St. Mary Foundation FOCUS Fall 2014

FOCUS FALL 2014

IT BEGINS WITH US...

DEAR FRIENDS,

Todd Buch

As the holiday season approaches it’s time for us all to reflect on what we are thankful for. I am thankful for my good health and the good health of my family, my good fortune to have worked in a career I have loved so much and the opportunity I have to start a new chapter. But I am also grateful for the chance to represent St. Mary in the community and be part of the volunteer leadership team that helps raise money for important projects impacting the health and well-being of our community.

The well-being for our youngest and most vulnerable patients will be our fundraising focus for the next nine months. It is projected St. Mary will deliver over 2400 babies in fiscal year 2014, of those 400 will be from mothers referred to us from Mother Bachman. As the only hospital in lower Bucks County delivering babies, our mission is to care for the poor, underserved and at risk is strengthened by our commitment to all families. Upgrading and expanding our Labor & Delivery and the Neonatal Intensive Care Units to care for the increased number of newborns and their mothers is necessary to ensure health of our youngest patients.

St. Mary is made stronger each day by the variety of donors that support us. The collective impact on quality patient care is palatable as you walk through the hospital or visit our community ministries in Bensalem. The community members, physicians and colleagues who come together to further the mission of healing and hope started by Sisters of St. Francis is what separates St. Mary from other hospitals in our area. I feel blessed to be part of a great organization and a wonderful group of volunteers.

The articles you will read in this issue of FOCUS are a testament to the great work philanthropy does at St. Mary Medical Center.

Through your generosity thousands of lives are changed forever. Patients are healed, given hope, and sent home knowing they had access to the most advanced treatments.

Thank you for your support. I hope you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a blessed holiday season.

Todd Buch, Foundation Board Chair

Kyle and Ruthann Cloman

Donors

BOLDLY GOING Embracing the New Frontier of Healthcare

St.

Mary Medical Center has always been responsive to the changing healthcare needs and the profile of the community we serve. Population Health is the new frontier of healthcare that nicely complements the St. Mary mission of taking care of the “mind, body, and spirit.” Its model is focused upon: 1) improving the experience of care (including quality and satisfaction); 2) Improving the overall health of communities; and 3) Reducing the use of duplicative healthcare resources. It will work through an integrated network of local care providers who work in close coordination with healthcare institutions. Both providers and institution will take responsibility for the overall healthy well-being of the people we serve.

continued on page 12

FOCUS FALL 2014

A quarterly publication for donors and friends of St. Mary Medical Center

To receive an electronic version by email, register at: StMaryFoundation.org/focus FOUNDATION STAFF

John Marcy,Vice President, Foundation 215.710.5091 • jmarcy@stmaryhealthcare.org

Mark Erhard, Director of Planned Giving 215.710.2719 • merhard@stmaryhealthcare.org

Mary Jo Howell, Database Coordinator 215.710.2613 • mhowell@stmaryhealthcare.org

Lisa Juris, Event & Communications Coordinator, FOCUS Editor 215.710.2644 • ljuris@stmaryhealthcare.org

Joann Kunigonis, Administrative Assistant 215.710.6117 • jkunigonis@stmaryhealthcare.org

Nancy Mignogna, Finance Manager 215.710.5390 • nmignogna@stmaryhealthcare.org

Kathryn O'Connor, Manager of Annual Giving 215.710.5894 • koconnor@stmaryhealthcare.org

Karen O’Donnell, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations 215.710.5791 • kodonnell@stmaryhealthcare.org

Heather Procaccino, Director of Development and Major Gifts 215.710.2243 • hprocaccino@stmaryhealthcare.org

Mary Romspert, Manager of Foundation Operations 215.710.2440 • mromspert@stmaryhealthcare.org

Margie Zimmerman, Foundation Board Affairs Coordinator 215.710.2054 • mzimmerman@stmaryhealthcare.org

One Summit Square 1717 Langhorne-Newtown Road Suite 300 Langhorne, PA 19047

Please call the Foundation at 215.710.2591 if you wish to be removed from this mailing list.

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A NEW DAY FOR

UNDERSERVED FAMILIES Fatima Catholic Outreach Center Opens

L

ast month, St. Mary opened the doors to the Fatima Catholic Outreach Center (Centro Católico de Fátima) in the former Our Lady of Fatima parish and church facilities. The Fatima Center is an extension of the St. Mary services provided in the Parenting Resource Center and the Family Resource Center in Bensalem. Partnering with Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Fatima Catholic Outreach Center will offer a broad range of programs and services such as ESL (English as a Second Language), citizenship classes, nutrition counseling, a food cupboard, immigration consultation, parenting and family support, pre-school, school-age and pre-teen leadership programs, senior citizen programs, nutrition and cooking classes. Everyone in the community is eligible to register and receive services. The center will also serve as a site for Healthcare.gov assistance during enrollment periods as well as a pick up site for the Farm to Families program.

