Volume 21, No. 1—MAY 2017

Thanks to you, Marilyn has access to health care!

Life handed Marilyn a set of hard blows when her husband died unexpectedly, her cleaning and phone-answering businesses were foreclosed by the IRS in the aftermath of his death, and she had spinal surgery — all within a year. She had no insurance and needed Catherine’s for her medical care, including medications.

“I attended the diabetes education classes, too,” she said.

Insurance premiums and the cost of medications still are out of reach, although she now is exploring Medicare coverage.

Marilyn eagerly shares her fondness for Catherine’s.

“It’s so good, the people are all so loving,” she said before mentioning that she attended school in the building long before it became the home of Catherine’s Health Center.

Ten years ago, a friend who also is a patient encouraged her to try Catherine’s. A long history of high blood pressure unresponsive to treatment, other health complications and a lack of insurance meant she needed care she couldn’t get elsewhere.

“Dr. Jack (Walen) immediately sent me to the emergency room because my blood pressure was so high. He’s the only one who has helped me keep it down,” she enthused.

While she is thrilled with the medical care and improvement she has seen, it is the way she is treated that really touches her heart.

“Candy at the desk is my friend now, the nurses make your heart happy, and the fellowship is just wonderful!” Marilyn said. “If you didn’t know it, you would have no clue that you didn’t have insurance.”

Her family includes three sisters and a brother, all out of town. A son lives in the area. Marilyn has moved around a bit and currently is staying on the north end of Grand Rapids while looking for a more permanent home.

“I’m getting the best health care of my life,” Marilyn said, smiling.

When informed that generous gifts make her care possible, she added, “Bless those people!”

M A R I LY N ’ S S T O RY

Quality Care —with Compassion

Marilyn discusses her health with registered nurse Linda Lanning at a recent appointment.

Karen KaashoekExecutive Director

In the Bible, the Old Testament book of Esther introduces the phrase, “for such a time as this.”

The book tells the story of a young princess whose faith and courage are credited with saving

her people.

The phrase since has been used to refer to others who led through times of crisis: Abraham

Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi were, in their days, leaders for such a time as

this. Each brought a special mix of values, capability, strength, tenacity and vision to bear on

the issues of their times.

I have always been and am increasingly convinced that Catherine’s Health Center came into

existence and continues to serve for such a time as this. Whether looking back 20 years to see

people of the Creston and Belknap neighborhoods lacking access to health care or listening to

the current cacophony of voices shouting for or against one health policy or another, it seems

clear that Catherine’s — with its abiding mission of assuring access to quality health care

provided with compassion — has, all along, been on the scene for such a time as this.

And, in a striking nod to the book of Esther, many of our patients credit Catherine’s for their

very lives.

Each decade brings its own version of challenges and opportunities. I don’t expect that to

change. Nor do I expect to see an end to the good work done by Catherine’s Health Center

and other organizations that are guided by enduring values and motivated by commitment to

the greater good.

That, friends, is where you help. Your interest and support translate into access to life-

changing, life-saving care for people whose daily crises too often have shattered their hopes.

You offer hope for such a time as this!

F R O M O U R D I R E C T O R

You Offer Life-Changing Hope

Karen Kaashoek joined Catherine’s as neighborhood health coordinator in 1999. She has served as executive director since 2007.

MAY 2017 2

Why we support Catherine’sFor three generations, members of our family have worked in health care. During World War II, Mike’s dad was an Army medic, and his mom was a dental assistant in the Women’s Army Corps. Our extended family includes nurses, X-ray technicians, dental hygienists, a dentist and an emergency medical technician.

Mike worked at Blodgett for nearly a decade, and Terri has been a nurse at Saint Mary’s her entire career. Our oldest daughter is a physician. The conversations around our house are less about politics and religion and more along the lines of, “Does this look infected?”

