St. Joseph's Foundation, Volume 5, Issue 1, 2009 by St. Joseph's Foundation

ST. JOSEPH’S magazine A magazine for the friends of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

Volume 5, Issue 1, 2009

TREATING EARLY-STAGE LUNG CANCER New endoscopic procedure reduces pain, recovery time for patients

St. Joseph’s Midwifery Services Giving women a natural birth experience

OPENING THOUGHTS Like nearly every organization in the country, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Foundation are dealing with the effects of the troubled economy. But, as this issue illustrates, our employees, physicians, and benefactors are helping the hospital weather this financial downturn. We are confident that our organization will emerge stronger than ever, well positioned for the future. In our Emergency Department, for example, employees and physicians collaborated on a project that has greatly improved efficiency and customer service. Wait times have been significantly reduced because the staff identified and implemented a better way of handling the diverse patients who come to our Emergency Department for care. As a result, patients are happier, and the staff is less stressed. The improvements should have financial benefits as well. The impact of benefactors can be seen throughout this issue of St. Joseph’s Magazine. From major benefactors like Charlene “Pinky” Harris and the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation to student organizations like Girls on the Run of Maricopa County, donors are contributing in many ways to many areas of the hospital. You’ll read about the Congenital Heart Foundation, established with the help of benefactors to enable the Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center to continue its phenomenal growth, and the Leader Circle, an emerging group of community-minded professionals who want to be involved in and support St. Joseph’s. Finally, events like the Superstition Paint Horses Open House and the Angelita’s Amigos Golf Tournament remind all of us here at St. Joseph’s of the real meaning of what we do. Your support plays a critical role in our ability to offer world-class healthcare right here in our own community, and that truth is well illustrated in our cover story. Benefactors helped make possible the Thoracic Disease Center—a huge benefit for patients like Baron Benz, Burton Kohn, and Jennifer Hoppock. Thank you!

Linda Hunt President St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

Mary Jane Crist CEO St. Joseph’s Foundation

ST. JOSEPH’S magazine A magazine for the friends of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

contents

Catherine Menor, Editor Catherine.Menor@chw.edu Christina Vanoverbeke, Writer Justin Detwiler Art Director/Designer

Volume 5, Issue 1, 2009

Baby Makes Entrance on Exit 212 of the I-17 Parents say Midwifery Program at St. Joseph’s helped keep them calm.

CPR for the ER In just three weeks, employees re-engineered Emergency Department processes, significantly cutting patient wait times.

Treating Early-Stage Lung Cancer Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) reduces pain, recovery time for patients.

Healthy Hearts New foundation established to support Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center.

A Word from the Chairman Benefactors play a critical role in advancing St. Joseph’s strategic plan.

K-9 Patrol ‘So far, all they’ve had to do is bark.’

Why I Give Retired nurse makes gift in honor of her late husband.

Health & Wealth Raffle Are you confused by the new raffles entering the market?

Leader Circle Members get together for fun and a good cause.

Benefactor Briefs

News

In Giving, You Receive

Brad Armstrong D Squared Productions, Murphy/Scully Jackie Mercandetti Jeff Noble Photography

Linda Hunt, President St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center Mary Jane Crist, CFRE CEO, St. Joseph’s Foundation

Panoramic Press

• How to Reach Us • St. Joseph’s Magazine is published twice a year by St. Joseph’s Foundation. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and requests to be added to or deleted from our mailing list. Call 602-406-1041, email Catherine.Menor@chw.edu, or send mail to St. Joseph’s Magazine, Office of Philanthropy, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ, 85013. Please include your name, address, and daytime telephone number in all correspondence. Visit us online at www.SupportStJosephs.com.

OOPS! BABY MAKES ENTRANCE ON EXIT 212 OF I-17; PARENTS SAY MIDWIFERY PROGRAM AT ST. JOSEPH’S HELPED KEEP THEM CALM by Christina Vanoverbeke

mily Pettee didn’t realize she was in labor when she woke up in the middle of the night on February 11, 2008.

It was 10 days before she was due, and her first child, daughter Sofia, had arrived late. So when she awoke with some discomfort, she asked her husband, John, to draw her a warm bath and tried to relaxed. But by the time she finished her bath, she knew she was experiencing contractions and they were coming closer together. It was time to get to the hospital. They called John’s mother to watch Sofia and called their doula, or labor coach, to meet them at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center where Emily was being cared for by a midwife, Connie Garcia, CNM, MSN. Emily was feeling the urge to push before she even got in the car but tried to suppress it, knowing they were a half an

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“It was a wonderful experience hour from St. Joseph’s. About 10 minutes into the trip she knew her efforts were in vain. “I said to my husband, ‘The baby’s coming. This is it. Pull over,’” Emily says. A short time later, Emily delivered John Anthony, bright red and screaming, in the back seat of their SUV. It was February 12 on Exit 212 of the I-17. “We knew he was perfectly healthy and happy,” she said.“It was a wonderful experience for me to be able to catch him myself.” The Pettee family’s experience is unusual, but Emily says working with a midwife during her pregnancy is part of what helped her stay calm during her delivery. St. Joseph’s began offering families the option of midwifery services in July of last year and now has four midwives on the staff, says Trudy Brown, practice manager at St. Joseph’s Women’s Care Center. She says people learn of the service through family and friends and through a community of people in the Phoenix metropolitan area who are interested in natural childbirth. Nurse-midwifery was started in the U.S. in 1925 by Mary Breckenridge, who developed the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky. The program used public health registered nurses to staff nursing centers in the Appalachian Mountains. The nurse-midwife is educated and trained to provide a broad range of health care services for women and newborns, including activities that promote women's health and reduce health risks. The midwives at St.Joseph’s are unique in that they advocate for natural births within the constraints of the hospital setting, Brown says. “They are learning to work within the hospital, which has been a challenge,” she says. Before coming to St. Joseph’s, all of the midwives were operating private practices and only bringing patients to hospitals for births when complications arose.

for me to be able to catch him myself.” Emily Pettee Being in a hospital setting full time is new to the midwives, and having them around is new to the hospital staff. The midwives spent a lot of time in their first months at the hospital educating other staff about what it is that a midwife does and that“not every patient that comes in wants an epidural or invasive monitoring,”says midwife Donna Tash, CNM, MSN. A woman working with a midwife is likely to be seen up and walking around during labor, Tash says. She may sit in a rocking chair, take a shower, or visit with family. “There is freedom,liberation from not being tied down to the fetal monitor,” Tash says. St. Joseph’s does not yet have dedicated birthing rooms or a birthing center, but it is a dream of the midwives on staff to someday have one. That’s because in a birthing center women would have even more freedom to squat on a birthing ball—bouncing on one can decrease perineal pressure, and leaning over it can allow the baby to hang down, thus decreasing any back pain or back labor—or immerse themselves

Opposite page, John Anthony is nearly one year old in this photo with his family, parents John and Emily, and sister Sofia. Above, Emily cuddles her infant son.

