Category Archives: Borgess Health

Ready, Set, Fore: July 18 Marks 20th Anniversary of Borgess Golf for Health

Comments Off
Posted by Lew Tysman on June 3, 2011 – 3:54 pm
Filed under Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health, Events

Borgess invites area golfers and the community to participate in its 20th-annual Golf for Health outing on Monday, July 18.

Proceeds from this year’s outing, presented by the Borgess Foundation and Borgess Volunteers, will help fund acquisition of new equipment and technology for Borgess Medical Center’s surgical services department. Major sponsors of the event include Premier Radiology, AVB Construction and Neurosurgery of Kalamazoo, P.C.

“We sincerely appreciate the generosity of our major sponsors, donors and players, and encourage anyone who is interested to support a very worthy cause by signing up today for this premier golf event,” said Tony McDonnell, executive director, Borgess Foundation. “Participants will have the opportunity to mingle with Borgess physicians and staff, learn about lifesaving activities at Borgess, and most importantly, benefit the health of southwest Michigan families for years to come.”

Borgess Golf For Health: At A Glance

When: Monday, July 18, 20th Anniversary
  10 a.m., Registration Opens, Free Golf Clinics with Club Pros
  12 p.m., Shotgun Start
  5 p.m., Dinner
   
Where: Gull Lake Country Club, Richland, MI
   
Entry Fees: $175 per person, $700 per team
   
Fundraising Goal: $30,000+ to benefit patients in surgery areas of Borgess Medical Center
   
Hostess: Kate Tillotson, anchor and reporter, WWMT (Channel 3)
   
Prizes: First and second place teams, men’s/women’s longest drive, closest to line, closet to pin and longest putt

 

New events this year include the Whiffle Ball Challenge ($5 per golfer), where golfers will drive a whiffle ball as far as they can while using a child’s plastic club, and the Borgess Ball ($20 per foursome), where team members must play and retain a bright-colored ball throughout the 18-hole outing. Prizes will also be awarded for both of these events.

In 2010, more than 50 sponsors and 108 golfers raised over $29,000 to help fund the enhancement and expansion of the Borgess Level I Emergency & Trauma Center. Joe Brogger, Jr., trustee of the Borgess Foundation and director, private sector employee benefits, Burnham & Flower Insurance Group, added last year: “There are many reasons why golfers like me participate in the Borgess Golf for Health outing every year. The event runs like clockwork. The pro-clinic, onsite physical therapist and emergency personnel give the event a professional feel. Every detail is handled perfectly, and everyone is so friendly and genuinely pleased to have the support of all participants.”

Borgess still seeks golfers and sponsors for the 2011 Golf for Health outing. To sign up, become a sponsor or make a donation, call (269) 226.8100. More information can also be found at foundation.borgess.com.

500 women will be helped by donations to Borgess Tree of Love

0
Posted by admin on November 19, 2010 – 7:15 pm
Filed under Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health, Events, Women's Health

More than 500 low-income women without health insurance will receive free mammograms at Borgess as a result of a special campaign at Borgess Health. The 25th Borgess Tree of Love campaign has set an ambitious goal to raise more than $40,000 to provide the needed mammograms.

The annual campaign is sponsored by Borgess Volunteers and the Borgess Foundation, a not-for-profit organization created to accept gifts on behalf of Borgess Health programs.

Since it was started in 1985, the Borgess Tree of Love campaign has helped countless women at Borgess receive mammograms and biopsies to identify breast cancer.

This campaign also provides an opportunity for donors to sponsor lights on the holiday trees which make wonderful tributes for employees, colleagues, family and friends. The names of donors and those receiving this special tribute will be listed in honor rolls near the trees, and honorees receive an acknowledgement card in the mail.

People can make tax-deductible donations on-line at treeoflove.borgess.com. Donor forms are also available for those who wish to contribute by mail by contacting the Borgess Foundation at (269) 226.8100.

Every $5 donation helps a woman receive a mammogram at Borgess Medical Center while allowing the donor to honor or remember someone special. Every $50 donation sponsors a mammogram for a woman and allows the donor to honor or remember up to 10 people.

Borgess Health’s annual Borgess Tree of Love campaign is marking its 25th year by expanding to three locations for Tree Lighting ceremonies.