A beautiful bilingual ribbon-cutting and blessing of the center took place on October 8. The Most Reverend John McIntyre, Bishop of Philadelphia, was the main celebrant and addressed the at-capacity crowd in both English and Spanish. After the prayer service, attendees toured the facility and talked with Fatima staff.

The Center will be open Mon-Thurs and the community food bank will be open every Thursday.

For more information, please contact the Fatima Outreach Center directly at 215.639.4254.

Left: Greg Wozniak, President of St. Mary Medical Center, Kelly Pagliei, Coordinator of the St. Mary Parenting Resource Center, and Terri Rivera,Vice President for Mission and Community Health for St. Mary

They are standing in the new Fatima community cupboard which will store food items for the St. Mary Backpacks for Kids program, a new program to address food insecurity in vulnerable Bucks County children.

St. Mary, in partnership with local school nurses, provide children enrolled in the Free and Reduced School Lunch Program a backpack full of kid-friendly, nutritious food for the weekend and other times when school is not in session. Close to 500 children are currently enrolled in the Backpacks for Kids program which is expected to expand due to the increased capacity provided by the new food cupboard at the Fatima Catholic Outreach Center and the growing need in the community.

Rev. Raju Pilla, St. Mary Chaplain, assists The Most Reverend John J. McIntyre, D.D.,V.G., Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia with the blessing of the Fatima Outreach Center on October 8, 2014.

Bishop McIntyre conducted the ceremony in both English and Spanish to a standing-room only congregation.

The Backpacks for Kids program which now serves 500 vulnerable Bucks County children is expected to expand due to the increased capacity of the new food cupboard.

Right:Volunteers from the St. Mary Foundation, Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick's office and State Senator Tommy Tomlinson's office spent a Saturday painting the Fatima Catholic Outreach Center

Invitation to Blessing and Dedication of The Fatima Catholic Outreach Center

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PORTRAITS IN

PHILANTHROPY SPARKS IGNITE GIVING

I

FOR BUCKS COUNTY NATIVE Kyle and Ruthann Cloman

n 1975 Jim Cloman, his two sons and two partners started a steel fabrication company in Tullytown PA. In a 3500 square foot warehouse, a dream was started to own and operate a community based business. But life has a funny way of unexpectedly changing course. Less than two years into the business, Mr. Cloman bought out his two partners, suffered a heart attack, their biggest client declared bankruptcy, and one of his sons moved to Wyoming. That left 19 year old Kyle Cloman with some serious decisions to make.

His accountant and friends told him to file for bankruptcy and walk away.

Instead Kyle struck a deal with creditors and worked off the debt. In eight months the debt was paid and Kyle owned Waste Gas Fabricating free and clear. He was now ready to rebuild his family’s business in the community where he grew up. But first he focused on a different kind of partnership.

Kyle and Ruthann married in 1982, had two girls, and began building their life together and nurturing the fledging company into a local economic engine.

“We value what St. Mary does and we feel it’s important for us...to support the hospital...”

The Cloman’s made a conscious decision to stay in Bucks County. They were approached to sell or move, but recognized an opportunity to provide good paying jobs in the area where they grew up. That allowed extended families to stay intact. Holding their ground they put family, community, and local economic viability first. Now 35 years later they have 90 employees, working in a 75,000 square foot facility. Looking towards the future, Waste Gas 4

Clomans foster community growth and economic development

Fabricating is ready to expand over the next few years and build an additional 45,000 square foot facility — adding 15-20 new jobs.

Commitment to community, investment in their company and employees plus a promise to customers to provide a quality product, is what separates Kyle and Ruthann Cloman apart from others in their industry. It’s those core values that also connect them to St. Mary Medical Center.

“We appreciate the dedication, focus, and attention to detail St. Mary shows in the way they serve the healthcare needs of our community. As business owners we take great pride in strategically positioning ourselves for the future. We see St. Mary take that same approach.”

Both of their daughters were born at St. Mary. St. Mary is their hospital.

Helping to support it just seemed like a natural thing to do. The Clomans believe civic involvement in their community is vital to improving the quality for everyone. They feel giving back to make their hometown a better place to live and work is important for their employees. Whether it’s their involvement with the Bucks County Technical High School mentoring young apprentices or with the Center for Workforce Development educating the next generation of Steel Fabricators, the Cloman’s want to help foster community growth and economic development.

Over the span of 40 years, Kyle & Ruthann have seen growth and change in Bucks County. They have witnessed the expansion and continued investment in resources St. Mary has made in the community. “We feel like we have grown together, each organization caring for the community in a different way.

We value what St. Mary does and we feel it’s important for us as business owners to support the hospital where we, our employees and their families go for care.”

41 GREAT YEARS

AND COUNTING

D

Dr. Milton Schwartz

r. Milton Schwartz has been practicing medicine for 51 years. After graduating from Temple Medical School and working as a flight surgeon in the Air Force he opened a practice in Bucks County. That’s when he met Sister Clare Naughton, the first hospital administrator at St. Mary, and she quickly recruited Dr. Schwartz to help care for the patients at St. Mary. Dr. Schwartz’s relationship with St. Mary has lasted 41 years and counting. Over those 41 years a lot has changed in Bucks County and in medicine. But some things remain constant, his commitment to his patients and his belief in St. Mary’s mission to provide quality care to all who need it.