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“We have an attitude that birth is

nant with her second child that she wanted a different experience. “I had wanted a natural childbirth the first time, but I wasn’t prepared for natural childbirth,” she said. “When I was pregnant the second time, I knew what I wanted. I was already a mother; I had talked to other women and researched my options.” Emily began neonatal care with a home birth midwife, but she encountered some problems, the biggest of which was her insurance not covering the service. So,she began exploring her options.She knew she did not want to go with an obstetrician again, but she also knew she couldn’t afford the cost of a home birth. Then she found out from a family member about the midwifery services at St. Joseph’s. And because the care was administered through the hospital, her insurance would pay for it. About 20 weeks into her pregnancy, she transferred to St. Joseph’s for her care and began seeing midwife Garcia.

normal. We encourage women to be active in decision-making.” Donna Tash, midwife in a warm tub of water, a few of the practices often encouraged by midwives to ease pain and stress during labor and delivery. Midwives are all about a low-tech birth where women and their families are involved in the process in a comfortable environment, Tash says. “We have an attitude that birth is normal.We encourage women to be active in decision-making,” she says. “A lot of women are well-educated about what they want.” Emily, who had a more traditional birthing experience when daughter Sofia was born at another area hospital with an obstetrician, knew when she became preg-

The four midwives at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center include Donna Tash, CNM, MSN; Connie Garcia, CNM, MSN; Anita Martinez, CNM, MSN; and Tanya Belcheff, CNM, MSN (not pictured).

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“Everything clicked. She was everything a birthing practitioner should be,” Emily says.“She is so warm, so knowledgeable and experienced.” St. Joseph’s specializes in high-risk pregnancies, but adding the midwifery services provides a broader range of options to families. Women are fully screened before beginning care with a midwife, and if at any time during their pregnancy they are considered at risk, they are referred to a traditional obstetrician. Office visits with a midwife generally last longer than with an obstetrician, and the entire family is involved to the extent possible. At many obstetrician practices, patients may see several physicians or physician’s assistants during their pregnancies. For patients like Emily who seek out the care of a midwife, it is important to build a relationship with one person. “I saw Connie for every appointment.And I was never rushed,” she says.“I felt very comfortable to be perfectly honest with Connie about any of the symptoms I was experiencing and I wouldn’t be judged. She trusted me—that it was my body, my pregnancy, and that I was probably the foremost expert on it. I really appreciated that, too.” Emily says that through her work with the midwives at St. Joseph’s, and with her doula, she felt empowered and ready for her baby to come. “Unfortunately and sadly, a lot of births are taken out of the mother’s hands,” she says.“But Connie was so supportive. She was my advocate, and the whole thing felt like it was a team effort.”

Midwife Anita Martinez with Dulce Delcid and her newborn.

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FETAL SURGEON JOINS ST. JOSEPH’S STAFF new physician joined the team at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in August to care for patients facing high-risk pregnancies and in-utero procedures. George Giannina, MD, was hired as the hospital's director of Fetal Surgery after serving as an assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). He also served as director of the school’s Perinatal Office Practice and Fetal Diagnostic and Therapy Section. Dr. Giannina received his medical degree and completed his residency at UMDNJ. He did a maternalfetal medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. In addition to his training as a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, Dr. Giannina is also skilled in fetal surgery and has performed hundreds of inutero procedures. Formal training for fetal surgery doesn’t really exist yet, and Dr. Giannina says he fell into the specialty by association. His partner in New Jersey was a pioneer in fetal surgery, in particular for the treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome. “Most patients in the country came to us when they needed this procedure,” he says. Dr. Giannina has joined the team of St. Joseph’s Fetal Care Center, which focuses on providing care to patients with fetal abnormalities from before birth, through labor, and after delivery. Women with highrisk pregnancies are often referred to the center by their physician. There they can receive diagnostic studies, genetic counseling, treatment, and care when a fetal abnormality is suspected or diagnosed. Like other physicians at the Fetal Care Center, Dr. Giannina will treat women experiencing high-risk pregnancies and unborn babies with life-threatening problems, but when other specific complications arise requiring fetal surgery, he also will treat those patients. He says fetal surgeries do not occur often, although more people are now able to perform them than ever before. Fetal surgery has been evolving for years and has proven effective for some babies. For example, identical twins with twin-twin transfusion syndrome share abnormal connections in the

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placenta that cause blood to pass unequally between the two fetuses. One fetus pumps blood to the other fetus. Without intervention, the recipient twin receives too much blood and may develop fluid overload and heart failure, and may die, and the donor twin may die from not having enough blood, or severe anemia.

George Giannina, MD, has joined St. Joseph’s as the director of Fetal Surgery.

Dr. Giannina intervenes by inserting a tiny endoscope in the uterus and performing placental surgery, lasering the abnormal connections. Twin-twin transfusion syndrome has an 80 to 100 percent mortality rate without intervention. “We knew we had to find a way to treat that condition,” he says.“And the surgery works and has a benefit.” Dr. Giannina has spent his first few months at St. Joseph’s becoming acquainted with his new surroundings, acquiring equipment, and educating his staff. He says fetal surgery isn’t something that happens every day, but when a case comes to St. Joseph’s, they’ll be ready.

by Christina Vanoverbeke

CPR FOR THE ER IN JUST THREE WEEKS, EMPLOYEES RE-ENGINEER EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PROCESSES, SIGNIFICANTLY CUTTING WAIT TIMES FOR PATIENTS

atients arriving at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center with an emergency will not wait as long as they might have just a few months ago, thanks to major changes in the Del E. Webb Emergency Department.

From the time a patient entered the department to the time he or she was discharged was exceeding four hours in some cases before the changes were implemented in late August.

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Above left, David Terry, RN, and Mary DiJulio, PCT, in the green zone of the ED, and, right, Erica Mima, RN.

Since then, the average length of a stay has decreased to around two and half hours, and the average time it takes to see a physician also has decreased, says Deanna Mast, RN, clinical director in the Emergency and Trauma departments. “Before the change, it could take two hours to see a doctor,” Mast says. Now patients are seeing a doctor within 30 to 40 minutes of arrival based on the severity of their problem, with a goal to get that time down to 15 minutes in the most serious cases. To accomplish these changes, the Emergency Department was separated into two distinct zones, according to Michael Christopher, MD, medical director of the ED. The “green zone” is for non-acute patients—people who might use an urgent care for conditions such as minor injuries or illness. The “red zone” is for more complex cases such as strokes and heart attacks. “By doing it this way, we’re able to concentrate our resources on where they are needed,” Dr. Christopher says. When a patient enters the Emergency Department, he or she is quickly assessed by a staff member at the front desk, who determines which zone they should go to. In the green zone—no beds Patients in the green zone don’t see a hospital bed. Instead, they are put in a room with two chairs, equipped so that two patients can be seen at the same

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time. In that room, they are simultaneously visited by a physician and a nurse, who take the patient’s history and determine what tests or medications need to be ordered. “This brings doctors into the decision-making process a lot sooner than they used to be brought in,” Dr. Christopher says. “Before, you might be here an hour or two before you saw a doctor, and the patient would get frustrated because they were repeating the same story again and again.” The patient is then asked to sit outside the room in a small waiting area where the technician or nurse performing their test will find them. Mark Krich, MD, says the emergency department at St. Joseph’s is always busy, and sometimes they can’t do much to speed the experience for people due to a limited number of beds. “How do you take care of so many patients with limited resources?” he says. “You have to streamline the process and do the best you can with what you have.” But, he said, the recent changes have made a noticeable difference. “It has definitely helped get everything in order and running faster,” says Dr. Krich. The change also has improved efficiency. Going from one bed per room to two chairs in the green zone increased the number of overall beds in the emergency department by about 15, Mast says.

