The Celebration of Care took place on Saturday, May 3, 2014, in the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom. Approximately 300 people were in attendance at the event, which raised more than $350,000 in support of our two free health clinics in Chicago.

All revenues from this event support operational expenses at both our Lederman Family Health Center in West Town and Englewood satellite clinic. CommunityHealth is now the largest free health clinic in the U.S., serving more than 11,000 patients annually. More than 90% of the health center’s revenue comes from donations such as yours, and CommunityHealth is a responsible steward of this support. For every dollar contributed, $0.97 goes directly to patient care. For each dollar spent, more than $7.00 worth of medical care is provided.

Major sponsors included: Lundbeck, Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Baxter, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, Catamaran, AbbVie, Advocate Health Care, Aetna US Healthcare, Astellas USA Foundation, AstraZeneca, Medical Business Associates, Neal Gerber & Eisenberg LLC, University of Chicago Medicine, Walgreens, and many more.

CommunityHealth founder Dr. Serafino Garella provided one of the evening’s key highlights when he presented the Visionary Award to John F. Benjamin, past

president, longtime volunteer, advocate, and supporter of CommunityHealth. Patient Jimmy Breen moved the audience with his story of how CommunityHealth has taken care of him and his wife since they immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland. And attendees learned about Dental Care at CommunityHealth in our program spotlight. Guests also enjoyed dinner, auctions, games, and dancing to the Z Orchestra.

It was truly an inspiring evening, and we are so grateful to all of you who attended or contributed to this event.

CommunityHealth is the leader in delivering comprehensive, high-quality, patient-centered health care at no cost to low-income, uninsured individuals in need of a medical home.

2611 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago IL 60622 | 773.395.9901 | www.communityhealth.orgSummer 2014

Celebration of Care

June is Men’s Health Month

June is Men’s Health Month, a time to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

CommunityHealth will host a Men’s Health Day event at our Lederman Family Health Center on Saturday, June 21. This event will include a cooking demonstration, snacks, exercise, and health education presentations on colon health, diet, exercise, sexual health, and prostate health provided in three languages. Participants will also have access to STI and HIV screenings, as well as FIT colon tests, at the event.

In addition, we are currently running a campaign to encourage patients donations. Volunteers are stationed in our lobby providing information about men’s health. Any who choose to donate to CommunityHealth at these stations can fill out a mustache card with their name on it, which is posted on the lobby wall. They can also take a fun mustache finger photo for our Facebook page.

Dave Currier has been coming to the Lederman Family Health Center at West Town for just over a year now, and in that time CommunityHealth has greatly impacted his health for the better. After being recommended to our clinics for an employment physical, CommunityHealth became Dave’s medical home.

When Dave first came to CommunityHealth his diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol were out of control. Now, after working closely with Dr. Babs Waldman and the pharmacy, all three are in the normal range. He also credits CommunityHealth’s Diabetes Day, a health education program, which encouraged him to start a better diet, exercise, and maintain his insulin regimen.

Dave is continually blown away by the dedicated staff and volunteers at CommunityHealth. He credits Dr. Waldman with saving his life and is impressed by her continuing dedication to not only his health, but all of her patients’ well-being. He also notes that everyone from the front desk to health education to the pharmacy play a very important role in his health care. Dave says that he is amazed that the staff and volunteers here care enough about the patients to make a huge difference.

Dave encourages everyone to support CommunityHealth. He says that our clinics provide a wonderful local philanthropy that impacts the Chicago community for the better. CommunityHealth is a great place to support in Dave’s eyes because it has saved at least one life, his own.

PATIENT SPOTLIGHT

After 7 ½ years of service, volunteer nurse Mary Pat Studdert retired from CommunityHealth on May 21. Mary Pat has long been a fixture in the clinic, not only as a volunteer nurse, but also a former member of our Board of Directors, a past Gala Chair, donor, and current Alumni Board member.

