Franciscan St. James Classic Golf Outing Raises $111,000

Frankfort resident, Sylvia Kemp honored with hospital's Courage Award

 

OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL – July 10, 2012 – The Franciscan Alliance St. James Health Foundation raised $111,000 at its annual Franciscan St. James Classic on Wednesday, June 20.

"This year's Classic was the most successful in its 12-year history," said foundation executive director, Terrence Sykes. "The funds raised at this year's Classic will support the installation of a third digital mammography unit, which will enable Franciscan St. James to serve up to 22,000 area women each year."

The Classic will also provide funding to support the hospital's Multiple Sclerosis support group, MS Mission Possible.

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

The Franciscan St. James Courage Award, sponsored by VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, was presented to Frankfort resident, Sylvia Kemp.

 "Since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Sylvia has risen to the challenges posed by the disease with great resolve and courage," said Sykes. "Most recently, she partnered with Franciscan St. James board chairman, Terry Brown to create a new MS support group."

MS Mission Possible, which meets at the hospital's Olympia Fields campus on the second Wednesday of each month, has grown into one of the Chicago area's largest, most active support groups for MS patients and their families.

"We are grateful to all those within the community who supported this event, as well as to the Franciscan St. James doctors, nurses and staff who helped make the 2012 Classic a success," Sykes said.

Franciscan St. James Classic sponsors include Dr. Krishnan Srinivasan; Chicago Office Technology Group; Cassiday Schade, LLP; Hepler Room LLC; METT Therapy Services; and the Franciscan St. James Health Medical Staff Office.

For more information about the Franciscan Alliance St. James Health Foundation, call 708-747-4000, ext. 5470, or visit www.stjameshospital.org.           

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Media contact:      Michael Shepherd

                              708-756-1000, ext. 3455
Michael.Shepherd@FranciscanAlliance.org

Franciscan St. James Achieves New Status as Accredited Chest Pain Center

Rigorous evaluation reveals that hospital meets strict care standards for treating patients who may be experiencing heart attack 

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL, May 22, 2012 | The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) announced that both Franciscan St. James Health campuses have received its Chest Pain Center Accreditation, which recognizes that the hospital has achieved a higher level of expertise in treating patients who arrive with symptoms of heart attack.

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Franciscan St. James engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.

This accreditation means that Franciscan St. James has established processes that meet strict criteria aimed at reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment, treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved, and monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital.

The Franciscan St. James Chicago Heights campus is an Accredited Chest Pain Center. The hospital's Olympia Fields campus is an Accredited Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), or angioplasty.

"People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that's a mistake," said Franciscan St. James president, Seth Warren. "The average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don't realize is that the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome for the patient."

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. SCPC's goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.

Franciscan St. James' state-of-the-art healthcare encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and includes such focal points as dispatch, Emergency Medical System, emergency department, catheterization lab, the hospital's quality assurance plan, and its community outreach program. By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Franciscan St. James has enhanced the quality of care for the cardiac patient and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards.

"These accreditations should assure the communities we serve that patients who come to Franciscan St. James with chest pain consistently receive quality care from an experienced team of experts," Warren said.

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers

The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international not-for-profit organization that focuses on transforming cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty organization, SCPC provides the support needed for individual hospitals and hospital systems to effectively bridge existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support necessary to successfully navigate the changing face of healthcare.   For more information on SCPC, accreditation and certification opportunities, visit http://www.scpcp.org/, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.

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Media contact:      Michael Shepherd

                              708-756-1000, ext. 3455
Michael.Shepherd@franciscanalliance.org

Philanthropy Provides Vital Support for Local Hospitals

For many hospitals, a significant amount of funding comes through the work of their foundations. Fundraising performed by foundations not only has a direct impact on the institution, but the community as a whole by enabling hospitals to do more and be more for their patients.

For example, the Franciscan St. James Community Foundation annual golf outing has made the purchase of additional mammogram machines possible. These machines enable us to provide potentially life-saving mammography services to thousands of area women each year.

In healthcare, were faced with declining reimbursements, changing technologies, and the rising costs of caring for the community. The more funds area hospitals can raise philanthropically through our Foundations, the better able we are to continue our missions.

Going forward, I think foundations will play an even larger role than they already do. Many unknowns in the healthcare industry are putting hospital administrators across the country in a very difficult position when it comes to planning – how to balance what services they deliver with the resources required to offer those services. Effective philanthropy efforts can give administrators the ability to provide the kind of care the public deems important and necessary.

People everywhere want to know that there is local healthcare expertise and technology in their communities, so that they can feel comfortable and confident receiving care. In the Southland, many people think they must venture into Chicago for quality healthcare. Philanthropic donations allow communities to make that local expertise and technology accessible for all residents.

Supporting your local hospital is critically important and necessary for individuals and the community as a whole. When considering whether or not to give, remember that we never know when an emergency situation is going to happen. And when one does happen, we often don't get to choose where we're going.

Financial donations have a big impact because they allow the institution to put dollars where they are most needed. Sometimes donors may indicate specific intentions, which allows them to help finance something that has particular meaning to them.

Planned giving and estate planning includes vehicles such as charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and LEED trusts. Like many hospitals, Franciscan St. James is fortunate to have corporate partners who will donate "in kind" gifts.

Not all donating is monetary. People can make an invaluable contribution by giving their time. Auxiliary volunteers bring an untold cost benefit to their institutions that is deeply needed and highly valued. 

I think it's important for people to realize that people working in philanthropic endeavors such as the Foundation uphold standards as directed by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). We take our work very seriously, doing what is right for the institution and our donors; letting them see the impact of their donations and making sure what happens, happens in the right way. 

The single largest fundraising event of the year for Franciscan St. James is the Gala, which will be held on September 22 at the Hilton Towers on Michigan and Balbo.

This celebration of our mission features fantastic entertainment and will honor some community members and physicians. For more information on attending or sponsorship opportunities, you are invited to call 708-747-4000, extension 5470.

Terrence Sykes is the Executive Director of the Franciscan Alliance St. James Health Foundation. Franciscan St. James is a member of the Southland Health Alliance.