Spend your life surrounded by people in the healing professions, and you can’t help but appreciate not only the value of their work, but how much that work is needed. We believe in good health care —for everyone. That’s why we’re happy to support Catherine’s, a wonderful resource for the community.

— Mike and Terri Firlik

MAY 2017 3

Heartfelt thanks to all whose support made Open Doors and Quality Care a reality in 2016!

Advanced Radiology Services, P.C.Robert AmanAmazonSmile FoundationAmerican Medical Women’s AssociationShelley Anderson & Peter LoftisLarry & Celia AndrusMany Anonymous FriendsArea Agency on Aging of West Michigan Inc.John & Liz ArendshorstAstraZeneca HealthCare FoundationLuis AvilaAvon Breast Health Outreach ProgramTom & Mary BarnesMadeleine BarretteLarry & Rita BashawDan Bauer & Barbara Rylko-BauerTerry & Kerri BaughRichard BaumannBarbara BeanJoel BeekeBarbara BeinemanDarlene BeyerDennis & Linda BigginsJim & Cheryl BlanchardGail BlaskowskiBlue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan FoundationRob & Ronni BochniakTim & Kathy BornHerman & Jeanne BorutaLorin & Deb BossenbroekJackie BraymanTerry & Debbie BrickerMelanie BrimDick & Sally BromLinda BrondigeFloyd & Ann BrouwerKris BrownDonald Burgess & Maggie Foley-BurgessKathleen BurnsJohn & Debra BylBrian & Teresa ByrneJim & Sandy ByrneEd CareyGreg Carnevale & Diane MahonMike Cary & Marj LoughrinTerry & Shawn ChapinMike & Lucy ChatelChemical BankWilma ChulskiRoger & Karen ChutterRoy G. ClarkDan & Sandy ClevelandMary CleypoolLarry & Regina ClouseKevin & Suzanne ConnollyPeter C. & Emajean Cook FoundationRalph & Joan CooperAllan & Bonnie CouchAlisha CowellCVS Health FoundationGerald & Rebecca CzyzykThe Grand Rapids DahliasSylvia DainingMark & Becci Davis

Betty DeFouwKevin & Kristi DeKrakerRalph & Elaine DenhartighDoug & Suzanne DeschaineTom & Jodi DeschaineKathleen DickensonDiocese of Grand RapidsDirect Relief InternationalKathryn & David DobrzelewskiDrives Consulting, Inc.Sandy DubaMelissa & Tom DuimstraDorothy DuludeNancy EdewaardJessica EglintonDeborah EidRick EisenEnroll MichiganSharon EsterleyNancy EvensonMike & Linda FedewaMike & Terri FirlikNancy & David FlowerFree Clinics of MichiganMichael & Paula FreedTwink FreyAnita GarberAnn & Bob GeerRuss & Deb GenautisDaniel GerkeFred & Fran GilhoranGoodrich Quality TheatersGrand Rapids Community FoundationClark GrantTom & Denise GribbinMichael GrossDaniel & Renee GruningerDeb GuttAnne HagenDavid & Connie HalesTerri HandlinAl & Connie HarigTom Harmon, DDSFred & Sue HarveyHattie HathawayIrene HazenbergRichard & Laura Ann HeagbergHeart of West Michigan United WayBeth HeavenGloria HefferanLarry HefferanBarbara Heinbeck-DauserDavid HenryMaureen & Tom HermanSusan HickeyMichael HillaryD. Mark & Lisa HoffmanMike & Mary HoganHoly Redeemer ParishMark & Laurie HoogterpDale HovenkampMarilyn & Robert HoverDianne & Paul HummelTom & Arlene HummelThomas HumphreyRobert InosencioWin & Kyle IrwinBob & Paulette Israels