“This is a radical rethinking of how we’ve always done things.”

Diana Minneci, PCT, and Tarah Butler Scrafano, RN, work in the new green zone of the Emergency Department at St. Joseph’s. Patients in this area are visited simultaneously by nurses and doctors to save time.

Michael Christopher, MD “Patients are OK with it because they know they’ll get to see a doctor sooner,” she says.“And if it’s something that requires privacy—a conversation or a procedure—we can move them to a private room.” Dr. Christopher says, in terms of efficiency, the Emergency Department wasn’t in bad shape before the changes. But the staff knew they had to do something about all the patients who were holding, waiting for the next step of the process. Several other Catholic Healthcare West sister hospitals had tried something similar to this process in their emergency departments with success, and so St. Joseph’s decided to try it. A staff-driven change Mast says St. Joseph’s admits 25 to 30 percent of the patients who come to the Emergency Department. “It feeds all of our service lines,” she says. Once the department decided to make a change, they met as a committee for one week and included physicians, nurses, admissions specialists, lab technicians, and others who have regular contact with the Emergency Department in the process, says Mast. Then, they took two weeks to implement the changes, with a commitment to stick with the new process for 30 days before evaluating it. Mast says they continue to monitor how the change is working, but so far the results have exceeded their expectations with regard to wait times, efficiency, and staff stress levels. “This is a radical rethinking of how we’ve always done things,” Dr. Christopher says. “The old way was very linear, but it was just the way we had always done it.”

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LUNG CANCER

by Catherine Menor

VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACOSCOPIC SURGERY REDUCES PAIN, RECOVERY TIME FOR PATIENTS WITH EARLY-STAGE DISEASE

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is offered by the Thoracic Disease Center at St. Joseph’s in the newly renovated Heart & Lung Tower. St. Joseph’s Foundation supports the Thoracic Disease Center.

n early November 2008, Burton Kohn, 82, of Palm Desert, Calif., woke up one night feeling seriously ill. A trip to Eisenhower Medical Center confirmed a gastrointestinal problem, which could be treated easily. What couldn’t be treated so easily was the spot on Kohn’s lung that a whole-body scan detected during his trip to the hospital. Kohn, who had stopped smoking 30 years ago, was stunned. “It’s surreal. It takes a while to sink in. Then you just feel strange.”

What seemed at the time to be an unfortunate discovery turned out to be a very lucky one for this active grandfather. While the spot was lung cancer, it was found at an early stage, and Kohn was able to undergo endoscopic surgery to remove the affect- Burton Kohn with his ed lobe at the Thoracic Disease daughter, Kathy Bain, Center at St. Joseph’s. and daughter-in-law, Deana Kohn.

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He left St. Joseph’s three days after surgery and spent Thanksgiving Day with his daughter and her family, who live in Phoenix. Two weeks later, Kohn was walking two miles a day, and in January, he began chemotherapy at Eisenhower. His prognosis is much brighter than it might have been. The hard facts of lung cancer Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancerrelated deaths in men and the second most common in women. It claims 1.3 million lives worldwide annually. According to the American Lung Association, the five-year survival rate for all patients diagnosed with lung cancer is 16 percent, compared to 64.1 percent for colon, 88.5 percent for breast, and 99.9 percent for prostate cancer. This low survival rate is due largely to the fact that lung cancer rarely causes symptoms until it has spread to other parts of the body. Thus, for most patients, the disease is not diagnosed until after it has metastasized. But for patients with early-stage lung cancer—cancer that is contained within the lung and that has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body—the five-year survival rate ranges from 70 to 80 percent, compared to from 5 to 10 percent for late-stage lung cancer, cancer that has spread beyond the lungs. Patients whose lung cancer is discovered early not only have a much better prognosis, but also better treatment options.At St. Joseph’s, for example, lung specialists use video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to remove diseased lobes with less discomfort and faster recovery for patients. Improving surgery for early-stage lung disease Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) uses just three or four small incisions to remove the affected lobe. A tiny video camera is guided into one of the incisions to give surgeons a clear view of the lungs. The surgery team uses the other incisions to insert instruments into the chest, do the operation, and take out the diseased lobe. Unlike traditional open surgery for lung cancer, which is called thoracotomy, VATS does not require a long incision between the ribs or the spreading of the rib cage. As a result, patients undergoing VATS experience less discomfort and recover more quickly.

The difference between a traditional lung surgery and VATS is dramatic, says Baron Benz, 48, of Omaha, Neb. Benz has first-hand knowledge of the differences. His first battle with cancer in 2001-02 involved a large latestage tumor that wrapped around his left kidney and testicle. It was removed through a two-foot-long incision in his chest and abdomen. Four years later, during a routine follow-up scan, his St. Joseph’s thoracic surgeons doctor noticed that a spot include Ross Bremner, MD, Michael Smith, MD, and Jasmine on Benz’s upper right lobe Huang, MD. physicians had been monitoring was growing. Benz, who was living in Phoenix at the time, was referred to Ross Bremner, MD, who’d recently joined St. Joseph’s. “Dr. Bremner took one look at my scan and said, ‘We’ve got to take this out because it’s increased in size, and if it’s cancer, we have a good chance of curing it.’” St. Joseph’s first VATS patient In April 2006, Benz became St. Joseph’s first VATS patient, though not the first for Dr. Bremner, who had done the new procedure in California before relocating to Phoenix. “I was out of the hospital in two days, off my pain meds in five, and back to work in seven,” says Benz of his surgery at St. Joseph’s. “If you can imagine the difference between being cut down the middle, eight to ten weeks of misery and thinking you’re going to die to just a few small scars and being back to full speed in just a week, then you’ll understand how amazing VATS is.”

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Jennifer Hoppock

“The paradox is that lung cancer is the biggest killer but also the most preventable.” Michael Smith, MD

The lung cancer was unrelated to his earlier cancer. Fortunately, the tumor was stage 1-A, the earliest form of lung cancer. Benz got the wake-up call he needed to stop his 25-year smoking habit. “I was just lucky I was being followed for the other cancer,” says the married father of three, who describes his current health as excellent.“Another six months and I would have been a statistic.” ‘A really hard addiction’ Jennifer Hoppock, 61, wasn’t worried about the cough she sometimes had in the morning. But her doctor thought she heard something abnormal in Hoppock’s lungs and recommended that she see a pulmonologist. Pulmonolgist Amy Silverthorn, MD, found an abnormality in Hoppock’s lungs and gave the Gilbert woman three options: a biopsy to determine if it was cancer, removal of the lesion, or removal of the affected lobe. Hoppock chose the third option. On February 12, 2008, St. Joseph’s lung surgeon Michael Smith, MD, used VATS to remove the lobe and nearby lymph nodes. While the lesion was cancer, it had not spread to the lymph nodes. “It was a nice Valentine’s Day gift,” Hoppock says of the surgery.“I got three small incisions, I was in the hospital for four nights and back to work in three weeks.” Although Hoppock had quit smoking several times only to begin again, this time was different, and today Hoppock is a committed non-smoker. “It’s really a hard addiction. Everyone in my family smoked, and no one had lung cancer, and I guess I

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thought I had some kind of gene protecting me from cancer,” says the grandmother of two. Besides improving treatment for lung cancer, doctors, educators, and researchers at St. Joseph’s and Barrow are working to inform people about the risks of smoking and to find ways to help smokers stop. “Ninety percent of people with lung cancer are current or former smokers, so preventing and stopping smoking are the best ways to lower deaths,” Dr. Smith says. “The paradox is that lung cancer is the biggest killer but also the most preventable.”