The Benjamin Community Room in our Lederman Family Health Center was full of fellow volunteers and staff offering their thanks and well wishes to Mary Pat on her last day. Emily Hendel, Director of Nursing Services, shared a story from early in Mary Pat’s tenure at CommunityHealth’s when she recommended a patient be sent directly to the emergency room; it turned out that he was having a heart attack. In the days following that incident, the patient called the clinic looking for the nurse who had saved his life so that he could thank her.

About her time here, Mary Pat said, “It has been an honor to care for patients at CommunityHealth. I have learned so much from them about the dignity of the human spirit. Thank you to the staff and other volunteers for your help and collaboration; you truly make the clinic a fine place to work. My belief in CommunityHealth’s mission remains strong. At the end of the day, no matter who we are, we all want the same thing – to be healthy.”

Volunteer Nurse Mary Pat Studdert Retires

Thinking about your future?

Planned giving integrates your charitable gift with your overall financial, tax, and estate planning goals to maximize benefits to both you and a cause important to you, such as CommunityHealth. To learn more, contact Aleta Rupert, Director of Development, at 773-969-5942 or arupert@communityhealth.org.

CommunityHealth Recognizes Our Long-Term DonorsOn March 12, CommunityHealth was proud to welcome several remarkable individuals to the Lederman Family Health Center who have been donating to the clinic for 10 years or more. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to thank these long-term donors on behalf of our patients. In fact, we were even able to share some messages of patient gratitude directly with the donors through signs made by the patients themselves.

Director of Development Aleta Rupert reflected on the amazing strides that CommunityHealth has made in the community over the past ten years – adding a second location, dental and pharmacy services, and many other remarkable program accomplishments – all thanks to the support of our donors who believe, like we do, that no one should go without health care.

It was truly a joy spending the evening with some of CommunityHealth’s most loyal supporters and taking them on a tour of the Lederman Family Health Center. We welcome the opportunity to show any and all of our donors around either of our clinics. There is really no substitute for seeing in person the wonderful work that your support is enabling. If you have never been to CommunityHealth – or if it has been a while since you visited – please contact Aleta Rupert at 773.969.5942 or arupert@communityhealth.org to schedule a tour. We would love to see you!

We are hosting our second annual volunteer-driven online fundraising campaign, now through the end of June. Last year, this campaign raised nearly $9,000, and we hope to surpass that in 2014. In fact, one generous donor has agreed to match all contributions up to $20,000!

This year’s campaign is called “Messages for Meds.” Through this campaign, CommunityHealth is raising funds for the MedAccess Chicago pharmacy, which provides life-saving medications at no cost to uninsured members of the community. In 2013, 6,886 unduplicated patients benefited from MedAccess Chicago, filling nearly 70,000 prescriptions valued at over $17 million. In addition to receiving the medications they need, patients also have access to our Medication Therapy Management program, which provides one-on-one pharmacist/patient appointments, allowing pharmacists to conduct medication reconciliation, discuss patient progress, and answer questions.

Participation is easy. Visit www.supportcommunityhealth.org to sign up and send out some emails to your network on behalf of CommunityHealth today!

Messages for Meds

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Valery E. Gallagher, PresidentJames M. Durkin, Vice PresidentRebekah Kohmescher, Treasurer Andrew Palumbo, SecretarySandra F. Durley, PharmD, Assistant SecretaryJoseph M. Harrington, Assistant SecretarySally Benjamin Young, Assistant SecretaryBabs Waldman, M.D., Medical Director

Brenda Battle, MBA, BSN Rebecca S. Busch, RN David Cousins Michael A. Dunlap, DDS Melissa Ginter William J. HindeJohn Koenigsknecht, Esq.Cheryl Lulias Bradley R. MantellMichael Main H. Scott Sarran, M.D. Richard H. Sewell Thad E. Smith Patrick Spain Thomas M. Suffredin Daniel Vicencio, M.D.

EMERITUS DIRECTORS

John F. BenjaminSerafino Garella, M.D., FounderRobert K. MendonsaJoseph B. O’Malley, Immediate Past PresidentArnold L. Widen, M.D.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Judith Haasis