Saint Jude ParishPaul Haan & Julie NietlingAdrian & Charlotte KaashoekKaren & John KaashoekChristopher & Mary KaiserThe Kamminga & Roedvoets, Inc. Charitable FundJohn & MaryEllen KarcisWilliam & Genevieve KarpowiczMichael KarpusMary KendraKerkstra PrecastJ. KersjesDennis & Mary KetelaarRichard & Jennifer KeyesNancy & Jim KilbourneEunice KimmBill & Sharon KirkwoodJack & Rita KirkwoodMaureen KirkwoodAnn Kirkwood-HallGrand Rapids North KiwanisL. Lee & Susan KlinestekerLawrence & Roberta KokKomen MichiganRonald & Sandra KozalGene KozminskiDavid & Janet KruppRoxanne KukawskiRita KuksClyde & Anna LaBrenzSam & Patty LacinaRon & Carol LaMangeJoe & Mary LangeMarilyn LankferKyle LathamAndrew LebronJames & Helen LehmanDan & Jane LennonCynthia & Tim LeonardKaren LeppekMichael & Corita LindenMatthew LindgrenTim & Susan LittellDon LuchaDaniela LynnFrank & Jenny LynnBetty LyonsPat MaloneyDavid Kampfschulte & Dayle MaplesRalph & Sheila MartinJoyce Mast Graphic Design, LLCJamie & Gerilyn MayMaggie McCrystal & Carrol CookMary McGrathSheila McGuireBrian & Denise McKinneyMary Regan McNeilMcShane & Bowie, PLCMed-Tech SupportMeijer Inc.MercuryHead GalleryZach & Sarah MeyerJames & Christy MezwickiMichigan Department of Health & Human ServicesMichigan Foundation for Vision AwarenessRachel Miller

T. Duane & Geraldine MillerJohn & Lisa MitchellMaggie MoerdykeKate MontagueWilliam MoroskiLawrence P. MulliganNational Christian Foundation West MichiganSyed NaqviCarl & Theresa NelsonNancy Eefting NoelCandy NorderNorthlawn United Methodist ChurchNugent Builders, Inc.Don & Carole NugentDavid & Louise O’DonnellDelores OlthoffNancy OpackiLarry & Cindia OrlowskiTerry O’RourkeGeraldine PalmerSteve & Molly ParkerBill & Judy PaxtonThe Henry Pestka FundGerry & Gwen PetterschPfizer FoundationNgoc Ruby PhungDavid & Pat PontierEric PostJim & Beth PostemaMarcia PowellPsi Iota Xi Eta Sigma ChapterDan PupelTom & Gerry QuinnDiane RabeDr. & Mrs. Leonard RadeckiRichard & Marcy RadeckiMichael & Brenda RadlinskiMarcia RappRedemptorists–Grand RapidsJose Reyna Doug RichardsDale & Sharon RietbergLillian RinckRay & Betty RingerwolePhilip & Patty RivardKen RobachJoan RobinsonPatricia RockwellKathy RodewaldJudith Romanow & Deborah DeneenRichard & Mary Helen RoseMary RosendallCurtis & Martha RoweTim & Teresa RoyceCatharine RozemaRon & Joanne RozemaCheryl A RussellPatricia RyanSteve & Donna SachaStanley & Phyllis SaganskiSt. Alphonsus ParishSt. Andrew’s Episcopal ChurchSt. Pius X ChurchCorri SandwickAnna SavickasScott & Lori SchumakerScobey, Nic & LinneaWilliam & Mary Scott