IMPROVING CARE FOR CANCER PROJECT TEAM WORKS TO CREATE CENTER THAT OFFERS PATIENTS ALL THE EXPERTS IN ONE VISIT hen a patient receives a diagnosis of cancer, he or she faces many uncertainties. Is my diagnosis correct? Is the plan my doctor has recommended the one I should follow? Are there other treatment options? How do I cope with this difficult time? Answering these and other questions—and coordinating the care of newly diagnosed cancer patients— is the goal of a project team formed this year through St. Joseph’s Foundation. The team of doctors, Foundation board members, and hospital employees hopes to raise $1 million for a Multidisciplinary Second Opinion Center at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Multidisciplinary Second Opinion Center would be a one-stop center that provides patients a thorough diagnosis and treatment plan, and that coordinates the patient’s care throughout the cancer journey. The Center would bring together cancer experts from throughout St. Joseph’s to review a patient’s case, develop an integrated, multidisciplinary treatment plan, and coordinate implementation of the plan. In one visit, a patient could meet with a team of cancer experts to discuss his or her case and learn about treatment options. The patient could ask questions and talk about concerns. By the end of the visit, the patient would leave with a plan, answers to questions, and greater confidence about the future. The Multidisciplinary Second Opinion Center Project Team is seeking contributions to cover the cost of: • New equipment to ensure high quality diagnosis • Space renovations to create efficient, patient-friendly areas • A conference room equipped with a video microscope, a wireless remote, plasma monitors, teleconference phones, and a video recorder for teampatient meetings. Members of the Project Team include co-champions Sister Madonna Marie Bolton, Edward Donahue, MD, and Cassandra Groh; Mary Sue Aasheim; Ivor Benjamin, MD; Ross Bremner, MD; David Brachman, MD; Cindy Brown; L. Don Brown; Burt Feuerstein, PhD; Les Gin; Richard Horn; Kathy Kramer; Pamela Purdy; Mary Schneider; Joseph Urdaneta, MD; Penny Walker; Christine Wilkinson, PhD; and Ted Williams.

St. Joseph’s Cancer Center currently offers patients a wide range of services, from state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment to genetics counseling, pain management, diet assessment, and clinical trials. The Center has treatment modalities found at no other hospital in Arizona, including CyberKnife and Gamma Knife, and it has a broad panel of experts in such areas as lung cancer,brain tumors,breast cancer,gynecological cancer,and gastrointestinal cancer, along with many social services. For information about how you can support this important initiative, please call St. Joseph’s Foundation at 602-406-3041 or email Sister Madonna Marie Bolton at MBolton@chw.edu.

Gail Brown, NP, and Edward Donahue, MD

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HEALTHY H NEW FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED TO SUPPORT SCOTT AND LAURA ELLER CONGENITAL HEART CENTER

new foundation dedicated to engaging the community in support of the Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center has been established. The Congenital Heart Foundation will raise funds needed for the continued development of the Eller Congenital Heart Center, the only center of its kind in Arizona. “Clearly, our vision for the Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center is to improve care for all patients with congenital heart disease, from before birth through adulthood,” says David C. Cleveland, MD, executive director of the center.“The Congenital Heart Foundation will be critical to our efforts to do that, especially in funding clinical and translational research, medical education, and outreach efforts.” Dr. Cleveland says that research at the Center will focus on making discoveries in the laboratory that can be applied to patient care, while funds for education will be used to establish fellowships in subspecialty areas of both cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. The Center recently established a fellowship in cardiothoracic intensive care. Other areas of development for the Eller Congenital Heart Center include the following: • A genetics program to categorize the genetic defects of tissue collected at the center. • More surgery suites. • An enhanced catheterization lab. • A transplant program. • An outreach program to help children throughout the world who have congenital heart disease and don’t have access to care. While the number of patients undergoing surgery at the Eller Congenital Heart Center has remained stable—about 230 annually—the complexity of the cases

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has grown dramatically, Dr. Cleveland says. Today, this St. Joseph’s center of excellence has one of the most complex case loads in the country and a mortality risk of just two percent, half the national average. Dr. Cleveland believes these outstanding outcomes are possible because the center is staffed by employed physicians who work together every day. “We are excited about the future of congenital heart care,” Dr. Cleveland says. “The Eller Congenital Heart Center has come a long way since it was established. Babies that wouldn’t have survived five years ago are thriving, and we are attacking new clinical problems every year.” For more information about the Congenital Heart Foundation, contact St. Joseph’s Foundation MondayFriday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at 602-406-3041. The Congenital Heart Foundation Founding Board of Directors David Cleveland, MD Mary Jane Crist Scott Eller Linda Hunt

EARTS MOTHER OF TWO IS THE NEW FACE OF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE by Carmelle Malkovich

hristine Miller, 28, of Surprise is thankful to be alive after suffering a serious heart ailment days after delivering her second child. Diagnosed with congenital heart disease as an infant, Miller has faced many risks associated with her heart condition and has beaten the odds by surviving into adulthood and having healthy children. In January, Miller developed a blood clot in her heart valve, a lifethreatening condition. She was closely monitored by physicians at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and within days of delivering a healthy baby girl, she went into congestive heart failure. Miller underwent emergent mitral valve replacement surgery at St. Joseph’s. The mother of two was born with multiple congenital heart defects including a heart murmur, two holes in her heart, and a malformed heart valve. She was one of the first children to undergo a valve replacement and pacemaker implantation at two years of age. She has had six pacemaker surgeries and has been monitored by physicians throughout her life. Medical advancements have given Miller an opportunity to live a full life—something that, until recently, was not possible. “In the past, patients like Christine would not have lived to adulthood and certainly would not have been able to have children of their own,” says John J. Nigro, MD, director of the Scott and Laura Eller Congenital

Heart Center at St. Joseph’s.“New treatments are making it possible for people with congenital heart disease to live full lives.” Since her surgery, Miller has been released from the hospital and is enjoying her children and husband. She will continue to have close medical follow-ups the rest of her life. “I grew up not knowing if I could have children, but new and advanced medical care has helped me deliver two healthy babies and given me the opportunity to live a normal life,” says Miller.

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A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN BENEFACTORS PLAY CRITICAL ROLE IN ADVANCING ST. JOSEPH’S STRATEGIC PLAN By Christine Wilkinson, PhD Chairman, Board of Directors, St. Joseph’s Foundation

decade has passed since I first joined the Board of Directors for St. Joseph’s Foundation. Those years have brought many changes to St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Foundation that supports it. Today, more than ever, St. Joseph’s Foundation plays a vital role in the health of St. Joseph’s Hospital. St. Joseph’s Foundation was founded in 1981 to raise funds for the hospital’s Mercy Care Clinics, which cared for uninsured and underinsured children and adults. Since the services of the Mercy Care Clinics were largely uncompensated, the hospital needed a way to cover the cost of providing them. The solution was what was then called the Mercy Care Foundation, a non-profit support foundation that asked benefactors to help fund these vital community services. In 1990, the Foundation’s purpose was expanded to include all services at the hospital, and the name St. Joseph’s Foundation was adopted. We can all be proud of all the Foundation has done and continues to do for the most vulnerable in our community. But once again, our purpose has broadened. Today, a major focus for the Foundation involves supporting the hospital’s strategic direction.

