Donna Zimmerman lives in White Bear Lake and is Vice President of Government and Community Relations at HealthPartners, a non-profit, consumer-governed health care organization in Bloomington, Minnesota.  She has been an outstanding volunteer for the Minnesota Chapter of the March of Dimes for the past 16 years.  Her leadership was instrumental in the passage of the Birth Defects Information System and she helped expand the number of disorders infants in Minnesota are screened for to help detect rare and often hidden diseases that can lead to illness, disability and death.

“The March of Dimes is honored by Donna’s civic leadership and her total dedication to our mission to improve the health of babies,” said Cindy Evans, State Director of the Minnesota Chapter of the March of Dimes.  “She works tirelessly to serve the needs of women and children in getting access to quality healthcare to ensure that all babies are born full term and healthy.”

Not only does Zimmerman lead efforts in Minnesota, she has provided public affairs training and expertise to March of Dimes chapters across the country.  Zimmerman is the first Minnesotan to win the Elaine Whitelaw Award, established in 1992. 

Currently, Zimmerman sits on the Minnesota Chapter Board and has been the Public Affairs Committee Chair for the past seven years.  She helped secure generous support from HealthPartners for the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign and March for Babies Awards Celebration.

In her role at HealthPartners, Zimmerman is responsible for directing public policy, community affairs and Medicare sales, sales call operations and marketing for the HealthPartners organizations.  In 2006, she was named as one of “25 Women to Watch” by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.  She holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from St. Olaf College.

“We are thankful and proud to have Donna Zimmerman as part of our organization. Her dedication and commitment to improving the health and lives of others is evident in everything she does,” said Mary Brainerd, President and CEO, HealthPartners. “It’s wonderful to see her work honored by the March of Dimes and its tireless volunteers.”

The Elaine Whitelaw Volunteer Service Award was established after an endowment was created in Miss Elaine Whitelaw’s honor to recognize her for her outstanding volunteer leadership.  Miss Whitelaw contributed more than five decades of leadership, energy, vision and service to the March of Dimes.  Her personal commitment to volunteerism gave momentum to the volunteer movement in this country. 

The award includes a $5,000 grant to the Minnesota Chapter of the March of Dimes to fund a project chosen by the honoree.

About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. 

About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serves 1.25 million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the fourth year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA’s “America’s Best Health Plans 2008”.
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