Sebastian FoundationRosemary SienkielSigma Alpha LambdaChristine & William SlatingRichard & Dorothea SmitsSpartan DistributorsSpectrum Health Healthier CommunitiesDaniel & Linda SpetoskeyDoug & Lauri SporteSally SpryHenry & Jeane SwartGerald SyrbaTazzia Lawn CareSr. Donna Jean ThelenJeanne ThomasJim & Cindy ThrallPatrick & Sandra TierneyBill & Bridget TingleyBob & Colleen TobinDavid & Mary TobinDave & Kelly TuitNick & Nancy TuitRhoda TuitSteve & Christi TuitUnited Way of Midland CountyUnity Church of Practical ChristianityPhillip & Jean Van HuffelVanSingel Family FoundationKen & Sharon VanBeekArdelle & Robert VanBragtPhyllis VandenbergMaureen VaninJaye VanLentenRobert VanOortGord & Anne VanSingelVarnum LLPRobin Velte & Anita GarberJack & Mary Serra VeneklaseVladislavs VisockisCatherine VydarenyJohn A. WalenMary Beth WalenEmilia Wall & Keith KoonmenGladys WaranicaLarry & Lee Nelson WeberSr. Mary Aquinas WeberJeremy & Lyndi Weener-KuiperWege FoundationAnne WeldonWalt WendellWesorick Family FoundationWest Side Community CouncilWarren & Debbie WesterhuisChristine Wheeler Family FoundationKatherine WilburNorm WilkesWilliams GroupMike & Mary Alice WilliamsDave & Judy WillsDorothy WimmerBev WoodLaura WrightRichard & Elizabeth ZambonGerald & Rita ZimmermanFred & Shelli ZomerLee & Karen Zuidema

Bold = multi-year donors

Jess EglintonCHC Volunteer & Program Coordinator

At Catherine’s, we are blessed with more than 100 volunteers each year who generously donate their time and energy in support of our mission.

While many of our helpers stand out in multiple areas of excellence, we are delighted to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on one in particular.

Jane approached us in November 2012 with an interest in volunteering in the health care field in her community. She previously worked in health care and wanted to help an organization that she believed in. When she learned about Catherine’s, she immediately identified with the mission and applied to volunteer.

Jane spent her first year helping Catherine’s with a number of front office support tasks. She organized our paper charts, assisted with check-in and check-out and called patients to remind them of their upcoming appointments.

In 2013, when Catherine’s began the Live Heart Smart suite of programs, thanks to funding by AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, Jane helped develop data collection and entry practices for the program. Over the years, she has been

our lead volunteer data manager, sorting and entering data on a weekly basis, and assisting with restructuring and streamlining data organization as the program grows in complexity.

By collecting data in a consistent, organized method, Catherine’s has been able to demonstrate how our work has made a significant impact on improving patients’ health. Thanks in large part to Jane’s contributions, Catherine’s has received multiple grants from AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Connections for Cardiovascular Health totaling more than $800,000 over five years.

When asked why she has continued to volunteer at Catherine’s for almost four years, she replied immediately, “I really enjoy being here. The staff is warm and caring, and I love contributing to the mission.”

Jane has volunteered more than 830 hours of her time since starting with us in 2013. It is because of dedicated volunteers — such as Jane — that we are able to continue to provide high quality, compassionate care to those in our community who desperately need it.

Contributing to the Mission

Jane Lennon loves the mission of Catherine’s Health Center and enjoys helping track patient progress.

MAY 2017 4

Ron RozemaCHC Development Director

From day one, Catherine’s Health Center has addressed the health needs and challenges of families and individuals, thanks to generous support from a range of people, churches, businesses, foundations and organizations.

The listing of donors in this newsletter offers testimony to the new and repeated gifts of hundreds. Over time, there have been thousands. Our patients and we are deeply grateful for the health, hope and life your gifts make possible.

When you send a gift, it is put to work immediately to provide health evaluation, treatment, medication, health education and more. In short, you make high quality, affordable and compassionate health care a reality.

Many who support Catherine’s financially recognize that the need for affordable, compassionate medical care will outlive them. They have confirmed their intentions to provide support for Catherine’s

Consider the gift of a lifetime

mission and work through a provision in their will or estate plan.

If you would like to learn how your support could continue beyond your lifetime, perhaps with some benefit to you, call us today to arrange a confidential conversation. If you haven’t reviewed your plan recently, there is no better time. Call today or send a note in the reply envelope to learn how we can help you continue your help.

Ron Rozema is happy to help you continue your generous support.