When Dr. Schwartz was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002 he turned to St. Mary and the medical staff for his care. His doctor, Judith Gallagher-Braun, discovered the lump in his throat and referred him to Dr. Robert Reilly.

An aggressive treatment plan of chemotherapy and radiation was prescribed, but doing his due diligence, Dr. Schwartz sought a second opinion at Fox Chase. The doctors there concurred with the treatment plan and told him to go back to St. Mary for his care. Dr. Schwartz turned to a team of experienced physicians, technicians and nurses at St. Mary for his eight week radiation therapy. St. Mary was and still is a leader in advanced cancer care.

During his five months of recovery, Dr. Schwartz turned to his second profession and love — playing the violin — to find the strength and reason to keep fighting. As a professional violin player, he is a member of numerous orchestras including the Newtown Chamber Orchestra, which he has been affiliated with for the past 25 years. Because of the dedication, determination,

Doctor finds inspiration in the compassion and integrity of St. Mary staff and skill of medical staff that cared for him, Dr. Schwartz has lived to experience the joy and love of three more grandchildren. Twelve years later and still going strong, Dr. Schwartz continues to care for patients, spend time with his family and play his violin. “After I recovered, I truly understood the quality of care St. Mary offers and wanted to give something back and recognize the medical staff who took care of me and helped me while I was recovering.

The Guardian Angel Program allowed me to do both.”

“...I truly understood the quality of care St. Mary offers and wanted to give back...”

Dr. Schwartz remembers Sister Clare’s compassion, drive and determination to achieve excellence in the delivery of quality healthcare: A hospital whose employees and physicians show compassion, integrity, and a unique combination of caring for the body, mind and spirit. He feels privileged to play a role in caring for the community and is grateful to the physicians and nurses who cared for him.

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ANGELS GUARDIAN

SAYING THANK YOU

MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Donors give wings to St. Mary Guardian Angels

A

cross every unit and department of St. Mary, you will find hardworking colleagues, dedicated to making St. Mary the best place possible to receive care. When it comes to acknowledging the compassion and skill they apply to their jobs every day, sometimes a simple “thank you” is just not enough. The Guardian Angel program is a way for patients and their families to express their gratitude and, at the same time, make a difference at St. Mary through a financial contribution.

Debra Tomasi, a nurse on our MG4 unit was recently honored by Mr. William Maier for what he describes as the ‘outstanding care’ she provided during his stay over the summer. Lorie Barnes, a nurse on the same unit, was also honored for ‘going the extra mile’ and making Mr. Edmund Finnegan’s brief stay ‘as pleasant as possible.’ Both Debra and Lorie were presented with pins and certificates officially recognizing them as Guardian Angels.

If you would like to honor a St. Mary colleague as your Guardian Angel, please use the enclosed envelope or contact Kat O’Connor at 215.710.5894.

FRONT LINE PHILANTHROPISTS

Colleague Giving Campaign “It takes teamwork to provide the best possible care to our patients. And just like the best philanthropy, we join our colleagues’ on a great team of givers.”

T

he annual St. Mary Medical Center Colleague Giving Campaign kicked off on September 3rd this year. Over the course of six weeks, colleagues were given the opportunity to pledge their support with a pledge or one-time gift to the fund of their choice. Campaign committee members held pledge collection events every Friday from September 5th through October 17th as well as two “coffee hour” events at the hospital to encourage colleagues to make a contribution. Thanks to the generosity of 644 colleagues, a grand total of $144,507 was raised.

Colleagues are still welcome to contribute to the Colleague Campaign by visiting the website, stmaryfoundation.org/colleague, dropping a pledge card at the Cashier’s office or contacting Kat O’Connor at 215.710.5894 or koconnor@stmaryhealthcare.org.

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Lorie Barnes

Debra Tomasi

L-R: Linda Lebeau, RN, Renee McBride, RN, Linda Schrier, RN, BSN, CCRN Nancy Strunk, RN, Cardiovascular Care Unit

REACHING OUT IN SUPPORT OF

BREAST HEALTH T

he Visiting Nurses Association of Morrisville (VNA) started their mission for caring and treating residents in the Morrisville area in 1925. In 1947 they became incorporated as an official non-profit and in 1949 moved into their permanent location on N. Pennsylvania Avenue that was donated to the VNA by Mrs. Inez Walker. Under the guidance of a local doctor and six volunteers, they provided “Baby Wellness Clinics” and loaned medical equipment to area residents at no charge. That same year, the organization began providing in-home nursing services to doctor-referred patients in Morrisville,Yardley Borough, Lower Makefield, and Falls Townships.

In the mid 1950s, as the needs in the community

PINK YOUR RIDE Eighty six riders made the trip for Breast Cancer

Visiting Nurses of Morrisville make a difference for women in need

Check presentation to Foundation

changed the wellness clinics closed but the in-home care continued delivering much needed nursing services to the community.

