EXCEPTIONAL GIVING AN UPDATE FOR SUPPORTERS OF EXCEPTIONAL CARE /// FALL 2012 HELPING SICKLE CELL DISEASE PATIENTS FIND A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IN JANUARY, the Cone Health Sickle Cell Center opens adjacent to Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro. It will be the first of its kind in North Carolina and will be open 24/7 to serve the needs of adult sickle cell patients. For the more than 600 patients in Guilford County and neighboring areas, the center will be their medical home and provide consistent care. Eric Dean, MD, and his team of physician extenders and nurses will deliver and coordinate comprehensive medical care. Case managers including some from Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell Agency will guide patients who need assistance with housing, education, employment or psychological counseling. This partnership between Cone Health and the Sickle Cell Agency will provide a stable and effective program to help patients and their families cope with the disease and enjoy a better quality of life. I didn t know I had sickle cell, says 28-year-old Tiffany Cobb, a client of the Sickle Cell Agency. Both of my parents had the trait that gave me the disease. For Cobb and hundreds of other patients, the Sickle Cell Center is an answer to a prayer. In just a few months, the wait for an emergency blood transfusion or an IV drip will be minimized and conveniently delivered in a comfortable and private setting instead of a busy hospital emergency department. Business Leader Honors Grandmother with Generous Gift (following page) Funding to establish the Sickle Cell Center comes from an investment by Cone Health. Patient service fees from Medicaid, Medicare and other medical insurance will fund most of the Center s annual operating costs of $1.5 million. Architect s rendering of Cone Health Sickle Cell Center I didn t know I had sickle cell. Both of my parents had the trait that gave me the disease. Tiffany Cobb, CLIENT However, these fees do not cover patient education materials, emergency assistance and additional case management. While these resources are important to each patient, they are most critical to the 20 percent who live in a crisis mode and experience regular, lengthy and frequent hospitalizations. The case management and assistance will help them break this cycle and find a better quality of life. The Office of Fund Development at Cone Health is seeking charitable gift support and grants totaling $300,000 over three years to pay for patient education materials, emergency assistance and case management. Large or small, each gift makes a difference in providing sickle cell disease patients with the best medical care and support. To date, $100,000 has been committed. www.conehealth.com/giving 336.832.9450 Office of Fund Development 1200 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
HONORING HIS GRANDMOTHER MOTIVATIONS FOR STARTING a business or for making charitable gifts vary. For Rod Jessup, President and founder of Gate City Transportation of Greensboro, the motivation for each is the same: to honor his grandmother. I started the business after spending years driving my grandmother and aunt to doctor s appointments, Jessup says. I saw a need for efficient and friendly non-emergency transportation for our elderly and others unable to drive themselves or ride a bus to medical appointments. His involvement with the Sickle Cell Center grew out of his longtime interest in services for sickle cell patients. His grandmother suffered from sickle cell disease. To honor the woman who is still one of his main inspirations, Jessup pledged a major gift to the Center. A portion of this gift will purchase art for the main waiting room. In addition to helping patients with their medical care with this generous gift, Rod is offering each patient and their loved ones a pleasant and calming space that makes them feel welcome and comfortable, says Bill Porter, Vice President, Fund Development. Rod Jessup, President, Gate City Transportation announces his gift, as Chuck Burns, City Executive, First Citizens Bank, Greensboro, waits to announce the bank s commitment to the Cone Health Sickle Cell Center during the Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell Agency s annual gala at the Airport Marriott on Sept. 23, 2012. YOUR GIFT AND GRANT SUPPORT this year is crucial for Cone Health to make sure each patient has more than the best medical care. Thank you. With your gifts we filled in the gaps to help underserved patients, expanded outreach programming, increased family support programs, enhanced clinical spaces with art, and provided other services to patients. Increasingly these enhanced services characterize the commitment of the hospitals and clinics of Cone Health, distinguishing us statewide and nationally. This newsletter focuses on three programs the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, Congregational Nursing Dental Clinic and the Sickle Cell Center that meet a huge, unmet need in our communities. Lead donors to these programs are also featured in the newsletter. Each program relies on both large and small gifts. As you read the newsletter, we encourage you to begin thinking about which program you may wish to support. In a few weeks, you will receive the year-end direct mail appeal. Additional funding for programs featured in the newsletter, as well as ones in heart treatment and research, are a priority this year. Thank you again for partnering with Cone Health. Ann Lineweaver, Advancement Council Chair, and Bill Porter, Vice President, Fund Development. BILL PORTER Vice President, Fund Development ANN LINEWEAVER Chair, Advancement Council* * The Advancement Council is a group of 80 community volunteers who are supporters and ambassadors spreading awareness about the quality healthcare that is available close to home. 2 EXCEPTIONAL GIVING /// AN UPDATE FOR SUPPORTERS OF EXCEPTIONAL CARE