St. Joseph’s Hospital is pursuing a strategy of making key services of such high quality that they will attract patients from throughout Arizona, the country, and, in some cases, from around the world. The targeted services are thoracic disease, neurosciences, pediatric subspecialties, and surgical subspecialties—areas where St. Joseph’s has the potential to contribute the most to the health of our community. Creating centers dedicated to the highest level of excellence is an expensive proposition that cannot be funded by ordinary hospital revenue. Top physician-scientists must be recruited, research laboratories equipped and staffed, medical residency programs developed and run. These activities, while vital to the centers that St. Joseph’s is building, are not self-sustaining and, thus, require outside funding. That is where St. Joseph’s Foundation comes in. By giving to the Foundation, you enable St. Joseph’s to invest in the people, places, and things needed by a world-class medical center. The payoff to each of us personally and to our community as a whole is tremendous. We can count on advanced medical care whenever we, our family, or friends need it. Meanwhile, our community enjoys the prestige, good jobs, and economic stimulus that such a medical center brings. In these difficult economic times, St. Joseph’s Foundation is more important to the hospital than ever before. Your contributions will ensure that St. Joseph’s Hospital can continue to build a medical center of which we can all be proud.

“By giving to the Foundation, you

enable St. Joseph’s to invest in the

people, places, and things needed by a world-class medical center.”

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K-9 PATROL ‘SO FAR THE MOST THEY’VE HAD TO DO IS BARK’

by Christina Vanoverbeke

t home, Fred likes to swim, chase rabbits, and chew on toys. But when he’s on the job, he goes to work deterring crimes that could happen at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Handler Nan Laws says Fred has three distinct personalities: his work personality, his protection personality, and his home personality. “When he’s at home, he’s just a dog and my commands go ignored,” she says. All of that changes when he’s on duty at St. Joseph’s, where the 90-pound Czechoslovakian shepherd becomes another member of the security team trained to respond quickly to any situation that may arise—from an agitated visitor who may need to calm down to a suspicious package that may need to be investigated. There are four security dogs now patrolling the campus of St. Joseph’s: Zambo, Chrom, Max, and Fred. Fred was the first, and with his enormous wagging tail and friendly disposition, everybody loves him, says Chris Bellino, director of Security. Adding these dogs to the security department is a

project that began in March 2008 and has been a welcome addition o the hospital, Bellino says. He hopes to grow the program to six dogs in all. Bellino and staff visited other hospitals in the Valley to see how they set up their K9 programs and policies before embarking on the change at St. Joseph’s. They adopted a lot of what they saw, but made some adaptations that more closely mimic a police K-9 program. One of the biggest changes was having the handler and the dog live and work together, as most police dogs and handlers do. Bellino says they made this choice because the dog and its handler form a stronger bond this way. “The dog becomes like part of the family,” he says. Nan says she and Fred have definitely formed a close relationship because they spend all of their time together. Her father raised Doberman pinschers as protection canines, and she remembers saying goodbye to many animals that she loved. When the opportunity arose for her to be on the other end of the situation, as the handler of such a dog, she jumped at it. “It’s been a wonderful opportunity to work with Fred and to work at St. Joseph’s. It’s a dream job for me.”

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When recruiting security officers to pair with the dogs, the trainer looks for people who have no previous experience with canines so that they don’t have to unlearn bad habits. Once officers are chosen, the trainer personally visits each handler’s home to make sure the place is safe for both dog and human. The dogs are officially employees at St. Joseph’s and work 12-hour shifts, with four hours built into each day for rest. The biggest benefit to having them in the hospital is that they deter undesirable behavior and crimes, Bellino says. “We don’t have a lot of problems,” he says.“But when people see one of these dogs coming down the hall, they calm down. One dog is probably the equivalent of three security guards.” Two of the four dogs also are trained to sniff out eight of the most common materials used in making bombs. While Bellino assures visitors to the hospital that it is a safe place, he says you can never be too safe when it comes to a suspicious-looking package or backpack that’s been left behind. Rambunctious two-year-old Max shines at this particular task. He wowed staff during a training exercise where a canister with just the slightest trace of one of these materials was placed inside a backpack and then put in a locker, and he still was able to find it. His handler, Dave Maynard, plans to take Max into a competition this spring to test his skills against other well-trained canines. Bellino says he hopes the hospital never has to utilize the full capabilities of its canines. “So far, the most they’ve had to do is bark. That’s usually enough.” Previous page, Fred is shown with handler Nan Laws. Above, the other three dogs and their handlers are Rodney Brown and Chrom; Dave Maynard and Max; and John Margolis and Zambo. Right, Fred demonstrates his work techniques.

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WHY I GIVE RETIRED NURSE MAKES GIFT IN HONOR OF HER LATE HUSBAND by Catherine Menor

t. Joseph’s Hospital holds a special place in Charlene “Pinky” Harris’ heart. She worked in the hospital as a nurse when she first moved from Iowa to Phoenix in the 1950s, and it was the hospital of choice for both her husband, Keith Harris, MD, and his father, Karl Harris, MD. So when the time was right, Mrs. Harris gifted the annual distribution from an IRA account to pediatric services at St. Joseph’s in honor of her husband. “I love children,”Mrs. Harris says.“and I just feel that St. Joseph’s is an excellent hospital.” Mrs. Harris began her nursing career in the Cadet Nurses program during World War II. The government paid her $15 a month to work in a hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, with the stipulation that she serve in the armed services after her training. But the war ended, and Mrs. Harris and two friends decided to move. A physician the three worked with had vacationed in Phoenix and suggested that they consider the desert

Keith Harris, MD, and his father, Karl Harris, MD

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city. Harris got a job at St. Joseph’s before she made the move. That job opened doors for the young nurse, who had earned the nickname“Pinky”for her tendency to blush. She worked in the operating room from 1954 until 1958 under the management of Sister Bartholemew. “Sister Bartholemew was a jewel,” Mrs. Harris says of her supervisor.“She said you should never go out with someone who’s shorter than you. She was quite tall.” While working at St. Joseph’s, Mrs. Harris became acquainted with Dr. Karl Harris, a general surgeon. Dr. Harris offered her a job, and thus began a long relationship that touched not only her professional but also her personal life. From 1958 until she retired at age 65 in 1992, Mrs. Harris accompanied Dr. Harris to surgery at several Phoenix hospitals, including St. Joseph’s, which they considered “their hospital.” Afternoons were spent in the doctor’s office seeing patients. “I loved the patients. They were grateful for everything you did,” Mrs. Harris says.“They would do anything for the doctors and the staff because they felt we really cared. I was always happy when I was working.” Dr. Keith Harris entered her life when he and his children, Karen and Kevin, moved to Phoenix after his residency in Iowa and joined his father’s practice. His wife had died at an early age, and soon Charlene was helping care for his children. In 1982, the two were married. “We knew each other right down to our fingernails, working together like we did,” she says. Marriage gave Mrs. Harris the children she loved and a partner who enjoyed a simple life full of hard work and play. “He and his dad were unusually good people,” she says.