“Guided by their vision to serve area residents who could not afford health care, they continued their medical mission until April of 2013. It was then the Board of Directors of the VNA made the difficult decision to dissolve their organization and support other charities that shared their same core values - providing care to the poor and underserved in our area. They reached out to St. Mary Medical Center and found that the St. Mary Breast Health Initiative provides screening, testing,

doctor appointments, and wellness programs to low income women. This was a program that resonated with the group, as a dear friend had recently experienced difficulty during breast cancer treatments. They were inspired to help other women get the care they needed.

The Visiting Nurses Association of Morrisville $50,000 donation to the Breast Health Initiate will allow hundreds of low income women in Bucks County get prompt diagnoses and treatment plans. Their legacy of caring for the poor and underserved will live on through their generous gift and partnership with St. Mary Medical Center.

On Saturday October 18th a group of motor cycle riders led by Terry Bingert and her sister arrived at the St. Mary Cancer Center to take a tour of the facility and make a donation to the Breast Center.

Jeanette Bernacki, Interim Director of the Cancer Center, and Lisa Sortino-Sowa a nurse practitioner with the Brest Health Initiative, spoke to the riders about the services and the full continuum of care the Cancer Center and the Breast Center offer the community. Terry and her sister started this ride to honor the memory of their other sister who died of breast cancer. The ride started at Brian’s HarleyDavidson and the riders were accompanied by owner Brian Bentley. Eighty six riders on sixty eight bikes made the trip.

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“

CARE ALWAYS CLOSE AT HAND

“St. Mary...gave me my life back.”

The 1973 Society was established to honor those who embrace its four pillars — healing, hope, charity, and community — with gifts of $1,000 annually. Membership gifts to the 1973 Society help ensure access to compassionate high-quality healthcare is available to everyone in our community whenever it is needed. The following is a letter from both a patient and supporter of St. Mary.

My husband and I have watched St. Mary Medical Center expand over the past 30 years. In this time, my husband has been seen, on multiple occasions, in St. Mary’s Emergency Department for an accident or other health issue that, for some reason, always seemed to happen over the weekends.

We felt fortunate to have St. Mary close at hand to help us when our doctors were unavailable.

“

Then in March, 2009 I suffered a stroke and was rushed to St. Mary’s Emergency Department where I began my journey to renewed health. Some say it takes a village to raise a child. Now, I say it takes an up-to-date medical center with many professionals to mend a broken body.

Which of these could I have done without – the emergency room, the hospital room, the inpatient rehabilitation, the in-home visiting nurse, the in-home and outpatient rehabilitation, the wellness center or the support staff? None.

Working together as a well-oiled team, St. Mary professionals across all of these services gave me my life back.

In March 2009 it was my turn to learn that my health and my life could change in an instant. Many people have already had their March 2009 moments and can share my deep appreciation for the care and support St. Mary Medical Center offers. They see us at our worst and with superior knowledge, caring hands, and a smile they help us to pick up the pieces and move forward.

I saw first- hand how St. Mary Medical Center lives its values of excellence, compassion, integrity, and respect. I am comforted knowing that St Mary’s stands ready to help all of the March 2009 moments to come. So, when asked to help ensure St. Mary maintains its excellent standards, I feel fortunate to be able to return the favor with a financial contribution. I hope you do, too, and will join me.

Warm Regards,

Nancy Smollar Grateful Patient

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GIVING HEART LIVES WITHIN OUR DONORS A

For more information or to join Nancy in the 1973 Society, please visit our website at https://support.stmaryfoundation.org/1973Society or contact Kathryn O'Connor at 215.710.5894 or koconnor@stmaryhealthcare.org.

Thank you for your selfless commitment to St. Mary

L

ook around anywhere in St. Mary and you will see the impact of our community’s generosity. Through selfless donations of time and treasure, our supporters, volunteers, and colleagues demonstrate that the spirit of giving is alive and well here. From expanding facilities to increasing technology and equipment housed within them, philanthropy plays a large role in our ability to deliver high quality, compassionate medical care to our patients.

While we appreciate this generous support every day, a special date has been set aside to officially recognize the efforts of individuals and organizations across the U.S. that give of themselves to enrich the world. On National Philanthropy Day, November 15th, we pause to reflect on the meaning of giving, express our gratitude for all that it has allowed us to accomplish, and look forward to new and continued philanthropic partnerships that will make St. Mary an even better place to receive care in the future.

Thank you!

Goodwill ambassadors help build community awareness

T

he St. Mary Connectors attended the Makefield Women’s Association Autumn Fest at Shady Brook Farm on Saturday September 27th . They were joined by several St. Mary Pet Visitors. Information about St. Mary and the services we provide were distributed.

This volunteer group works with the Foundation to build awareness of St. Mary as the preferred hospital choice in the upper part of the county. Acting as Good will ambassadors they represent the St. Mary at community outreach.

