HEALTH HOPE OPPORTUNITY
“I Give to Every Organization This Way” Mike Reagan knows firsthand how important donor gifts are to an organization like Cherry Health. He was the Executive Director of ProAction Behavioral Health before it merged with Cherry Street Health Services to form Cherry Health in 2009. He then spent the next decade working at Cherry Health, helping establish its support foundation and cultivating donors. Mike retired three years ago, but he is still committed to the cause.
Making Ripples for Health
“I believe in what Cherry Health does. This is a safety net. It improves wellbeing in all possible ways …social, emotional and physical.”
“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost.”
Although he has retired, Mike continues to support the mission through monthly giving. “Many organizations rely on events to help them fundraise,” he points out. “During COVID, many of those events stopped. But the need stayed the same. I love making a monthly gift because I can give what makes sense for my budget. It is planned and predictable for me as well as for the organization.”
This well-known proverb illustrates how small omissions can have significant consequences. In the same way, our patients experience a host of ripple effects when they do not have the resources to do simple things, like checking blood pressure at home.
Mike understands the impact that giving in this way has on an organization’s costs. “Monthly gifts make fundraising less expensive for the nonprofit,” he notes. “They know I am giving so they don’t need to send me reminders or requests. They can also plan on my gift.” For his part, Mike says he loves the convenience. “I set the amount and it is automatically withdrawn each month. I can go online and increase or decrease it any time. For a retiree like me, that flexibility is important.” Cherry Health is not the only beneficiary of Mike’s monthly giving. “This is how I give to any organization I support,” he says. “It makes it much easier to manage what I want to do for Cherry Health and others.”
Sign in
Ongoing
Give Monthly
$1,000
$500
$250
$75
Other Thanks for considering making your donation Monthly! Your gift starts today.
You can learn more about online giving & sign up at cherryhealth.org/donate.
Anna Goddard, CFRM Foundation Director 616.965.8217 Kat MacDonald Donor Relations & Events Manager 616.965.8267 Breanne Zost Foundation Coordinator 616.965.8254
Patti Griswold – Chair Elizabeth Joy Fossel – Vice Chair Ann Liefer – Treasurer Jessica Payne – Secretary India Manns – Immediate Past Chair
Give
Jonathan Anderson Wayne Bersano Jordoun Eatman Armando Herrera Shelley Irwin Jessie Jones Lisa M. Lowery, MD
“If you can’t afford a blood pressure cuff, you can’t afford complications from your condition,” Cassie points out. “This is a small thing we can do to help patients achieve better health and reduce their medical costs.”
The Cherry Health Foundation Board designated donor dollars to the Fund so that staff could advocate for resources that would improve patient experiences and care. Thanks to generous community members, team members like Cassie can identify and fill patient needs. “We requested and received funding to buy 172 cuffs!” Cassie reports ecstatically. “Now we can provide cuffs to patients who cannot get one through insurance.”
CHERRY HEALTH FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
100 Cherry Street SE Grand Rapids MI 49503
The provider can track her vitals and adjust her medications if needed. “As a result of receiving the cuff, this patient has kept her follow up appointments. She has controlled her blood pressure and stayed out of the Emergency Room,” Cassie notes.
That is why Cassie and her team jumped at the chance to apply for Opportunity Fund dollars.
Choose Your Gift One Time
“Many of our patients have hypertension, diabetes, or other conditions in which ongoing blood pressure readings are important,” says Cassie Pederson, Medical Assistant at Cherry Health’s Barry Community Health Center. “Not all insurance companies will pay for a blood pressure cuff. And for many patients, a $50-$100 cuff is out of reach.”
FALL 2022
Peaches McCahill Alexis Reame Joanne Roehm Robert L. Tolbert, Jr. Elizabeth Triezenberg Carroll Velie
To opt out of future communications, please email foundation@cherryhealth.com or call 616.965.8254.
This simple tool can prevent a host of ripple effect problems. “If a patient cannot get to the clinic, or does not have the tools to monitor health at home, the situation can easily become critical,” Cassie explains. “The cost of not tracking blood pressure is exponentially higher than the cost of a cuff. By having this tool and calling the clinic with readings, the patient can avoid costly visits to Urgent Care or even the Emergency Room.” Here is a perfect example. A fifty-nine year old woman with hypertension, social anxiety and no insurance received one of these cuffs. She can now do video visits with her provider in the comfort of her own home. This helps relieve her anxiety and lower her blood pressure. It also helps prevent additional transportation expenses that she cannot afford.
“The cost of not tracking blood pressure is exponentially higher than the cost of a cuff.”
Strategically Filling the Gaps
An Active, Comprehensive Partner
“Numbers don’t lie.” We have all heard that expression. An organization like Cherry Health can gain valuable insight from numbers. We are using those insights to help us retain and expand the number of people we serve. And we are using donor gifts to help us identify and reach out to groups we know are underserved.