Dr. Keith Harris died in September 2004. Mrs. Harris remains in their home, surrounded by the memories of their life together. She is close to Karen, a nurse in Austin, Texas, with three children; and Kevin, a wildlife photographer in Phoenix. Recently, Mrs. Harris made room in her heart for another friend—Cleo, a rescued nine-year-old beagle. Mrs. Harris intended to let the friendly hound spend just a few nights at her house, as a favor to a friend who volunteers for a rescue organization. But on the second night, “there she was with her head on my pillow.” Cleo had found a new home.

Charlene “Pinky” Harris and her dog, Cleo

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HEALTH & WEALTH RAFFLE ARE YOU CONFUSED BY NEW RAFFLES ENTERING THE MARKET? he Health & Wealth Raffle has been around since 2003, and participants recognize it as Arizona’s original raffle. They know that their ticket gives them a 1-in-18 shot at winning an exciting prize and that participating in the Health & Wealth Raffle is a great way to help St. Joseph’s Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute stay at the cutting-edge of medicine. Simply put, the Health & Wealth Raffle has built a reputation for honesty, fair play, and support of a good cause. “When we launched the first Health & Wealth Raffle, no one had ever heard of the concept of a mega home raffle benefiting a non-profit, so there were many skeptics and naysayers,” says Mary Jane Crist, CEO of St. Joseph’s Foundation and Barrow Neurological Foundation.“By running a transparent raffle and delivering excellent customer service, we have earned a reputation for excellence, and we are very proud of that.” Crist says that the Raffle team, headed by manager Kathy Rice, has worked hard to build credibility for the novel fundraising approach. The Raffle, she says, has always abided by the following standards: • Each Health & Wealth Raffle clearly identifies all prizes that will be given away, and every prize is awarded. • Prizes and services are purchased in Arizona so that the Raffle benefits the local economy. • The Raffle does not conduct telemarketing or cold calling. • Ticket prices are clearly defined at the beginning of each Raffle and do not change during the course of the Raffle. • Customer satisfaction is a primary goal of the Health & Wealth Raffle. Calls to the Customer Service Line, and emails to the Raffle website are answered within two business days. With other raffles entering the market, Crist says that the Health & Wealth Raffle faces a new challenge: People confusing the Health & Wealth Raffle with other raffles. She urges people who are confused to call the

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Health & Wealth Raffle Customer Service Line at 1-888-270-6955 or email the Raffle at Response@HealthWealthRaffle.org. “Before doing the first Health & Wealth Raffle, we had all our ducks in a row. We knew, given what a new concept this was, that we had to conduct the Raffle in a way that would give people complete confidence in our operation

and that also would reflect the values of the Sisters of Mercy,” Crist says. “I think we’ve succeeded.”

Your trust is important to us With other raffles entering the market, the Health & Wealth Raffle has received calls and emails from past participants who are confused by the multiple raffles. If you have questions, please call the Health & Wealth Raffle Customer Service Line at 1-888-270-6955 or email the Raffle at Response@HealthWealthRaffle.org.

SUPPORT ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL AND BARROW NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE WITH EVERY TICKET YOU PURCHASE, YOU PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SUPPORTING HEALTH CARE IN ARIZONA THROUGH ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL & BARROW NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE’S MEDICAL RESEARCH, PATIENT CARE AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

1.866.390.9034 s HEALTHWEALTHRAFFLE.ORG

LEADER CIRCLE MEMBERS GET TOGETHER FOR FUN AND A GOOD CAUSE ary Sue Aasheim moved to the Valley with her husband and two daughters less than a year ago. As a founding partner of J. Hilburn Men’s Clothier, a company that sells customized men’s apparel, Aasheim stays busy. But still, this Scottsdale woman wanted to find a way to get involved in her new community and connect with other like-minded professionals. On December 11, she found what she was looking for when she attended a reception for members and prospective members of the Leader Circle, a group that supports St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center through both leadership and financial commitments. The reception Aasheim attended was held in the Paradise Valley home of Cindy and Curtis Brown. “I was really impressed by what I learned about St. Joseph’s,” says Aasheim, who was a pharmaceutical representative in Los Angeles at one time. “I’m really excited about being able to help a hospital of this stature, and I know I’ll benefit personally because I’ll learn more about the medical industry and how we can individually impact healthcare.” The Leader Circle gives men and women like Aasheim a way to become involved in supporting healthcare excellence in Arizona. Members make a financial commitment of $1,000 or more each year to St. Joseph’s Foundation or Barrow Neurological Foundation. They are able to direct their individual contributions to the area of greatest interest to them. In addition, the Leader Circle meets several times each year for educational and social activities, including tours, receptions, presentations about medical topics, and special events. “This is a vibrant group of professionals,” says Christina Hall, development officer at St. Joseph’s Foundation. “They bring so much to Leader Circle— curiosity, a desire to give back, a real love of people. Our get-togethers are always lively and interesting.” For some, the Leader Circle can serve as a stepping stone into leadership positions within the foundations,

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such as positions on the St. Joseph’s Foundation Board of Directors or the Barrow Neurological Foundation Board of Trustees. Others will find in the Leader Circle an enjoyable way of supporting a hospital that has served this community for more than a century. “Leader Circle members are critical to the future of our hospital,” Hall says. “St. Joseph’s needs educated, dedicated community leaders who believe in the importance of having world-class healthcare right here in Arizona.”

Leader Circle members and prospective members met in the home of Cindy and Curtis Brown, Paradise Valley, in December. The evening gave attendees the chance to get to know one another and learn about some of the initiatives at St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Among those in attendance were (clockwise from above) Joan Shapiro, PhD, Edward Donahue, MD, and Christina Kwasnica, MD; Tyrone Parker and Anne Robbs; Bridget and Josh Miller; Joel and Shannon Barthelemy; Cassandra and Norm Groh; Rob and Gretchen Carey, and Mary Sue Aasheim; and Christina Hall and Heather Torgerson.

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BENEFACTOR BRIEFS Dorothy Hernandez Most people treat a 50th birthday with gloom and doom, but for Dorothy “Dot” Hernandez, her 50th birthday bash in July 2008 was a cause for serious celebration. Six months earlier, Hernandez had undergone a double mastectomy at St. Joseph’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. “I am so grateful and blessed to be alive and well—thanks to our good and loving Father for His healing presence and to Dr. [Edward] Donahue and his medical team, including Dr. [Albert] Wendt,” Hernandez said. Hernandez’s family threw a “Birthday Benefit Bash” as a “celebration of life,” and Hernandez requested that attendees make donations to St. Joseph’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and its Breast Evaluation Center rather than bring presents. “This is a ‘gift of gratitude’ that I certainly wanted to share with others who could use assistance from the center's Breast Clinic,” explained Hernandez. Hernandez said that her guests’ response was “overwhelming. Thanks to the generous 'island' spirit that radiated at the luau-style celebration, the goal of $5,000 was exceeded.” Dorothy Hernandez with Edward Donahue, MD

Doug Davis presents check Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Doug Davis and team mascot Baxter the Bobcat served as the Grand Marshalls of the St. Joseph’s Children’s Health Center’s annual Halloween parade. Pediatric patients dressed in Halloween costumes trick-or-treated on the hospital’s campus. In addition to passing out D-Backs treats to the kids, Davis and Arizona Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall presented a check to St. Joseph’s from the 49 Fund, which was created last season to raise money for hospitalized children with cancer and their families.