* 6 p.m. December 3 at Borgess-Pipp Hospital, 411 Naomi St., Plainwell
* 6:30 p.m. December 7 in the Atrium, Borgess Medical Center, 1521 Gull Road, Kalamazoo
* 1 p.m. December 8 in the Rotunda, Borgess at Woodbridge Hills, 7901 Angling Road, Portage

Breast cancer affects many members of our community. In the United States, one in eight women, during their lifetime, will develop breast cancer. Every 69 seconds a woman dies of breast cancer and every hour 23 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women and affects approximately one million women worldwide.

It is estimated that one in every five women does not have insurance that covers breast cancer detection services such as mammography. A number of studies have shown that mammograms can reduce a woman’s risk of dying of breast cancer.
 
For additional information on the Borgess Tree of Love campaign, call (269) 226.8100.

Borgess Gardens receives continued registration as Eden Alternative® Home

Comments Off
Posted by admin on September 1, 2010 – 2:20 am
Filed under Achievements, Borgess Foundation, Borgess Gardens, Borgess Health

Borgess Gardens has received continued registration as an Eden Alternative® Home. 

“The Eden Alternative philosophy is that aging should be a continued stage of development and growth, rather than a period of decline,” said Bart Carrel, Borgess Gardens Administrator.  “It is a powerful tool for improving quality of life for our Elders and for capturing a meaningful work life for our associates. 

“The Eden Alternative supports others in the creation of communities which eliminate the plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom,” he continued.  “These are plagues of the human spirit, not the human body, but they can be just as debilitating and just as deadly as any disease of the body.”

Borgess Gardens is a habitat for human beings rather than facilities for the frail and elderly.  It is a garden where people continue to grow and thrive.

Borgess Gardens offers specialized rehabilitation services.  Intensive therapy is used to build strength, improve coordination and agility, and restore confidence and independence in individuals requiring rehabilitation after illness, injury or a surgical procedure.  Call (269) 226.8100 to learn more about these advanced services.

For more information about Borgess Gardens, please visit Borgess.com.

Still in the “Green” After 19 Years – Borgess Golf for Health Tournament a Fundraising Success

Comments Off
Posted by admin on July 29, 2010 – 7:09 pm
Filed under Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health, Borgess Volunteers, Events

With 108 golfers, the 19th Annual Borgess Golf for Health on July 19 raised money to help fund ongoing renovations to Borgess Medical Center’s Level I Emergency & Trauma Center. The Borgess Volunteers and Borgess Foundation presented the outing proceeds in a check for $27,000 to Dr. Steve Kujacznski, medical director, Borgess Emergency & Trauma Center.

“During my 20-year tenure at Borgess, the number of ER patients has grown to more than 50,000 a year,” said Steve Kujacznski, DO, medical director, Borgess Emergency & Trauma Center. “An important part of caring for ER patients is providing them with a quiet environment that affords confidentiality. Our renovated department will feature rooms that are more spacious, comfortable and private.”

The 2010 Borgess Golf for Health outing was successful due to support from businesses and individuals as sponsors and players.

“We sincerely appreciate the expertise provided by Gull Lake Country Club, and the generosity of our major sponsors, Premier Radiology, AVB Construction, Crothall Healthcare, Kalamazoo Emergency Associates and Neurosurgery of Kalamazoo, PC,” said Tony McDonnell, executive director, Borgess Foundation. “Everyone enjoyed a beautiful day of golfing and supported a very worthy cause–the enhancement of the Borgess Emergency & Trauma Center.”

“There are many reasons why more than 100 golfers like me participate in the Borgess Golf for Health outing every year,” said Joe Brogger, director, private sector employee benefits, Burnham & Flower Insurance Group, who has played in the event for more than 15 years. “The event runs like clockwork. The pro-clinic, onsite physical therapist and emergency personnel give the event a professional feel. Every detail is handled perfectly, and everyone is so friendly and genuinely pleased to have the support of all participants.”

Built to serve 42,000 patients annually, the Borgess Emergency & Trauma Center (ETC) was last renovated in 1975. Since the guarantee was implemented for patients to see a physician within 30 minutes of arrival, ETC annual volume has reached 57,000. The current ETC renovation will provide a more secure, comfortable healing environment for 1.2 million patients and their families who will utilize the ETC over the next decade.