MEETING AN UNMET NEED THERE ARE FEW THINGS more devastating than a cancer scare especially when a family has little money and there s no medical coverage for even a routine doctor s visit. Many women living below the poverty level often don t know what to do if they suspect there may be a physical problem or discover a lump in their breast. The Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP), a national program implemented at the local level with the help of community financial support, was launched Sept. 4 at Women s Hospital. Residents of Guilford County used to have access to this program, but budget cutbacks in 2010 forced the county to abandon it. Making this program accessible to Guilford County women again was the dream of Christine Brannock, RN, Oncology Outreach Manager at Cone Health Cancer Center. We need it [BCCCP] in our community, Brannock says. I ve seen women who come in who have had lumps for a long time but did nothing about it. They are scared and without insurance and even more afraid to see a doctor. We decided it was critically important to make this program available again in Guilford County. It took a commitment by Cone Heath, local physicians and clinics as well as charitable gifts to make this happen. Women schedule appointments with Brannock and her assistant nurse, Sheila Hughes, on Tuesdays at the Women s Hospital outpatient clinic. The nurses currently see six patients each week, and the clinic is booked a month in advance. Both Brannock and Hughes also offer education and other screenings at health fairs and churches. They often identify candidates for the BCCCP at these events. Shaw Couple Makes Major Gift to Support BCCCP (following page) The program will expand after Hughes completes a sixmonth specialized course, and more women will be seen through BCCCP. We are helping women gain access to care so, if a problem arises, we can treat breast and cervical cancer early, says Brannock, adding that both cancers are treatable if detected early. After receiving her examination, each woman receives a mammogram. If additional testing or treatment is needed, it is paid for through a special category of Medicaid for women who are screened through BCCCP. Hughes and Brannock coordinate the process for each woman. Though the program is new, Brannock and Hughes know they have already made an impact on the women participating in BCCCP. We ve been full, and we haven t even advertised yet. There is a hunger for this life-saving service. We are providing such a service to the community, Hughes says, and I m loving every minute of it. We are helping women gain access to care so, if a problem arises, we can treat breast and cervical cancer early. Christine Brannock, RN Christine Brannock and Sheila Hughes counsel a recent immigrant at the Guilford Refugee Health Fair. Cone Health Office of Fund Development 1200 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 3
DR. JO ANN AND DAVID SHAW (a retired physician and pharmacist respectively) from Summerfield are repeat donors to programs at the Cone Health Cancer Center. We are familiar with the ways thousands of people have benefited from the outreach and screening Christine [Brannock] has been conducting for several years. Fortunately, we are able to make a gift to bring on an additional nurse to help BCCCP reach as many Guilford County women in need as possible in its inaugural year, Jo Ann says. Their philanthropy focuses on supporting programs to help people remove barriers that prevent them from seeking a better quality of life. The Shaws major gift to help staff the BCCCP was made in this spirit. With the generosity and advocacy of community members like Jo Ann and David, Cone Health is able to step in and provide cancer services that otherwise cannot be offered, said Skip Hislop, Vice President, Oncology Services, Cone Health. REACH-ING HIGHER Nurses are benefiting from the RN Educational Advancement for Cone Health (REACH) program. REACH offers $6,000 for tuition and materials to each qualifying Cone Health registered nurse who has a two-year associate s degree and wants to pursue a four-year bachelor s degree in nursing (BSN) while still working. REACH is designed to strengthen Cone Health s nursing practice and leadership and enhance patient care. The program s goal is for 80 percent of the nursing staff to have BSN degrees by 2014. Currently, 59 percent of nurses hold that degree. To provide this opportunity to all qualifying nurses, Cone Health is seeking charitable gift support for REACH. Research has documented that hospitals that employ more nurses with at least four-year degrees have better patient outcomes. We are providing the means for many Cone Health nurses who otherwise could not have done so to advance their education, says Lisa Boland, REACH administrator. While still in its infancy, the program is already making an impact on patient care. Opportunities also exist for nurses with a BSN degree to pursue a MSN, DNP or PhD degree. Rhonda Rumple, MedLink Program Manager, speaks glowingly of the opportunity. I have used every class in my current work, and it has helped provide further thought that has led to strategies and initiatives that change outcomes for our patients, Rumple says. My department has benefited already from this, and now the network is benefiting as I lead a breakthrough readmissions project. Much of what I have learned in my last class is now guiding me. EMPLOYEES PAY IT FORWARD You now have the opportunity to change the world, said Chad Brough, Executive Director, Office of Patient Experience, as he talked to the 12 employees gathered for the Pay-It-Forward kickoff breakfast in September. The employees randomly received $1,000 Golden Tickets during the recent People Excellence Celebrations at the Greensboro Coliseum. The 12 recipients will choose projects that reflect the Cone Health Values of Caring for Our Patients, Caring for Each Other and Caring for Our Communities. While some of the 12 plan to donate the $1,000 to a single organization, others are planning to use it as seed money for projects that could involve hundreds of volunteers contributing money or sweat equity into a project that would make a profound difference in the community. Each recipient is working with a project champion who will help those wanting to make a bigger project. It can be as simple or complex as you want to make it, said Susan Shumaker, President, Cone Health Foundation. Think about what you re really passionate about. The Office of Fund Development will assist employees as they grow their $1,000. 