Cleveland resident Rosemary DeJesus suffers from multiple chronic diseases and lost her job making airplane parts at Aero Instruments last May.  Prior to losing her job, she had suffered from two heart attacks and several other chronic conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fibromyalgia, and sleep apnea.  She found herself unable to pay for the many prescription medications required to manage her health conditions and was referred by a nurse at Lakewood Hospital to North Coast Health Ministry for help.

“I’m on up to 15 medications at one time, and some of them are really expensive,” she says.  “One of my prescriptions alone costs me $60 per month.”

North Coast Health Ministry enrolled her in prescription assistance programs so that she can get the medications she needs at no cost.  In July 2009, Rosemary suffered from a third heart attack.

“That third heart attack really put me under,” she says.  “I’m at the end of my unemployment extension, and my house is up for foreclosure.  North Coast Health Ministry is the only blessing I have right now.”

Over 325 guests turned out at North Coast Health Ministry’s Celebration of Caring at Westwood Country Club on September 3, 2009, to raise more than $100,000 for the free clinic for the West Side’s low-income uninsured.  The evening featured Chinese raffles, a live auction, a performance by internationally recorded vocalist Luca Mundaca, dinner, dessert and cocktails.  Honorary chairs for the event were Pam and Tom Bobst, C.J. Nock, MD, and Joyesh Raj, MD.

The fundraiser included presentation of NCHM’s 2009 awards to the following recipients:
Community Champion Award:
David T. Dombrowiak

Partner Awards:
Lakewood Hospital and Saint Luke’s Foundation

Hahn/Hoeffler/Sanders Memorial Award for Outstanding Medical Volunteers:
Sara Doan, RN, and Richard Watts, MD

Angel Volunteer Awards: 
Delphine Barrett, Ray Marvar, and Lynn Smith

Thank you to our Celebration of Caring sponsors!

Celebration 2010: Save the Date!

Call for Donations

Calling all NCHM supporters for auction donations for 2010’s Celebration of Caring.  Do you or does your business have access to tickets to sporting events, theater, or musical performances that you can donate?  Are you or is someone you know an artist that would be willing to donate a work of art?  Do you or does someone you know quilt, knit or make hand-beaded jewelry?  Other great donations include restaurant, salon and spa gift certificates, and themed gift baskets.  Please consider making a donation of any of these items – or any other treasures you may have in mind – to benefit North Coast Health Ministry and its patients.  All donations are tax-deductible.

Call for Sponsors

Celebration of Caring is North Coast Health Ministry’s primary annual fundraiser, the proceeds of which make possible the free health care we provide to over 2,400 low-income uninsured individuals in our community.  We are seeking corporate and individual sponsors to underwrite the cost of the event.  All sponsors will be recognized prominently in the event program and on event signage, in NCHM’s newsletter and in our 2010 annual report.

2010 sponsorship levels are:

• Caring Sponsor:  $500 (includes two event tickets)
• Helping Sponsor:  $1,000 (includes four event tickets)
• Supporting Sponsor:  $3,000 (includes 10 event tickets)
• Advancing Sponsor:  $6,000 (includes 10 event tickets)
• Presenting Sponsor:  $10,000 (includes 12 event tickets)

To become a sponsor, make a donation or get involved on the Celebration of Caring planning committee, contact Development Director Jeanine Gergel at 216-228-7878, ext. 107 or jgergel@nchealthministry.org.

Over 100 bowlers turned out for our Spares for Care benefit bowl last June.  Plans are in the works for our 2010 bowling event this fall.  More details to follow!  Stay tuned...

Milan “Mike” Busta has been helping his community for decades – generous with both his time and money. “I give to community organizations that do good work,” said Mr. Busta.  “I care for this community and it’s great to be able to support charities that touch the lives of so many in a positive way.”

He recently learned firsthand about the work of North Coast Health Ministry through his physician, Dr. Hany Anton, who is part of the agency’s physician volunteer network.  Several members on the North Coast Health Ministry Board shared their unique perspective on the work and needs of the ministry with Mr. Busta.  The more Mr. Busta learned about NCHM, the more impressed he became with the organization’s commitment to care for those less fortunate, and he decided to make a gift in the form of a Charitable Gift Annuity.

North Coast Health Ministry has joined forces with The Community West Foundation to meet the needs of our community in the execution of these kinds of gifts through the Invest West Colleagues Program.  “I made the gift by executing a Charitable Gift Annuity with Community West Foundation,” said Mr. Busta.  “It was easy to work with the people at Community West, and I know that things will be done well, and my gift will be managed with expertise.”

A Charitable Gift Annuity made a lot of sense to Milan, who outlined the advantages. “In addition to benefiting North Coast Health Ministry, the annuity will provide a secure stream of income at a set rate of return, which will continue for the rest of my life. After I pass away, the money will go to North Coast Health Ministry so they can continue helping people.  It is truly a win-win for everyone.”