In addition to knowing they will be seen by a physician within 30 minutes, patients have the assurance they are receiving care in a verified Level I Trauma Center, recognized for providing urgent, advanced, comprehensive care for the most severe illnesses and injuries.

2010 Borgess Golf for Health Key Results

  • First Place Team: Joe Brogger, Jr, Robert Benjamin, Robert Britigan and Gregory St. Arnold
  • Second Place Team: John Bakos, Jack Gesmundo, Joe Gesmundo and Daryl Rand, American Village Builders
  • Random Team Winners: Frederick Brown, Robert Brown, Sr., Craig DeNooyer and Terry Patterson, Treystar 
  • Longest Drive, Men: Thomas Merritt; Women: Susan McDonald
  • Closest to Line, Men: Robert Britigan; Women: Dina Ciaffone
  • Closest to Pin, Men: John Kittredge; Women: Linda Lawton
  • Longest Putt, Men: Craig DeNooyer; Women: Connie Learman

Golfers Still Needed for Lee Memorial Foundation’s Sixth-Annual Golf Outing

Comments Off
Posted by admin on June 29, 2010 – 3:16 pm
Filed under Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health, Borgess-Lee

The Lee Memorial Foundation continues to seek golfers to participate in its sixth-annual golf outing on Friday, July 9.

This year’s scramble event will once again be held at Spruce Ridge Golf Club in Dowagiac. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Entry fee is $50 per person or $200 per team, and includes 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch, bottled water, and the opportunity to win cash in the Buy a Square Contest, as well as win $10,000 in the Hole-In-One Contest (sponsored by Preferred Printing, Inc.).

Proceeds from the golf outing will benefit Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital by funding the purchase of an intravenous (IV) ultrasound unit. To sign up today, call (269) 783.3083 or (269) 783.3026.

Match Day is Only a Day Away

Comments Off
Posted by admin on June 22, 2010 – 3:01 pm
Filed under Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health, Events

Match Day is Only a Day Away – Support Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

For one day only, June 23 at Bronson Park between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., The Kalamazoo Community Foundation will match every dollar donated to Borgess Visiting Nurse & Hospice by 50 cents.

The Kalamazoo Community Foundation is celebrating its 85th birthday and giving back to the community through Match Day.

Here’s all you have to do:

  • Fill out this form and present it along with your gift at the stage.  Forms will also be available at the event. Cash, check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express) are accepted.
    Please make check payable to Kalamazoo Community Foundation.
  • If you are not able to make your gift in person, you may send someone else in your place. Please know the Community Foundation can only issue one receipt per donor (groups of checks/credit card donations will not be accepted; you cannot give a check on behalf of someone else, then give a donation of your own; online donations will not be matched).
  • Your donation will be matched 50 cents on the dollar until the $170,000 in matching funds are exhausted.
  • The maximum match per family is $1,000 (for a $2,000 gift).  Gifts over $2,000 will be accepted, but they will not generate a larger match.
  • Use the Michigan State Tax Credit to maximize your donation!  Your donation of $400 could mean $600 but only an effective cost of under $200 to you!
    Learn more about the tax credit here.
  • Donations will still be accepted after the matching funds are gone, but they will not be matched.

Your support will help Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice continue to serve all who need compassionate care and comfort within the community.

For more information on Match Day, visit kalfound.org or call Mike Ankley at (269) 343.1396.

Borgess Foundation receives March of Dimes Grant to support Borgess Women’s Health CenteringPregnancy® Program

Comments Off
Posted by admin on May 18, 2010 – 1:31 pm
Filed under Achievements, Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health, Innovation, Women's Health

The March of Dimes Michigan Chapter has awarded the Borgess Foundation a $25,000 Chapter Community Grant for use in supporting the Borgess Women’s Health CenteringPregnancy® program.

“We are honored to receive the support of the March of Dimes, the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health,” said Megan Deibel, CNM, Borgess Women’s Health. “The focus of the CenteringPregnancy program is threefold: assessment, education and support. Each woman learns to effectively monitor her well-being and the well-being of her baby. Participants take ownership of their experience during their prenatal care, which helps build confidence in parenting.”

