342 • fax (307) 766-3998 • www.uwyo.edu

 

For Immediate Release

Story contact:

Dee Pridgen: (307) 766-6416

 

 

Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor

Phone: (307) 766-6342

E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu

Archived News Site www.uwyo.edu/agadmin/news/news.htm

 

Date: Sept. 25, 2006

 

Speaker at Thursday UW conference receives Heinz award

            A keynote speaker for Thursday’s consumer issues conference at the University of Wyoming was among six Americans selected as 12th Annual Heinz Award honorees Sept. 25 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

             William Thomas, M.D., received the honor in the human condition category. Thomas of Sherburne, N.Y., is an international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare. He serves as president of The Center for Growing and Becoming, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and developing constructive, holistic approaches to aging and the care of elders. The Heinz Awards, honoring groundbreaking achievements in human endeavor, will be presented at a private ceremony in Pittsburgh Oct. 24.

            Conference co-chair Dee Pridgen, professor and associate dean in the College of Law, said, "We knew we had a gem of a speaker in Dr. William Thomas, a visiting AARP scholar, when we added him as a conference keynote speaker earlier this year. Hearing that he has received this prestigious Heinz award simply confirms that his visit to our campus will be noteworthy and a valuable experience for those who are able to hear him speak."

            Theme for the UW conference is “Home On The Range.” Thomas is presenting “The Green House: Long-Term Care Options” Thursday morning, and his luncheon keynote topic is “Eldertopia.”

            Home loan practices, long-term care, housing issues and a panel discussion by state legislators are part of the conference. Information about the UW conference is at www.uwyo.edu/consumerconference/.

            According to the The Heinz Awards Web site, www.heinzawards.net/articleDetail.asp?articleID=193, Thomas began his medical career at a New York nursing home where he was “struck by the pervasive unhappiness of its residents.” He determined most residents suffered from three plagues – loneliness, helplessness and boredom – and that “the facilities themselves were serving more as hospitals than homes...Thomas set out to resuscitate the industry in 1991 with the creation of the Eden Alternative.”

            Heinz information states by creating coalitions of people – staff and residents –dedicated to creating livable habitats for human beings rather than facilities for the frail, “Thomas’ organization is creating environments where residents are healthier and happier.”

             More than 300 nursing homes across the country have been “Edenized” with bright décor, gardens, pets and on-site day care for kids, according to the Web site.

             Thomas took the concept further in 2001 with the creation of “Green Houses” – small community residences that meet all the quality standards of a highly regulated industry but do so within a setting that feels like home, according to the Heinz Web site. Green House programs are planned in all 50 states over the next five years, according to the Web site.

            Pridgen said documentary film maker Dale Bell of Santa Monica, California, will film Thomas' speech in Laramie for a planned documentary on "The Greening of Wyoming."

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