This group of volunteers will go to targeted community events to hand out St. Marylabeled items, talk about the services St. Mary offers, and act as Good Will Ambassadors for the hospital.

• David and Susan Yates

• Gloria Weissbart

• David Rotenberg – Dozer & Abby

• Carol Van Sant - Violet

• Denise Oldenhoff- Lacy & Brandy

• Carol Wagner & Kody

AN ACE OF A DAY FOR 34TH ANNUAL

GOLF OUTING

The angle of approach hooked right for St. Mary

A

record number of golf enthusiasts attended the 34th annual St. Mary Medical Center Golf Outing on a beautiful summer day in September.

For the second year in a row, sponsors, golfers and their guests enjoyed the first-class accommodations offered

by TPC Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ.

Thank you to our Event Sponsor: Margiotti & Kroll Pediatrics, P.C.; our Grand Sponsor: TeamHealth East; and our Lead Sponsors: Mad Money “with” Jim Cramer, The Brickman Group, Ltc., McBrick Building Group, Crothall Healthcare, Assured Guaranty, White-Harris, and The Cure Auto Insurance/NJ Pure. For a full list of 2014 sponsors, please visit our website at www.stmaryfoundation.org/golfsponsors.

SAVE THE DATE for next year’s golf outing!

Monday, September 21, 2015.

TPC Jasna Polana.

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LET THE SUN

SHINE IN

Guests impressed with Rehab Hospital warm decor and natural light

O

n Tuesday, October 7th, a group of residents from the Villages of Flowers Mill gathered at the St. Mary Rehabilitation Hospital for a tour of the new facility. Greeted in the lobby by Stacy Johnson, Director of Business Development for the hospital, the group was quite taken with the warm décor and ample natural light pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Ms. Johnson walked the guests through the hospital thoroughly explaining each area and answering questions about the facility along the way.

The tour group was able to see firsthand the various therapy areas including the main gym, where many patients and therapists were working together at different stations focusing on strength, coordination, and balance.

Guests were impressed with the simulated home kitchen, bed, and bathroom areas that are included as part of rehabilitation to ensure patients will be safely and confidently able to navigate in their homes once they are discharged. Found equally impressive were the individual patient rooms complete with fully equipped, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, and lovely views of the surrounding grounds outside the large windows.

At the conclusion of the tour, refreshments were served while the group discussed all they had seen and Ms. Johnson continued answering questions about rehabilitation services. The group departed feeling comforted knowing that the Rehabilitation Hospital is delivering the same level of care and compassion they have come to know and trust from St. Mary.

For information about the St. Mary Rehabilitation Hospital or how you can support rehabilitation health please contact Heather Procaccino at 215.710.2243or hprocaccino@stmaryhealthcare.org

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CIRCLE

AMBASSADOR

Life St. Mary patient

A NEW

LEASE ON LIFE IN TREVOSE Members get a rundown on all the latest happenings campus wide

T

he St. Mary Ambassador Circle met on Friday, October17th over breakfast at the Northampton Valley Country Club. After a welcome and opening prayer, Len Franckowiak introduced the morning speaker, Dan Drake, Executive Director for LIFE St. Mary.

Located in Trevose, PA, Living Independently For Elders (LIFE) is St. Mary’s allinclusive program for seniors in Bucks County, created in 2009, LIFE St. Mary oversees the total healthcare — including medical management, podiatry, dental, St. Mary Rehabilitation Hospital

therapy, home care, hospitalization, adult day care, and other services – for each participant. Currently, the LIFE program serves 220 participants; the majority of which are Medicaid and Medicare eligible. This number represents only a small portion of the total number of seniors eligible for this type of service in Bucks County; a number which is increasing daily. For the past three years, 10,000 people per day turned 65 years old. This trend will continue for the next fifteen years creating both a challenge and an opportunity for St. Mary.

As the number of program eligible residents in Bucks County grows, additional LIFE St. Mary locations in Doylestown and Montgomery County are being evaluated. Other programs with a focus on serving the aging population are also in development. The proposed services include a series of newsletters, quarterly education seminars and social outings for community members aged 55 or older; geriatric friendly emergency department accommodations, as well as a specific hospital unit for geriatric patients. Expanding on St. Mary’s senior services continuum, better heath, better care, and lower costs could be achieved in the Bucks County area as well as the surrounding communities.

As mentioned in Mr. Drake’s presentation, work on the geriatric-friendly hospital unit is underway.

The space previously home to the inpatient rehabilitation gym, known internally as MG3, is being converted to a flexible patient care area. It will include touches that will aid in caring for the elderly population — oversized clock and phones with large buttons, matte-finish as opposed to highly-glossed floors, and handrails throughout the entire unit — but can also be utilized for other appropriate patient types. Demolition on this unit is complete with construction scheduled to be finished by April 2015.

Three other projects are also currently underway.

A 235 space open parking lot has been created directly across the street from the hospital.