Mr. Busta has served on the boards of many charities and loves his role as a volunteer and donor. In addition to creating the Charitable Gift Annuity at Community West Foundation, he has established a noteworthy 13 additional annuities to help local nonprofits.

Mr. Busta’s gift is the inaugural gift of North Coast Health Ministry’s planned giving program executed with the support of the Community West Colleagues Program.

“We’re extremely grateful for the confidence Mr. Busta has placed in our ministry,” says NCHM Executive Director Lee Elmore.  “I can’t think of a more heartfelt way to leave a lasting legacy to the community.  We’re also grateful for the partnership of Community West in providing the technical expertise and financial backing to be able to assist us with this gift.  We hope this inaugural gift is the first of many to come from our generous community of irreplaceable supporters.”

Would you like to help North Coast Health Ministry, but are unsure how to fund such a gift?  As part of your retirement planning, you may be aware that you can transfer funds from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA based on recent changes in federal regulations.  However, such transfers involve tax liabilities.  Just for this year, there are special provisions available which may make such transfers more attractive.  We are eager to work with you and your advisor to help you achieve your philanthropic goals.  Please call Jeanine Gergel, NCHM development director at 216-228-7878, ext. 107, to discuss how you can help North Coast Health Ministry.
It’s a great time to make a gift!

North Coast Health Ministry recently entered into a partnership with Cleveland Clinic Ophthalmology/Lakeland Eye through which our low-income, uninsured patients can receive needed ophthalmological care at no charge.

“Many of our patients are diabetic and suffer from complications that affect their vision,” says NCHM Medical Director Dr. Philip Tomsik.  “Although the need is great, they often have no way to pay for this kind of specialty care.  We’re very grateful for this volunteer partnership that allows us to expand access to care to more of our patients in need.”

A retired aerospace engineer, Dick Heath began volunteering at North Coast Health Ministry in 2002, at the urging of his friend, the late Dr. Dennis Hoeffler, NCHM’s former volunteer medical director.   He knew Dr. Hoeffler from the church they attended together, Rocky River Presbyterian.

In his volunteer role at NCHM, Dick serves as patient coordinator for Tuesday morning clinics, responsible for handling the paperwork associated with the tests and post-visit therapies the doctor has ordered for the patient.  “I’m the last person the patient sees before they leave,” says Dick.

When asked why he volunteers at North Coast Health Ministry, Dick says, “I feel like I’m doing something useful, and I have the time to do it.  Most patients express a lot of gratitude for what we do here.  When Dennis died, I asked myself, ‘Do I want to stop doing this?’ The answer was ‘no.’”

Dick was recently involved, with fellow church member and NCHM volunteer Sara Doan, in Rocky River Presbyterian’s Alternative Bazaar, which enabled parishioners to purchase Christmas gifts for friends and family in the form of donations to a mix of local, national and global charities.  He and Sara represented North Coast Health Ministry at the bazaar, and through their efforts and through their church’s support, raised over $800 for North Coast Health Ministry.

Renowned local cardiologist Dr. Richard Watts is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his memoir, Odyssey of a Cardiologist, to North Coast Health Ministry. The book can be purchased at Gifts Unlimited (25891 Detroit Road in Westlake) and at the Fairview Hospital gift shop. Or you may contact the Community West Foundation at 216-476-2871.

Representatives of the Association of Philippine-American Physicians in Ohio recently presented North Coast Health Ministry with a donation.  Pictured (left to right) are: Dr. Eulogio Sioson, 2009 APPO president; Dr. Armando Damian, APPO executive director; Dr. Philip Tomsik, NCHM medical director; Dr. Carmencita Damian, member coordinator, APPO Medical Mission; and Lee Elmore, NCHM executive director.

Volunteers with the The Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Club and the Lakewood/Rocky River Sunrise Rotary Club collected toiletry donations for NCHM patients along the parade route in the 2009 July 4th parade in Lakewood.  The Rotary clubs are among many groups in the West Shore community that have conducted toiletry drives for North Coast Health Ministry patients in the last year.

After 24 years with North Coast Health Ministry, staff nurse Diane Fuller will be retiring this year.  She started with NCHM as a volunteer nurse in the first  year of the organization’s existence in 1986, and joined the staff in 1994.

All of us in your NCHM family wish you peace and joy in this next phase of life, Diane!

Bukurie “Buki” Ukshini, a part-time administrative employee at NCHM and a senior at Lakewood High School, was honored as one of The West Shore Career-Technical District’s 2010 Outstanding Work Ethic Award winners.  Buki came to NCHM as a participant in the Medical Office Management career training program at West Shore.