Healthy Giving Extra, October 2023

HealthyGiving Extra October 2023

Important News for Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan Supporters

Grateful Couple Provide Long-Time Support for Colorectal Cancer Care

When Michael Serling was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, he was 65 years old, and his granddaughter was just four. At the time, he wasn’t sure how much of her life he would get to enjoy. “When you receive a cancer diagnosis, it’s so devastating,” he said. “The fear that sets in from treatment is overwhelming.”

At the time of diagnosis, Michael and his wife, Elaine Serling, had been supporters of Corewell Health (formerly Beaumont) for many years – a relationship that was strengthened by the compassionate care Michael received during his cancer treatment at the Royal Oak hospital. Elaine, herself a registered nurse, was impressed by and grateful for that care as well.

“Elaine and I are indebted to the doctors, nurses and staff at [Corewell Health] for helping us during those dark times,” Michael said.

His oncology team included Dr. Harry Wasvary, medical director of the colorectal multidisciplinary clinic at the Royal Oak hospital. Of Dr. Wasvary, Michael said, “He saved my life and that’s why I support his work.”

Left to right: Michael Serling, Dr. Harry Wasvary, Elaine Serling Michael and Elaine’s gratitude led to the creation of the Michael and Elaine Serling Fund for Colorectal Cancer, which they have supported for several years. The Serlings’ most recent gift to their fund officially made them million-dollar donors to Corewell Health. Since their experience with colorectal cancer, they have remained passionate about the research and medical advances that facilitate the treatment and study of this cancer, and through their fund, they are able to pay forward all they gained from their experience.

“We are so pleased to be a part of the program and support it wholeheartedly,” Michael said. “We love seeing the progress made and helping to save lives.”

Today, Michael is a 13-year cancer survivor, and he recently celebrated his granddaughter’s 17th birthday.

When speaking about how far he has come, there is an unmistakable joy in his voice for the life he continues to live. He also is passionate about trying to help others.

“If you have the means, you should try to make the world a better place,” he said. “There is always room to make things better. If you see something you believe in, like we believe in the importance of [Corewell Health] in our community, become a part of it. Support it and help make it better.”

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Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan Healthy Giving Extra

Annual Fund Donors Invest in Health Care in Our Communities Each year, thousands of individuals generously give annual fund gifts to support Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan, helping to ensure our local hospitals are able to continue providing the highest level of care that all our patients need and deserve.

This sort of support is one of the reasons why our hospitals are consistently ranked among the finest in the country. As a health system, Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan is deeply committed to providing extraordinary patient and family-centered care while advancing research, technology and staff training, but the needs are many.

With health care continuing to change and new technologies and treatments being introduced every day, health care costs are continually rising. As a nonprofit health care system, Corewell Health has been fortunate to partner with donors who allow us to fund crucially important initiatives that have an impact right here in our local communities.

In the past, our annual fund donors have helped to: • expand and renovate the Emergency & Trauma Center at the Royal Oak hospital, which includes specialized 24/7 pediatric emergency medical care.

• renovate the operating rooms at the Grosse Pointe hospital, helping to accommodate the most leading-edge technology and ensuring the growing numbers of surgical patients are able to receive extraordinary care.

• construct a 13,000-square-foot expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit at the Troy hospital, which includes 25 beds, a family waiting room, lactation support for new mothers and state-of-the-art monitoring systems.

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Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan Healthy Giving Extra

• open a new, dedicated Breast Care Center at the Wayne hospital, nearly doubling its size to accommodate more patients, reduce wait times and provide more free community screenings.

• establish a physical medicine and rehabilitation education endowment at the Taylor hospital to support staff education with certified rehabilitation training, educational lectures, and annual conferences.

This year’s annual giving outreach will support the Greatest Needs Fund, which addresses a wide range of costs, from medical equipment to employee training, across all eight of our hospitals.

Supporting our annual giving fund is an important way that our partners can help caregivers serve our communities and provide essential – and exceptional – health care for everyone. When you receive your annual giving mailing this fall, we hope that you choose to join those who have already made the commitment to support their community hospitals and the physicians and programs that take care of us all.

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Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan Healthy Giving Extra

Investing in Graduate Medical Education: A Pathway to Quality Health Care When donors give to support graduate medical education, they are supporting the future of high-quality health care. Gifts such as those that have created the Kojaian Family Endowed Cardiology Fellowship and the Tove and Svend Skaarup Endowed Fellowship in Advanced Interventional Cardiology and supported other fellowships in hematology-oncology, internal medicine and more are doing just that.

When individuals graduate from medical school, the next steps in their professional training are residencies and fellowships. These advanced education opportunities are important for advancing medicine, as they provide doctors with the training necessary to become a specialist in their chosen field.

“They also play an important role in recruiting and retaining top medical talent to our health system, as a great many physicians who train here also stay and build their careers here,” said Dr. Ryan Fringer, vice president of Graduate Medical Education.

The stability and long-term continuation of fellowship and residency programs will ensure that Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan is in the best position to recruit the very best physicians, leading to the highest quality of care for our patients and community.

Today, more than 900 physicians are training across 93 programs in our Corewell Health hospitals in southeastern Michigan, including 794 residents in 44 accredited programs and 109 fellows in 33 accredited programs.

Donors who support this comprehensive and immersive training experience are investing in graduate medical education programs that produce highly skilled physicians who are well-prepared to meet the diverse health care needs of our communities.

These programs offer a unique opportunity for physicians-in-training to gain hands-on experience, refine their clinical skills, and develop a deep understanding of the complexities of patient care. Philanthropic support can help ensure our health system is in the best position to continue advancing the practice of medicine through education, research and innovation.

The American Medical Association (AMA) also recognizes the critical role of graduate medical education in addressing the physician workforce shortage and enhancing the quality of care. According to the AMA, an increased investment in these programs is crucial to meet the growing health care demands of an aging population. By investing in graduate medical education at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan, our philanthropic partners are truly helping to shape a brighter future for health care.

If you would like to invest in the net generation of exceptional caregivers at Corewell Health, please visit beaumont.org/giving.

Please share your email address with us so we can send Healthy Giving Extra to you electronically in the future.

Respond to: CHEBeaumontFoundationPresident@corewellhealth.org.

The foundation gratefully relies on support from the community. If you would prefer not to receive future communication, please reply by email to beaumonthealthfoundation@beaumont.org or call 947.522.0100.

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