Thanks for voting us #1!

The doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers at Franciscan St. James Health thank the readers of the SouthtownStar for voting us the south suburbs’ Best Hospital. Over the past 18 months, we have redoubled our efforts to continued improvements in patient satisfaction and the overall quality of our care. In that time, St. James Health has earned some high-profile distinctions, including the 2010 Press Ganey Top Improver Award. But this award is even more meaningful, because it comes from the people we have been serving for 100 years.

Thanks to our doctors, nurses and staff for making Franciscan St. James Health the south suburbs’ best hospital.

Franciscan St. James Classic Golf Outing Raises $70,000

The Natalie Bauer (posthumously) and the Bauer and Barnes families presented with the Lynn Panici Courage Award

OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL – July 12, 2011 – Franciscan St. James Health Community Foundation raised $70,000 at its annual St. James Classic on Wednesday, June 22.

The golf outing was held at Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park or Ravisloe Country Club in Homewood.  It was followed by dinner, live and silent auctions and an awards ceremony at Odyssey Country Club.

Proceeds benefit technical advances in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.  In its 11th year, the Classic began as a grass roots effort by family and friends of Lynn (Baumgartner) Panici, a Chicago Heights native and Mokena resident who lost her life in 2000 to breast cancer, at age 34. 

The Lynn Panici Courage Award, which is presented to an individual or family who embodies the courage and spirit demonstrated by Lynn Panici, was awarded at the St. James Health Classic. This year’s Courage Award was presented, posthumously, to Natalie Bauer and to the Bauer and Barnes families.

 “As a wife and devoted mother, Natalie fought courageous battles against five illnesses, which ultimately took her life,” said Franciscan St. James director of development, Michelle Jimenez. “Although her medical complications were demanding, the Frankfort resident’s love and passion for the world remained, and was mirrored by the love of her family.”

As part of the hospitals Centennial Celebration, Anthony Panici, of Mokena, was also recognized for his vision in initiating this important fundraising event.

“To date, the St. James Health Classic has netted $500,000 for the Comprehensive Cancer Institute at St. James Health, where more an 12,000 digital mammograms are performed annually” Jimenez added.

Sponsors of the St. James Classic include JDM Steel Service, Inc.; Vitas Innovative Hospice; the Bauer family; and Chicago Office Technology Group.

For more information about St. James’ Patricia A. Joyce Comprehensive Cancer Institute, call 708-747-4000 or visit www.stjameshospital.org.      

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Media contact:   

Michelle Jimenez

708-747-4000, ext. 7424
michelle.jimenez@franciscanalliance.org

“Hidden Angels” Turn Healthcare Dreams Into Realities

Mike Bruni

When lying in a hospital bed or undergoing a test that uses sophisticated equipment, most of us don’t stop to think about how that bed or equipment wound up at the hospital. The average person would be surprised to learn that many components of our care are funded, at least in part, by donations from the community.

Community members are often the “hidden angels” in a hospital room, supporting their local non-profit hospital out of a shared commitment to that hospital’s mission and values. In her book, The Greater Good, author Claire Gaudiani posits that 41 percent of all hospital beds are funded by citizen generosity. For some, charitable giving provides a way to give back or become a more active participant in the community’s well-being. Still others are passionate about research and helping the physicians and hospitals find new ways to treat and ultimately cure illnesses.

Charitable giving impacts in all kinds of medical institutions today. It supports programs and projects, advances research and technology, and funds equipment purchases. That’s why it is important that hospitals reach out and make their needs known and in order to advance their initiatives. Through the efforts of hospital foundations, such as the Franciscan St. James Community Foundation, individuals, corporations and other foundations find opportunities to support a specific institution.

The work of foundations is essential to funding of projects that could otherwise not be funded through general revenue. Foundations generally solicit donations in one of three ways: event fundraising, asking individuals or organizations to invest in a specific vision, or planned gifts and estate planning.

Through event fundraising, hospitals host large parties, such as the annual St. James fundraising gala held every October. Proceeds from The Gala have contributed to enhancing technology at St. James Health, as well as providing services and technology to individuals who couldn’t otherwise afford them.  The proceeds for this year’s event will go directly to buying approximately 100 new hospital beds.  While that may not sound like a lot, state-of-the-art hospital beds cost $5,000 a piece…that’s an investment of $500,000 funded by the community.

Individual donations are frequently solicited to support a specific area of need. People will invest in a vision, often one that they feel passionate about. More than 70 percent of U.S. healthcare contributions come from individual donors including patients, employees, physicians and board members.

In reaching out to business community, hospital foundations are most often not asking for one-time gifts, but are seeking to forge long-term partnerships to advance their mission. The economy has, understandably, impacted corporate philanthropic efforts. As a consequence, they ask hard questions to ensure they are making a wise investment. In forming corporate relationships, hospitals are held to high standards that hold the institution accountable for proving that they are providing safe, quality, effective care. Such arrangements ultimately serve to raise the bar, making hospitals better and stronger.

Planned gifts and estate planning can have a significant impact on advancing a hospital’s mission. Sometimes just one individual can reshape the level of care provided. Locally, the estate of Patricia A. Joyce is an excellent example, whose generosity enabled St. James Health to build the state-of-the-art Patricia A. Joyce Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Olympia Fields.

As hospitals throughout the country feel the pinch of slow and reduced reimbursement rates, philanthropic support will shape the future of healthcare. And as healthcare reforms are initiated, the impact of charitable contributions on a hospital’s ability to advance its mission will become more and more relevant. Foundations will become increasingly vital to funding those “above and beyond” projects that contribute to the quality of care.

The 2011 Franciscan St. James Health Gala will celebrate the hospital’s 100^th anniversary on Saturday, October 22, at Navy Pier in Chicago. To learn more about The Gala, or other ways to support the Franciscan St. James Community Foundation, call 708-747-4000, ext. 7424.

Michael Bruni is Vice President of External Affairs at Franciscan St. James Health.