MAY 2017 5

Jess EglintonCHC Volunteer & Program Coordinator

Gifts of all sizes open the door for patients and help us provide medical care. Some of those gifts help us provide special programs and services. Here’s how that works.

To assure a broad base of financial support for our mission, we invite gifts and grants from a wide range of people and organizations that share our passion for health care. A quick review of the donor listings in this issue will confirm the range.

In earlier editions of our newsletter and in other communications, we have spoken more extensively about some of our grant partners, including AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Connections for Cardiovascular Health.

Now in our fifth year of major grants from that foundation, we have been able to create, implement and sustain innovative, community-based programming for our patients to improve their heart health. We’ve done this through the Live Heart Smart suite of programs: Live Heart Smart, Heart Smart Connections, the Healthy Heart Team, and Whole Hearts.

Each new program added another feature to address the specific needs of our patients as we worked with them to improve their heart health:

• Live Heart Smart has helped patients identify their risks for cardiovascular disease, determine which risks they could change, and work with a lifestyle counselor to make changes in their health habits.

• Heart Smart Connections added health insurance navigation services, enabling us to determine patients’ eligibility for affordable health coverage and go through the enrollment process for Michigan’s Medicaid Expansion, the Healthy Michigan Plan, and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace. As more community members became eligible for affordable insurance, we had a significant influx of patients who hadn’t been able to access care in years, if not decades. These patients had complex health needs that required a team approach.

• Cue the Healthy Heart Team, a program that helped us hire a registered nurse care manager to work with our patients who needed more sophisticated assistance to manage multiple diseases.

• Our most recent addition is the Whole Hearts program, which has enabled us to

Gifts Improve Health and Practices

Beyond Grand Rapids

integrate behavioral health services. We found that 68 percent of our patients living with chronic disease also had an underlying mental health condition. For those who live in poverty, overcoming the barriers to improving health is even more difficult with a mental health condition that goes untreated. We now have a social worker who collaborates with our care team to address the whole patient.

Thanks to the foundation’s generous funding and the hard work of our staff and volunteers, our patients have experienced significant, measurable improvements in their heart health. As a result of this success, Catherine’s was invited to join nine other organizations nationwide to share lessons learned and encourage use of these programs to improve heart health in other communities.

In February Karen Kaashoek, Jess Eglinton and board member Sharon Esterley traveled to

Wilmington, Delaware, to participate in the conference arranged and sponsored by the foundation. They received a check for our most recent grant award and shared innovative approaches used in the Live Heart Smart suite of programs.

The conference included a live-streamed roundtable discussion by representatives from each of the 10 organizations. The roundtable was recorded, and you can find it on our website, catherineshc.org, or on YouTube at bit.ly/Heartdiscuss.

We are excited that gifts at every level translate to improved access and better health for the people of our community. Patients are deeply grateful that generous people and organizations share concern for their health and make access possible. Now we’re excited to share the information about what is working with broader audiences across the country so others will benefit from the knowledge and experience we have gained.

Volunteer and Program Coordinator Jess Eglinton represented Catherine’s Health Center in a livestream discussion from AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.

Carrier St. NE

Lafa

yette

Ave

. NE

Leonard St. NE

N

P A R K I N G

EN

TRA

NC

E

Catherine’sHealth Center

Catherine’s Health Center is a nonprofit, community-based health facility dedicated to serving low-income, uninsured residents of the northeast sections of Grand Rapids, Michigan, primarily those who live in the Creston and Belknap neighborhoods.

Catherine’s Health Center1211 Lafayette Ave. NEGrand Rapids, MI 49505

Hours:We are open by appointment only,

Monday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you have any questions, or would like to make a donation:

616.336.8800www.catherinesHC.org

Thank you for your support!

1211 Lafayette Ave. NEGrand Rapids, MI 49505

NON-PROFIT

U.S. POSTAGE

P A I D

Grand Rapids, MI

Permit #1

Follow us on Facebook

@CatherinesHC on Twitter