Employees are being encouraged to utilize this lot — along with the accompanying shuttle services — to allow our patients more access to convenient parking on campus. With the colder weather coming, a heated booth is being installed to shelter anyone waiting for the shuttle to arrive. Feedback, so far, on this feature is positive. A security upgrade including the installation of 100 closed circuit cameras and a monitoring command center at the Emergency Department entrance will be

SCORECARD RECORDS A THIRD

completed by the end of this year. This upgrade will help our security team to monitor key areas of the hospital and all entrances and exits around the clock. Finally, the cafeteria is receiving a much anticipated facelift. New tables and chairs, as well as new registers, coffee and condiment kiosks have already been installed. New flooring and fresh paint will be scheduled with consideration for minimal food service interruptions.

Peruzzi Golf Outing raises $16,000 for Cancer Center

...Living Independently For Elders (LIFE) is St. Mary’s all-inclusive program for seniors in Bucks County...

Following Mr. Drake’s presentation, Jeff Yarmel,VP and COO for St. Mary gave a hospital update.

Mr.Yarmel gave construction updates on projects taking place at St. Mary over the coming months, beginning with the lobby. The entry doors will be enlarged and new a floor and ceiling installed along with an updated greeters’ station. The Bee Hive Gift Shop will also be fully enclosed in glass. Perhaps the biggest change for the lobby will be the removal of walls that will give a clear view of the central Healing Garden immediately upon entry through the front doors. The lobby renovation should be completed in approximately one year. New healing garden areas have also been added outside the Emergency Department entrance, the Neuro ICU, Rehabilitation Hospital, and on the rooftops of the Emergency and Pediatric Emergency Departments.

Mr.Yarmel next gave an update on the Labor & Delivery/NICU project. Currently in Phase 1 — the creation of a temporary NICU space — this project is scheduled for completion late next year. It will consist of eight new delivery rooms, with dedicated nurse observation stations; two private triage rooms, two private recovery rooms, six NICU beds, a central nurses’ station, enclosed medication room, and aesthetic upgrades throughout the units.

John Marcy,Vice President of the St. Mary Foundation wrapped up the meeting. Mr. Marcy thanked attendees for their support. Upgrades, renovations, and expansions to the facility that help St. Mary to better care for the community are a direct result of this support. The generosity of our donors impacts and improves the lives of so many in Bucks County who rely on St. Mary for their healthcare and we are truly grateful.

For more information on LIFE St. Mary, the projects mentioned in this article, or the Ambassador’s Circle, please contact Heather Procaccino at 215.710.2243 or hprocaccino@stmaryhealthcare.org

L-R:Vicki Farrell, Doug Kieslich, Dr.Todd Flannery, Fred Peruzzi, Jeanette Bernacki and Kristine Spadaccino

HOLE IN ONE

F

red Peruzzi hosted his Annual Golf Outing at Jericho National Golf Club on Monday, May 19th and presented a check for $16,000 to St. Mary Regional Cancer Center. Jeanette Bernacki, Service Line Administrator for Oncology, Dr. Flannery of Princeton Radiation Oncology and other staff from the Cancer Center were there to accept the donation.

Players and sponsors alike look forward to this outing every year and express their interest in participating long before the formal invitation goes out. Since the first outing, over 20 years ago, Fred has donated more than $225,000 in proceeds from the outing to charitable organizations nationwide.

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Boldly Going

continued...

In addition to taking steps to improve the overall health of our community, St. Mary in partnership with its doctors and healthcare providers, is treating its most chronically ill patients with a model that incorporates Care Managers who will act as personal care coaches. The goal is to keep the “sickest” patients as healthy as possible between necessary hospital stays by monitoring the delivery of care in their home settings. Part of this initiative will be a significant investment in Information System Technology to allow different networks to share patient data. This will enable healthcare providers to access records from multiple healthcare facilities ensuring consistency of care.

WHO YA

GONNA CALL? Legacy Society members not afraid of giving or ghosts

O

n October 7th, fifty St. Mary supporters gathered together for the Legacy Society Lunch. Mark Erhard, Director of Planned Giving, addressed the group on charitable giving...and ghosts? With a nod to this year’s 30th anniversary of the movie Ghost Busters, Mark compared the film’s plot of world domination by ghosts to the real, often scary, world of financial investing. Where the citizens in the film had the professional expertise of the title organization to instruct them on how to deal with their predicament, many of us in the real world remain confused on the options for making income providing investments.

Care Managers will act as personal care coaches.

Responding as well to the changing needs of its service area, St. Mary is renovating the vacated Rehab floor into 24 single rooms for telemetry patients with a focus on the geriatric population.

This new area will have carpeted halls, reduced glare lighting, and hand rails. The rooms will be designed to be as flexible as possible so they will have a much longer useful life and can change emphasis as the need arises with minimal expense.

St. Mary is growing both on our campus and out in the community. With your financial support we will greet the new frontier of healthcare and the increased needs of our critically ill patients together.

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Mark demonstrated that in comparison to other conservative financial instruments, like certificates of deposit, a charitable gift annuity provides lifetime income at a much higher rate, is partially tax free, immediately tax-deductible, and makes a lasting philanthropic impact. Check out the back panel of this newsletter for a side-by-side comparison.