4 EXCEPTIONAL GIVING /// AN UPDATE FOR SUPPORTERS OF EXCEPTIONAL CARE
CHALLENGING OTHERS TO STEP UP AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE USUALLY, STANDING IN LINE for hours is not something people choose to do. They might occasionally brave crowds for a bargain or two on Black Friday. But many people in our community stand in line for hours for necessities like dental care because they lack the financial resources to see a dentist. Dave Staub, a trustee of the SJ Edwards Foundation in Greensboro, could better empathize with those people at the Missions of Mercy Dental Clinic after seeing a slow moving, but never shortening line lasting an entire day. Trustee John Whisnant and I investigated and discovered this was more than people simply needing free dental care, Staub says. What was not visible were the individual stories of commitment to self-improvement. To have teeth fixed, yes, but to do this in order to be able to sleep, to keep a job, to take care of their families. After learning how the Dental Clinic directly benefits nearly 1,000 people each year, Staub and Whisnant talked further with Lelia Moore, Congregational Nurse Program Manager and Dental Clinic coordinator, to understand more about its funding needs and ways to make the program even better. Not long after we had those conversations, I found out the $25,000 committed to us for 2012 from the North Carolina Dental Society was not coming because of their funding cuts. Suddenly, we had to face the possibility of scaling back or even canceling the 2012 clinic, Moore says. Since the SJ Edwards Foundation has no deadline or rigid application process, Staub offered a challenge grant to help raise the necessary money so the clinic could open. If Cone Health secured $25,000, the SJ Edwards Foundation would make a $25,000 grant. Six donors stepped up and made gifts and grants totaling $33,000, surpassing the challenge goal. Dental Clinic 2011 at the Greensboro Coliseum SJ Edwards Foundation trustees, from left, Dave Staub, Susan Edwards and John Whisnant. This strategy fit well with our mission to be as proactive as possible and to encourage others to get involved in programs that help people improve their lives. After all, you can really change people s lives by helping them have good health, says Susan Edwards, founding trustee. In addition to making the grant, members of the Foundation plan to volunteer at this year s clinic. We have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the clinic and to help others see its impact. We hope this will inspire many others in the community to step up and support it financially or by volunteering time, Whisnant says. 2012 DONORS WHO MET THE CHALLENGE Ella and Jay Apple, The Bank of America Foundation, Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, Cone Health Foundation, CVS Corporation/CVS Pharmacy Inc., First Citizens Bank, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Wells Fargo Foundation The Missions of Mercy Dental Clinic is a joint program of the North Carolina Dental Society and Cone Health Congregational Nurse Program. The 2012 dental clinic will be held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 16 and 17 at the Greensboro Coliseum. To make a gift for this year s clinic, visit www.conehealth.com/giving or call 832.9450. To volunteer, register at www.conehealth.com/ MOMclinic Cone Health Office of Fund Development 1200 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 5
Office of Fund Development 1200 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 336.832.9450 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Greensboro, NC Permit No. 195 www.conehealth.com/giving IN THIS ISSUE Cover Story: Helping Sickle Cell Disease Patients Find a Better Quality of Life YEAR-END APPEAL TO FOLLOW You will soon receive Cone Health s year-end appeal that includes opportunities to support programs covered in this newsletter as well as the Heart and Vascular Center and LeBauer Cardiovascular Research Foundation. To make your gift early and save mailing and printing costs, visit www.conehealth.com/giving Honoring His Grandmother 2 Meeting an Unmet Need 3 Reaching Higher 4 Employees Pay It Forward 4 Challenging Others to Step Up 5 EXCEPTIONAL GIVING is produced by Cone Health Office of Fund Development. Co-Editors Paul Crellin and Tommye Morrison Contributing Writers Sarah Costello, Paul Crellin and Tommye Morrison Contributing Photographers Sarah Costello, Paul Crellin and Julie Knight We value your comments and suggestions. Write to: fund.development@conehealth.com Or call 336.832.9450. CONE HEALTH OFFICE OF FUND DEVELOPMENT William A. Porter Vice President, Fund Development bill.porter@conehealth.com Paul Crellin Senior Manager, Donor Development paul.crellin@conehealth.com Beth Cox Gift Recorder and Executive Secretary beth.cox@conehealth.com LEARN MORE about how your support helps create exceptional care for every patient we serve. www.conehealth.com/giving