Lighthouse, an Alera Group Company, provides comprehensive insurance services with an emphasis on personalized care. They have served West Michigan for over 25 years and are committed to being an active partner in the communities where their employees live and work.
Making Health Care Convenient For the last several years, we have provided health care access to children through school-based clinics in Grand Rapids and Cedar Springs public schools, as well as through traveling vision and dental services. It makes sense to provide care in school. School care minimizes the instruction time they miss for routine or minor health issues and prevents those issues from
growing. It also makes life simpler for parents and guardians, many of whom cannot afford to take time off from work for doctor’s visits. This is a crucial way to maintain student health and contribute to educational achievement. Looking at the numbers since 2020, we saw that care sought by our youth populations had significantly
declined. With extended school closings and remote learning, kids were at home. This put them out of reach of medical, dental, behavioral health, and vision care. Thanks to COVID-19, they are already behind academically, which makes time for reengagement in preventative care services even more scarce.
Strategies to Reach and Retain Patients We know that some of our neighborhood-based medical facilities have capacity to serve more patients. The trick is reaching and retaining them. For some, the barrier is transportation. For others, the barrier is fear of COVID-19 exposure. Others may have mobility challenges or other reasons for shying away from care. We also know that new barriers can arise, causing patients to stop seeking care. Many people became disengaged from health care during the pandemic. We are testing new strategies, like telehealth, to re-engage them and keep them. We know that our patient attrition rate is much higher post-COVID. We need to delve into the “why” so we can test new ways to keep patients engaged in care.
Pandemic attrition
Reasons for reduction
Program specific data
Age demographics
Location drill down
Filling the Needs We know that there are unmet health care needs in the communities we serve. We plan to engage in targeted outreach so that we can serve more people through both in-person care and telehealth. Thanks to donor gifts, we have the ability to test different models and approaches, then leverage the most successful ones to achieve population health.
Get Involved in the Mission! Give online at cherryhealth.org/donate.
Use the enclosed envelope.
David Hildenbrand, Senior Sales Vice President, says that Lighthouse supports Cherry Health because they believe in the mission. “Cherry Health has a heart for the community, providing essential services and care to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. Lighthouse sees the value in partnering with Cherry Health so that they can reach more people. This is especially important now, when health care is such a pertinent need.” The personalized care and dedication of Cherry Health employees resonate with Dave. “Their employees have a passion for the work they do and the lives they impact. We’re inspired by their commitment to providing comprehensive health and wellness services to all individuals in our community.” Thank you, Lighthouse, for your commitment to our mission and for partnering with us in the work!
Strategically Filling the Gaps
An Active, Comprehensive Partner
“Numbers don’t lie.” We have all heard that expression. An organization like Cherry Health can gain valuable insight from numbers. We are using those insights to help us retain and expand the number of people we serve. And we are using donor gifts to help us identify and reach out to groups we know are underserved.
Lighthouse, an Alera Group Company, provides comprehensive insurance services with an emphasis on personalized care. They have served West Michigan for over 25 years and are committed to being an active partner in the communities where their employees live and work.
Making Health Care Convenient For the last several years, we have provided health care access to children through school-based clinics in Grand Rapids and Cedar Springs public schools, as well as through traveling vision and dental services. It makes sense to provide care in school. School care minimizes the instruction time they miss for routine or minor health issues and prevents those issues from
growing. It also makes life simpler for parents and guardians, many of whom cannot afford to take time off from work for doctor’s visits. This is a crucial way to maintain student health and contribute to educational achievement. Looking at the numbers since 2020, we saw that care sought by our youth populations had significantly
declined. With extended school closings and remote learning, kids were at home. This put them out of reach of medical, dental, behavioral health, and vision care. Thanks to COVID-19, they are already behind academically, which makes time for reengagement in preventative care services even more scarce.
Strategies to Reach and Retain Patients We know that some of our neighborhood-based medical facilities have capacity to serve more patients. The trick is reaching and retaining them. For some, the barrier is transportation. For others, the barrier is fear of COVID-19 exposure. Others may have mobility challenges or other reasons for shying away from care. We also know that new barriers can arise, causing patients to stop seeking care. Many people became disengaged from health care during the pandemic. We are testing new strategies, like telehealth, to re-engage them and keep them. We know that our patient attrition rate is much higher post-COVID. We need to delve into the “why” so we can test new ways to keep patients engaged in care.
Pandemic attrition
Reasons for reduction
Program specific data
Age demographics
Location drill down
Filling the Needs We know that there are unmet health care needs in the communities we serve. We plan to engage in targeted outreach so that we can serve more people through both in-person care and telehealth. Thanks to donor gifts, we have the ability to test different models and approaches, then leverage the most successful ones to achieve population health.
Get Involved in the Mission! Give online at cherryhealth.org/donate.
Use the enclosed envelope.