If you want to discover how you can have guaranteed income for life and make a difference at St. Mary, don’t wonder “who ya gonna call.” Mark can be reached at 215-710-2719 and can provide personalized information about a Charitable Gift Annuity based your current situation.

Following Mark’s presentation, Scott Burke, MD, FACC, FHRS, gave an informative presentation on cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. Burke is a physician with The Arrhythmia Institute, a St. Mary affiliated practice established in 2004 that evaluates and manages the entire spectrum of cardiac rhythm disorders for patients throughout Bucks and Mercer Counties. Exactly like the muscles throughout the rest of the human body, the heart functions as a series of movements controlled by electrical impulse. Regularly timed impulses keep the heart beating, pumping blood throughout the body.

However, there are a number of factors – from underlying medical issues to lifestyle choices like smoking and alcohol consumption — that could

Scott Burke, MD

interfere with these regular impulses causing them to slow, become chaotic, or sped up.

After explaining the different scenarios of irregular heartbeat, Dr. Burke addressed treatments for each including medication, electronic devices, ablation, and surgery. With several sample devices —pacemakers and implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) — being passed through the audience, Dr. Burke explained how each is used to correct heartbeat irregularities. These devices ranging in size from a large pill to the palm of your hand, not only send corrective pulses inside the body, they communicate with external receivers allowing physicians to monitor heart activity remotely. A cardiac catheter was also shown to the gathered audience while Dr. Burke explained its use in finding and fixing the “faulty” electrical sites in the heart causing the arrhythmia.

Use of these high-tech devices and procedures at St. Mary is possible due to the support of generous donors. Treatment for heart conditions, as well as all other illnesses and injuries, at St. Mary is delivered with great attention to every detail and individualized to the specific needs of each patient. We encourage you to discover the many care options available to you, your loved ones, and the community as well as the many ways in which you can support St. Mary.

OUR HEALING GARDENS CONTINUE TO GROW WITH

DONOR SUPPORT

P

atients and their families will soon be able to go outside and experience tranquility in the new Emergency Department Healing Garden.

The intent of the garden is to provide relaxing garden space for visitors, patients and staff so they can find a little respite from the stress of needing emergency care. The focus of the garden is an arbor where engraved memorial bricks will be placed. A loop sidewalk throughout the garden matches the surface look of the cloister garden and helps to tie the

Future Emergency Department Healing Garden

The intent of the garden is to provide relaxing garden space for visitors, patients and staff so they can find a little respite from the stress of needing emergency care.

two spaces together. Along the sidewalks are benches for places to sit and rest while enjoying the view of the arbor or butterfly garden. The shrubs planted along the windows of the emergency room are there to frame views to the garden and arbor. Down lights in the arbor will provide light in the evening. The garden contains a mix of trees, evergreens, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers to provide visual interest throughout the year.

Patients and their families are the focus of this new garden. The Emergency Department Healing Garden continues the philosophy of how the age-old restorative power of nature can be integrated into a 21st century medical center environment.

If you are interested in purchasing a Commemorative Brick for this new garden please contact Rosanne Bell at: tdbell1813@aol.com. Bricks come in two sizes; 4”x8” @$125 or 8”x8” @ $250.

Each brick, whether large or small, allows for three lines of commemorative copy – 16 characters to the line, including spaces.

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SUN SHINES ON 13TH ANNUAL KITCHEN & GARDEN TOUR THE

Five beautiful properties welcome visitors

This year’s Community League Kitchen & Garden tour proved to be a wonderful Sunday excursion for all involved. Owners of five beautiful properties in the Yardley and Upper Makefield areas graciously opened their homes for visitors. Chefs from top area restaurants — Italian Cucina, Bitter Bob’s, Jaime Hollander, Bowman’s Tavern, and UVA — prepared foods for sampling in each home’s kitchen. Newtown Chocolatier donated a large variety of delicious chocolates and Cramer’s Bakery prepared tasty pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for everyone in attendance.

Community League Out & About travelers enjoyed lunch at Jack's Firehouse

enlarging the kitchen by incorporating two adjacent outbuildings, a smokehouse (now a wine cellar) and small barn (now a theatre room).

Clark’s Flower Shop, Newtown Floral Company, Designs by Richard at Manor Lane, Flowers by David,Ye Olde Yardley Florist, and Mark Bryan Design donated fabulous floral arrangements for homes and centerpieces at the luncheon/tea that took place at the Washington Crossing Inn.

OUT & ABOUT

The World is an Apple

Fall 2014 Community League Out & About trips have proven to be educational, entertaining, and fun! On September 4, a full coach took travelers to “The World Is an Apple: The Still Lifes of Paul Cezanne” exhibit at the Barnes Foundation, followed by lunch at Jack’s Firehouse.

