PeaceHealth’s Northwest Network
Your inspiring impact
You raise cancer awareness Through your generous support alongside the Waterfall Foundation, PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center recently offered a free event to the community to discuss breast health and give free mammograms. This event helped address barriers of access to mammography screening experienced by some populations, including those in the Asian and Filipino communities, by addressing taboo topics and misinformation surrounding having a mammogram. PeaceHealth staff partnered with the Ketchikan Wellness Coalition’s Sama Sama Tayo Sa Kalusugan to host the event.
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Without Ketchikan Medical Center, I most likely would not be able to share this note today. At the risk of being over dramatic, yet another life has been saved, and that one happens to be mine. Amazing care happens so often here that it starts to seem ordinary. But it truly is not. It is extraordinary. I was on the receiving end this time, and I am beyond words grateful.” — Grateful patient at PeaceHealth Ketchikan
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Your inspiring impact
You bring greater care and comfort Here in Alaska, whenever loved ones need quality long-term care closeby, we deliver it, thanks to you. Through the power of philanthropy, PeaceHealth Ketchikan is home to a specialized 29-bed long-term care unit. This peaceful, comforting space offers compassionate, skilled nursing care for our patients, where they can also find help with transitioning to other types of medical support such as home care and hospice.
YOUR INSPIRING IMPACT, OUR ENDURING GRATITUDE
continued from front page At the center of it all, PeaceHealth caregivers and community members joined together to speak out for women’s health. They shared the importance of cancer screenings, their personal experiences with breast cancer, and the difficulties Asian and Filipino women face in discussing and prioritizing their well-being. The women who attended received resources for scheduling their next mammogram, contacts for cultural and language navigation, as well as financial assistance information for health screenings. Thank you for helping to empower everyone in our community on the path to wellness.
Most recently, your wonderful generosity enabled us to upgrade 18 therapeutic mattresses and two recliners in our long-term care unit that provide patients with extra comfort and help prevent painful ailments like bed sores. As one resident shares, these upgrades are making a real difference, “I haven’t slept this well in a long time.” Another patient adds, “This mattress is so comfortable. Thank you, thank you for caring so much.”
Creating lasting change through legacy giving
Your giving ensures the latest medical equipment that uplifts lives every day.
Her connection with PeaceHealth began with the compassionate care her late husband, Kyle, received as one of our patients. Upon returning home, Kyle said he would like to do something nice for the nurses who gave him such great care. This inspired Kathy to make a lasting gift in support of the incredible nurses who expertly cared for her husband and continue to care for our community still.
It takes the will of many to uplift the lives of others. Just ask Kathy Corwin. Not only has she made a significant gift of her estate to PeaceHealth, she also donates her time to our Volunteer Services. As Kathy says, “Giving back to the community and helping take care of everyone is important.”
Through her legacy gift and volunteering, Kathy hopes to make a life-changing difference now and far into the future. We’re grateful for you Kathy, and for all of our legacy donors, whose commitment to our community means healthier days ahead for many years to come.
Your gifts support exceptional caregivers Every day at PeaceHealth Ketchikan, we celebrate the many talented caregivers whose dedication to our health and well-being goes far beyond the ordinary. As we strive to ensure the future of outstanding care in our community, their compassionate expertise helps pave the way. That’s why we’ve recently expanded PeaceHealth’s leadership team with the addition of our new chief administrative officer, Sarah Cook (pictured on the right). During her 18 years at PeaceHealth Ketchikan, she has worked as certified nurse assistant, interim chief nursing officer and director of Surgical Service. “We are thrilled to have Sarah continue to serve the PeaceHealth family in the role of Chief Administrative Officer,” shared Kendall Sawa, PeaceHealth Ketchikan’s Chief Hospital Executive. “Sarah shares a deep commitment to the health of Southeast Alaska and a strong history of leading high-performing teams. She is a mission-driven leader dedicated to excellence in providing high-quality care to those we serve.”
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“I am very proud to have this opportunity to serve both PeaceHealth, the caregivers and the community,” Sarah shared in an interview with Ketchikan Daily News. “I am a community member...and I’m just really proud to work for an organization that has the mission and values that PeaceHealth does, that we don’t turn anyone away, and that isn’t afraid to grow their own and support within this community.”
Thank you for investing in talented individuals, like Sarah, to bring the best possible care to our loved ones, neighbors and friends.
You make our community stronger and healthier We’re delighted to report that summer 2024 marked an important milestone in PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center’s Stronger Together Campaign — the most ambitious effort in our 131-year history to ensure the future of outstanding healthcare for our families, friends and neighbors. As we move ahead to expand the new Peter Paulsen Pavilion, you’re helping us pave the way! Already, we’ve opened the new parking garage to make sure patients, doctors, nurses and loved ones have a convenient place to park with 600 spots now available. The “From the Rooftop” event (pictured above) honored the completion of the new garage. And that’s just one small step on the path toward transforming our medical center into one of the nation’s greatest. Through our Stronger Together Campaign, we’re taking outstanding care to the next level. Thanks to your charitable support, our collective efforts mean improved patient rooms for more efficient service, a new labor and delivery department, ongoing education for our dedicated caregivers, along with increased recruitment and retention of the best and brightest medical staff. Thank you for joining us on the journey to make our community stronger and healthier for years to come.
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“All emergency room personnel treated me phenomenally well. I will always be grateful for the care I received.” — Grateful patient at PeaceHealth Ketchikan
You fuel expert care for all!
PeaceHealth happenings
You are a part of an award-winning network at PeaceHealth. With the help of generous donors like you, we can meet each patient’s needs throughout their healthcare journey, whether physical, emotional, financial or spiritual. Your charitable support is what makes our services possible to add strength and comfort for our patients when they need it most.
GivingTuesday is a day to celebrate the incredible power of philanthropy — your power — to make a difference in the world. This year, PeaceHealth had a recordbreaking year raising more than ever across our organization. At PeaceHealth Ketchikan, we celebrated $12,450 in gifts including a match by Coastal Keller Williams Realty, Alaska Group. Thank you for partnering with us in this important lifechanging work!
> PeaceHealth Ketchikan was included in Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of the 350 cleanest hospitals and received a 5-star rating for cleanliness. > PeaceHealth St. Joseph Institute for Nursing Excellence celebrated its grand opening in November. > PeaceHealth United General’s Acute Rehabilitation Center celebrated five years of providing exceptional care and was named one of America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers by Newsweek. > Whatcom Hospice was awarded “Nonprofit Organization of the Year” by the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. > PeaceHealth Foundations received the overall high performer and health system high performer national awards for the second consecutive year for outstanding fundraising from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.
New staff joined PeaceHealth: > Sarah Cook starts as the new CAO of PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center. > Seasoned congregation and healthcare leader, Sheila Lemieux, CSJP, joins the system board of directors at PeaceHealth. > Melissa Edwards, MD, was appointed to chief executive of PeaceHealth Medical Group.
Thank you for making this outstanding care possible.
Marie Lindelli-Horton PeaceHealth Ketchikan Foundation Manager mlindelli5@peacehealth.org | (907) 228-7616