David Hildenbrand, Senior Sales Vice President, says that Lighthouse supports Cherry Health because they believe in the mission. “Cherry Health has a heart for the community, providing essential services and care to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. Lighthouse sees the value in partnering with Cherry Health so that they can reach more people. This is especially important now, when health care is such a pertinent need.” The personalized care and dedication of Cherry Health employees resonate with Dave. “Their employees have a passion for the work they do and the lives they impact. We’re inspired by their commitment to providing comprehensive health and wellness services to all individuals in our community.” Thank you, Lighthouse, for your commitment to our mission and for partnering with us in the work!
HEALTH HOPE OPPORTUNITY
“I Give to Every Organization This Way” Mike Reagan knows firsthand how important donor gifts are to an organization like Cherry Health. He was the Executive Director of ProAction Behavioral Health before it merged with Cherry Street Health Services to form Cherry Health in 2009. He then spent the next decade working at Cherry Health, helping establish its support foundation and cultivating donors. Mike retired three years ago, but he is still committed to the cause.
Making Ripples for Health
“I believe in what Cherry Health does. This is a safety net. It improves wellbeing in all possible ways …social, emotional and physical.”
“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost.”
Although he has retired, Mike continues to support the mission through monthly giving. “Many organizations rely on events to help them fundraise,” he points out. “During COVID, many of those events stopped. But the need stayed the same. I love making a monthly gift because I can give what makes sense for my budget. It is planned and predictable for me as well as for the organization.”
This well-known proverb illustrates how small omissions can have significant consequences. In the same way, our patients experience a host of ripple effects when they do not have the resources to do simple things, like checking blood pressure at home.
Mike understands the impact that giving in this way has on an organization’s costs. “Monthly gifts make fundraising less expensive for the nonprofit,” he notes. “They know I am giving so they don’t need to send me reminders or requests. They can also plan on my gift.” For his part, Mike says he loves the convenience. “I set the amount and it is automatically withdrawn each month. I can go online and increase or decrease it any time. For a retiree like me, that flexibility is important.” Cherry Health is not the only beneficiary of Mike’s monthly giving. “This is how I give to any organization I support,” he says. “It makes it much easier to manage what I want to do for Cherry Health and others.”
Sign in
Ongoing
Give Monthly
$1,000
$500
$250
$75
Other Thanks for considering making your donation Monthly! Your gift starts today.
You can learn more about online giving & sign up at cherryhealth.org/donate.
Anna Goddard, CFRM Foundation Director 616.965.8217 Kat MacDonald Donor Relations & Events Manager 616.965.8267 Breanne Zost Foundation Coordinator 616.965.8254
Patti Griswold – Chair Elizabeth Joy Fossel – Vice Chair Ann Liefer – Treasurer Jessica Payne – Secretary India Manns – Immediate Past Chair
Give
Jonathan Anderson Wayne Bersano Jordoun Eatman Armando Herrera Shelley Irwin Jessie Jones Lisa M. Lowery, MD
“If you can’t afford a blood pressure cuff, you can’t afford complications from your condition,” Cassie points out. “This is a small thing we can do to help patients achieve better health and reduce their medical costs.”
The Cherry Health Foundation Board designated donor dollars to the Fund so that staff could advocate for resources that would improve patient experiences and care. Thanks to generous community members, team members like Cassie can identify and fill patient needs. “We requested and received funding to buy 172 cuffs!” Cassie reports ecstatically. “Now we can provide cuffs to patients who cannot get one through insurance.”
CHERRY HEALTH FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
100 Cherry Street SE Grand Rapids MI 49503
The provider can track her vitals and adjust her medications if needed. “As a result of receiving the cuff, this patient has kept her follow up appointments. She has controlled her blood pressure and stayed out of the Emergency Room,” Cassie notes.
That is why Cassie and her team jumped at the chance to apply for Opportunity Fund dollars.
Choose Your Gift One Time
“Many of our patients have hypertension, diabetes, or other conditions in which ongoing blood pressure readings are important,” says Cassie Pederson, Medical Assistant at Cherry Health’s Barry Community Health Center. “Not all insurance companies will pay for a blood pressure cuff. And for many patients, a $50-$100 cuff is out of reach.”
FALL 2022
Peaches McCahill Alexis Reame Joanne Roehm Robert L. Tolbert, Jr. Elizabeth Triezenberg Carroll Velie
To opt out of future communications, please email foundation@cherryhealth.com or call 616.965.8254.
This simple tool can prevent a host of ripple effect problems. “If a patient cannot get to the clinic, or does not have the tools to monitor health at home, the situation can easily become critical,” Cassie explains. “The cost of not tracking blood pressure is exponentially higher than the cost of a cuff. By having this tool and calling the clinic with readings, the patient can avoid costly visits to Urgent Care or even the Emergency Room.” Here is a perfect example. A fifty-nine year old woman with hypertension, social anxiety and no insurance received one of these cuffs. She can now do video visits with her provider in the comfort of her own home. This helps relieve her anxiety and lower her blood pressure. It also helps prevent additional transportation expenses that she cannot afford.
“The cost of not tracking blood pressure is exponentially higher than the cost of a cuff.”