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Girls on the Run of Maricopa County held a car wash to raise money for St. Joseph’s Children’s Health Center.

Girls on the Run of Maricopa County gives to St. Joseph’s Building healthy self-esteem and values in girls ages 8-11 is what Girls on the Run of Maricopa County is all about. The non-profit organization, which originated in North Carolina in 1996, uses running and games to encourage positive body image, healthy eating, and emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health in participants, says Julie Rose, council director of the local chapter. The 10-week after-school program culminates in a non-competitive 5K run. Community involvement is one of the values Girls on the Run teaches. Every year, each Girls on the Run group chooses a project to support. Last spring the

members of the Girls on the Run program at Desert Willow Elementary School in Cave Creek said they wanted to help a children’s hospital. Rose learned about St. Joseph’s Children’s Health Center from a co-worker, and thus a partnership began. The girls held a car wash and donated $278, along with handmade coloring books, to St. Joseph’s. The local Girls on the Run council was founded in 2004 and now serves 17 schools and more than 300 girls in the Valley. Volunteers staff the program. Currently, the program needs running buddies for the girls. Women who are interested can visit the Girls on the Run website at www.gotrmc.org for more information. The spring Girls on the Run 5K will be held on Saturday, May 2, at Kiwanis Park.

Ahwatukee couple gives to Children’s Health Center Every year, Frank and Dianne Polimene decorate their front yard in Ahwatukee with a dazzling Christmas train display and give away thousands of candy canes to the children who come to see it.Visitors often leave candy canes to help the couple with their holiday project. Some even leave money in the candy cane car and brochure display box—even though the Polimenes don’t ask for donations. “We were touched this year, in a struggling economy, by how many people donated money. It was almost four times more than in other years,” says Frank.“Our family has also been blessed, so Dianne and I decided to match the amount and send it to St. Joseph’s Foundation where it could possibly benefit the children in our community.” The Polimenes’ donation will benefit the Children’s Health Center at St. Joseph’s. To learn more about the couple’s Christmas display, visit www.SantaTrain.com.

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Paint Horses Event in April The Superstition Paint Horses 10th Annual Open House to benefit St. Joseph’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit will be held Saturday, April 11, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. in Queen Valley, Ariz. The charity event raises funds for St. Joseph’s as a thank-you for the care doctors and nurses gave to Cameron T. Haselhorst. The child weighed just over two pounds when he and his twin brother, Tyler, were born at St. Joseph’s in 2002. Tyler did not survive. Cameron also received life-saving care at St. Joseph’s in 2005. This year’s Open House will include a golf tournament, horseshoe tournament, and poker tournament. There will be bouncies, face painting, and an Easter egg hunt for children, and free lunch, raffles, and live bands for everyone. A volleyball challenge between St. Joseph’s Hospital and Catholic Healthcare West sister hospitals Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and Chandler Regional Medical Center will begin at 2 p.m. The Superstition Paint Horses Open House will be held at 1670 W. Scissortail Place. Take US 60 to mile marker 212 and follow the signs. For more information, call 520-4632898. Donations are tax deductible, and all funds raised will go to the hospital.

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Angelita’s Amigos annual golf tournament set for May 17 Angelita’s Amigos will sponsor its annual golf tournament on Sunday, May 17, at the Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa. The tournament will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start and end with a luncheon and awards ceremony. The $85 entry fee entitles a player to 18 holes of golf, lunch, a shirt, and other goodies. Several Tee Box Sponsorships are available for $1,500. Each sponsorship includes a foursome in the tournament, lunch, and three sponsorship signs on tee boxes. To register or obtain more information, email AngelitasAmigos@msn.com. Angelita’s Amigos is a non-profit foundation that funds family-friendly rooms for hospitalized children and their families at St. Joseph’s Children’s Health Center. There are now 15 Angelita’s Amigos rooms at St. Joseph’s—12 patient rooms and three treatment rooms. Bob and Joann Olivas founded Angelita’s Amigos in 1988 to honor their daughter Angela Grace, who was cared for at St. Joseph’s. Angela died of leukemia when she was four.

Jon Bon Jovi to appear at Celebrity Fight Night Jon Bon Jovi will be one of the celebrities who joins Muhammad and Lonnie Ali for Celebrity Fight Night XV on March 28, 2009. The Celebrity Fight Night Foundation is a major benefactor of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute. For more information about the star-studded event, visit www.CelebrityFightNight.org.

CREATE INCOME FOR TODAY. LEAVE A LEGACY FOR TOMORROW.

“We earn interest rates far, far higher than we could get from any CD or money-market fund, we get a very large tax deduction, and most of our annual income is tax-free. And, ultimately, Barrow, which we feel so strongly about, will receive money to grow and assist others.” — Bill and Jane Ratsch

When you establish a lifetime income gift, you ensure that St. Joseph’s Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute continue to grow and thrive into the future, helping thousands of people every year. And, like Bill and Jane Ratsch, you’ll benefit with tax savings and a dependable fixed income for life. Suggested Annuity Payments for a $10,000 Gift* Age Rate Annuity Tax Deduction _______________________________ 60 5.7% $570 $3,105 _______________________________ 70 6.5% $650 $3,952 _______________________________ 80 8.0% $800 $4,905 _______________________________ *These figures are for illustration purposes only. Minimum age: 50. Minimum gift: $10,000. The deduction is variable and based on the available IRS Discount Rate. Consult your adviser about such a gift.

For a personalized proposal, please contact St. Joseph’s Foundation at 602-406-3041.

NEWS Make-A-Wish honors Sister of Mercy, St. Joseph’s In October 2008, Sister Madonna Marie Bolton and St. Joseph’s were honored as “founding members” of the Make-A-Wish Foundation at a celebration of the organization’s newly renovated facility in Phoenix. The Make-A-Wish story began in April 1980 at St. Joseph’s where a young boy named Christopher James Greicius was dying of leukemia. Chris wanted to be a motorcycle officer when he grew up. A group of people, including members of the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Sr. Madonna, worked together to make that dream a reality. On April 29, Chris rode in a Ranger helicopter, a police car, and a motorcycle with sirens blaring. Later, he was sworn in as the first and only honorary Arizona Highway Patrolman in the state’s history and given a Smoky Bear hat, signed certificate, and patrolman’s uniform. Chris died just four days later. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was established after Chris’ death. Its first wish was granted in 1981to a child named Bopsy, a little boy who wanted to be a fireman and who was also cared for at St. Joseph’s.