A Wine Pairing

Community League treasurer, Deardra Murphy, homeowner, Nancy Long, along with Chef and Italian Cucina chef/owner Joe Lombardi and two helpers

All proceeds from the tour go to support St. Mary’s nationally recognized and award winning Healing Gardens, along with other projects.

Next year’s tour will take place on Sunday, October 11. Mark your calendars now!

On the evening of September 22, wine expert Michael Conti taught “students” how to pair wine with a delicious Northern Italian 4-course dinner.

This class took place at Carlow Cookery in Doylestown.

"Yellow House" owned by the Yardley family from 1728 to 1962

The homes were quite different, ranging from the “Lakeside” estate in Yardley, commonly called “the Yellow House” to a one-year-young reproduction gentleman’s farm on 10 acres in Upper Makefield. Lakeside was originally owned by the Yardley family,Yardley borough’s founding family.

It is one of the earliest homes in Bucks County with the oldest part dating to circa 1728 and the newest part circa 1840. The current owners extensively renovated the property in 2009, focusing on historic preservation while incorporating modern conveniences. These renovations included 14

Visitors stroll down this beautiful pathway at Hortulus Farm

Down on the Farm

Community League Cabinet member Josephine Smith, Lois Kotkoskie, and "pianist extraordinaire" Bob Egan

Renny Reynolds and Jack Staub personally guided us through their amazing Hortulus Farm in Wrightstown on October 2. This 18th century 100-acre working farmstead is home to a colorful diverse family of farm animals, including horses, sheep, chickens, ducks, swans, guinea fowl, and pheasants. After our tour we had lunch together at the Pineville Tavern.

Other Out & About fall events include a jewelry class, a holiday hors d’oeuvres seasonal treats for cocktail parties and family get-togethers class, and a trip into NYC Union Square Green / Holiday Market, Dean & DeLuca, and Rockefeller Center to help get everyone in the holiday spirit!

UPCOMING EVENTS

An Afternoon on Broadway

Join us for another Broadway musical adventure!

BEAUTIFUL Saturday, April 25, 2015, at 2 p.m.

(Lunch optional at Hurley’s Restaurant, 232 West 48th Street) Call Kim Bantle-Taylor at 215.710.2221 to sign up!

Beehive Gift Shop decks the halls for the holiday season

Lights of Love

The Community League’s annual holiday mailing of cards in honor or to remember loved ones, Lights of Love, takes place in early December.

Connected to this, the annual service with lovely carols and hymns sung by the Bucks County Singers will be held in the St. Mary Chapel on Tuesday, December 2, at 7 p.m.

For more information, please contact Irene Slaman at 215.666.1589 or email her at iaslaman@verizon.net.

LOOKING FOR

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ST. MARY THRIFT SHOP

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FANTASTIC BARGAINS?

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Save the Date! The second annual “Spring Into Fashion” show, featuring professional women models, male models from St. Mary, and children will happen on Thursday, April 16, 2015, at Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland.

WWW.COMMUNITYLEAGUE-STMARY.ORG

N Pine St

2nd Annual Spring into Fashion

ANYTIME!

The Community League’s Beehive Gift Shop has beautiful holiday gifts!

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The Bucks County Singers at Lights of Love

SHOP ONLINE

You can send flowers, gifts, and snacks to loved ones in the hospital and community by visiting the Community League website: www.communityleague-stmary.org.

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Have items too good to throw away that you’d love to see others use?

Visit the St. Mary Thrift Shop in the Pine Watson Shopping Center, Route 413, just one mile south of St. Mary on Route 413.

Call 215.710.8400 to learn more.

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N0N-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

One Summit Square, Suite 300 1717 Langhorne-Newtown Rd. Langhorne, PA 19047

PERMIT #28

BELLMAWR, NJ

FALL 2014

FOCUS

www.StMaryFoundation.org

PLANNED GIVING Make a gift and get something back in return

A charitable gift annuity is a contract in which you agree to make an irrevocable donation, typically in the form of cash or marketable securities, and in return receive fixed payments for life. What remains after your lifetime helps to support the mission of St. Mary.

Not only does a charitable gift annuity have a lasting philanthropic impact, but when compared to other conservative financial instruments, it also guarantees a greater rate of return for you.

INITIAL INVESTMENT ANNUITY RATE YEARLY RETURN TAX-FREE AMOUNT TAXABLE AMOUNT ESTIMATED TAX (20%) NET INCOME: CHARITABLE TAX DEDUCTION:

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY $20,000 5.4% (AGE 72) $1,080 $806.76 $273.24 $54.65 $1,025.35 $8,302

CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT $20,000 2% (5 YR. CURRENTLY ONLY 1.75%) $400 $0 $400 $80 $320 $0

“The quality of care I received as a St. Mary patient combined with its compassionate staff really made a difference in my life. My gift is a way of giving back while receiving both current tax benefits and a guaranteed lifetime income.”

– GLORIA WEISSBART

For a no obligation, personal Charitable Gift Annuity calculation, or information on additional planned giving options, contact Mark Erhard, Director of Planned Giving, by email at merhard@stmaryhealthcare.org or 215.710.2719