Only 10 projects, including the CenteringPregnancy program at Borgess Women’s Health, received funding via the March of Dimes Michigan Chapter Community Grant. With the award, Borgess Women’s Health hopes to achieve the following objectives/outcomes by the end of 2010:

  • Receive official site approval for the CenteringPregnancy program by the Centering Healthcare Institute
  • Realize a prematurity rate of less than or equal to 10 percent (for program participants)
  • Help 86 percent of program participants initiate breastfeeding and 50 percent of program participants continue breastfeeding through their six-week postpartum follow-up visit

 In a group setting, the CenteringPregnancy program gives those expecting added time, attention and guidance. Along with receiving prenatal checkups and care in groups, women also spend additional time with their health care provider and other expecting mothers, giving them greater opportunity to learn more about pregnancy, childbirth and parenting.

“A key benefit of this program is that women form relationships with other expectant moms,” Deibel said. “Research has shown that CenteringPregnancy decreases preterm birth and low-birth weight babies, because participants empower themselves to make better health decisions.”

For more on the CenteringPregnancy program or the complete gynecologic and obstetric care available at Borgess Women’s Health, visit women.borgess.com.

Borgess Foundation receives Pfizer, Inc. grant to support Borgess Diabetes Center

Comments Off
Posted by admin on April 15, 2010 – 3:29 pm
Filed under Borgess Diabetes Center, Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health

Pfizer, Inc. has awarded the Borgess Foundation a $15,000 grant for use in supporting lab services at the Borgess Diabetes Center for uninsured persons with diabetes living in the greater Kalamazoo area.

Patients receive physician care, as well as necessary lab testing, assistance in obtaining glucose monitoring supplies and determination of eligibility for pharmaceutical indigent care programs. A case manager provides assessment for further medical needs and potential assistance from other community programs.

This education and assistance helps reduce use of local emergency rooms for routine diabetes treatment that should be provided in a physician-based setting.

Kalamazoo County hosts one of Pfizer’s largest sites in the world, including manufacturing and veterinary medicine operations. Diabetes is a key area of human-health research and development for Pfizer. The company’s R&D pipeline includes a number of compounds being studied to treat this serious disease and related conditions. For more on Pfizer research, visit www.pfizer.com/pipeline.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)  and American Diabetes Association (ADA) have recognized 24 Borgess doctors, including the Borgess Diabetes Center Medical Director Michael Valitutto, DO, for providing the highest level of care.

Certified by the Michigan Department of Community Health and the American Diabetes Association, the Borgess Diabetes Center provides classroom instruction, individual education and an insulin pump therapy program. Specially trained in diabetes management, Borgess Diabetes Center nurses and dietitians provide personalized, highly skilled care to each patient.

To learn more about the Borgess Diabetes Center, call 269.226.8321 or visit diabetes.borgess.com.

New Grateful Patient Program Launched at Borgess Medical Center, Borgess-Pipp Hospital and Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Comments Off
Posted by admin on March 3, 2010 – 1:12 pm
Filed under Borgess Foundation, Borgess Health

Caring is a gift you can pass on to others.

Caring hearts and caring hands are what make a difference to your health and well-being at Borgess. Help us recognize those people with caring hearts and hands. Is there a Borgess employee, physician or volunteer that stands out in your mind when you think of your care at Borgess? As a patient of Borgess Health, Caring Hearts & Hands lets you give back a little of the attention you received while you were at the hospital.

Through the Caring Hearts & Hands program, you can recognize someone who has made a memorable impact on your life. Examples of compassionate and relationship-centered care may find expression in:

  • The efficiency of the friendly staff who checked you in
  • The genuine smile of the nurse or therapist who brightened your days—and your spirits
  • The gifted physician or provider whose skill and manner calmed your anxiety
  • The considerate housekeeper who did their job almost invisibly
  • The cheery transporter who wheeled you to your ride at the end of your stay
  • Anyone who provided you compassionate care

Your tribute will honor and delight your personal hero or heroine, and we’ll celebrate them with an appreciation card, a lapel pin and other recognition. Your gift will help us provide treatment for the needy, buy equipment and meet a variety of other needs within the healing walls of Borgess Health.

To learn more on how to set the gift of caring in motion, contact the Borgess Foundation at 269.226.8100 or visit chh.borgess.com.