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Genetics experts at St. Joseph’s publish groundbreaking book Avery A. Sandberg, MD, DSc, and John F. Stone, PhD, are the authors of The Genetics and Molecular Biology of Neural Tumors, a 450-page compilation of research on neural tumors of various cellular origins. Published in 2008, the book is described as a “must” for those involved in the clinical and research aspects of neural tumors. It brings together an extensive amount of information from thousands of publications by leading investigators and contains more than 3,500 references, 110 figures, and 120 tables. Dr. Stone is the director of the DNA Diagnostics Laboratory at St. Joseph’s, and Dr. Sandberg serves as a consultant for the lab. The DNA Diagnostics Laboratory opened in 1999 to provide blood and tissue analysis, including identification of chromosome abnormalities, gene mutations, and infectious diseases. Florence Crittenton, St. Joseph’s celebrate century-long partnership Florence Crittenton and St. Joseph’s Hospital celebrated their century-long partnership and the fifth anniversary of the Adolescent Health Partnership at an event on Dec. 1 at Florence Crittenton. For more than 110 years, the two non-profits have collaborated to provide care for the Valley’s indigent population. Their partnership, one of the longest in the Valley, dates back to the late 1800s when St. Joseph’s became the Valley’s first hospital and Florence Crittenton was created to care for ill and destitute women. Soon afterward, Florence Crittenton built a home near the hospital, and St. Joseph’s began birthing the babies of the women at Florence Crittenton. Since then, St. Joseph’s and Florence Crittenton have worked together to provide girls at the center with support, including obstetrical care, health and wellness programs, and a unique adolescent medicine program. “As one of the oldest partnerships in the Valley, St. Joseph’s and Florence Crittenton have helped thousands of girls learn to live a healthy life,” says Marisue Garganta, director of Community Health Integration at St. Joseph’s. In 2004, St. Joseph’s and Florence Crittenton established the Adolescent Health Partnership, the Valley’s first comprehensive adolescent medicine program, with funding from St. Joseph’s Foundation. The clinic treats approximately 500 residents of Florence Crittenton each year.

St. Joseph’s participating in study to treat severe emphysema The Center for Thoracic Disease and Transplantation is participating in a clinical trial to evaluate a minimally invasive device for the treatment of severe emphysema. Safety and effectiveness data from the IBV® Valve Trial will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to market the device in the United States. “Emphysema is a progressive debilitating disease with few treatment options,” says Tony Hodges, MD, FCCP, principal investigator and director of the Center for Thoracic Transplantation.“This trial allows St. Joseph’s to be the only regional center providing a comprehensive approach to the surgical management of patients with advanced lung disease.” The study is open to individuals ages 40 to 74 who have been diagnosed with predominately upper lobe emphysema and severe dyspnea (shortness of breath). Study participants must be able to participate in pulmonary function and standardized exercise tests, cannot have smoked for four months, must be willing not to smoke during the trial, and must commit to at least four visits to St. Joseph’s for health assessment tests. Additional criteria must be met to participate in the study. For more information, call 877-547-8839 or 602-406-3845, or visit www.emphysematrial.com. The IBV® Valve System was developed and is manufactured by Spiration, Inc. of Redmond, Wash.

St. Joseph’s a Best Place to Work In December 2008, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center was named the #1 Best Place to Work in the Valley in the extra-large category by The Business Journal. St. Joseph’s is the only hospital in Phoenix to be named to the Best Places list for six consecutive years. The Best Places to Work awards are based entirely on employee feedback. “This is a tremendous honor, and I am so grateful to our employees,” says Linda Hunt, St. Joseph’s president.“They are the backbone of this organization, they put our mission into action, and they create the environment that makes this a great place to work.” In November, Phoenix Magazine named the hospital one of the best places to work in metropolitan Phoenix, and Arizona Woman magazine honored St. Joseph’s as a Great Workplace for Women at a celebration in February 2009.

Valve replacement patient reaches new heights in the High Sierras Scott Duemler, a heart valve repair patient who was featured on the cover of St. Joseph’s Magazine in 2008, successfully made several technical climbs in the High Sierras last year. Duemler and his companions spent five days at an iceberg lake located at an altitude of 12,600 feet and did five technical climbs to peaks in the 13,000- to 14,500-feet range. “This was hard for everyone on the team, but especially for me since I live here in the Valley at such a low altitude,” says Duemler.“It was a lot of work each day, and I was exhausted, but had a great trip. Duemler chose to get a valve repair at St. Joseph’s rather than the traditional valve replacement so that he could continue mountain climbing. Hydrocephalus Awareness Walk set for March 22 at the Zoo The first annual Hydrocephalus Awareness Walk will be held from 8 a.m. until noon on Sunday, March 22, at the Phoenix Zoo. Donations of any amount are welcomed and can be made by check or cash to the Phoenix Affiliation of the Hydrocephalus Association. The goal of the Hydrocephalus Association is to improve the quality of life for people living with hydrocephalus through research and advocacy. For info, call Maggie Varland at 602-406-7585.

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IN GIVING, YOU RECEIVE by Kathy Kramer Vice President, Leadership Gifts

t is said that in the act of giving we receive more than we thought imaginable. Most of us experience the reality of this truism through the eyes of a child, the gratitude of a life changed, or through the vision that is inherent in the spirit of philanthropy. Some may find it surprising that U.S. tax laws take this reality one step further and provide tangible evidence that a charitable gift changes much more than the charity on the receiving end. It is with this purpose in mind that our laws embrace planning strategies like the charitable gift annuity,offering many incentives that nurture a philanthropic society. The charitable gift annuity is a perfect example of how our tax laws continue to provide special ways for you to accomplish two objectives with one asset. In fact, a close look at the gift annuity reveals a true win-win proposition. It is simple. We will send you a Charitable Gift Annuity Agreement in exchange for your contribution (check, stocks, or bonds). Each year for the rest of your life, we will mail payments to you. Or, if you prefer, the agreement can run for the lives of you and your spouse. A gift annuity is a contract. Payments are backed by all the assets of the charity. Therefore, you can be confident that the gift annuity will provide a reliable income.

In addition, two tax benefits add value to the gift annuity. First, you will receive a current income tax deduction—something you will appreciate when you file this year’s tax return. Second, part of each annuity payment we make to you may be tax-free! With the benefits of high payment rates, reduced taxes, and an ultimate gift to charity, it is easy to see why so many friends consider the gift annuity to be the ultimate winwin proposition! If you’re interested in more information, please contact Kathy Kramer at 602-4061042 or Kathy.Kramer@chw.edu.

“The charitable gift annuity is a perfect example of how our tax laws continue to provide special

ways for you to accomplish two

objectives with one asset.”

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ST. JOSEPH’S FOUNDATION St. Joseph’s Foundation was established in 1981 to raise funds for the hospital. Since then, benefactors have contributed millions that have been invested in:

Promising new research Endowments that attract top physicians and researchers Medical education Programs and services to meet the needs of our community Construction and renovation projects The latest technology.

St. Joseph’s Foundation is governed by a board of community leaders who serve on a voluntary basis.

2008-2009

St. Joseph’s Foundation Board of Directors

Christine K. Wilkinson, PhD, Chairman Richard A. Horn, Treasurer Jorge Quintero, Secretary Kelly J. Barr Ross Bremner, MD L. Don Brown Shelby Butterfield Mary Jane Crist Les Gin C.A. Howlett Linda Hunt Michelle M. Matiski Michael L. Medici Jacquelyn M. Michelson Rachele. Nichols Loui Olivas, EdD Craig S. Porter Joan Rankin Shapiro, PhD Ted Williams

For more information, contact St. Joseph’s Foundation at 602-406-3041 or toll-free at 1-800-925-9514. Our office is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 685 Phoenix, AZ

CHW Arizona St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital and Medical Center 350 W. Thomas Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85013