Each day, your generosity helps to improve the health and well-being of the Brevard community through gifts to the Health First Foundation. We are grateful for your support of the life- saving work of Health First, which has enabled us to do so much for so many this past year. Your gifts helped to: ■ Provide 31 scholarships to nurses pursuing continued education and advancement of critical patient care skills ■ Enable support for grieving children at Bright Star, a program of Hospice of Health First (learn more about the Bright Star Center for Grieving Children on page 3) ■ Purchase breast cancer treatment books for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (Continued on page 2) ■ Install cell phone charging stations for patients and families in our emergency department waiting areas ■ Provide new inpatient communication boards, improving patient outcomes and experiences for those in our hospitals ■ Provide dental care and glucose- monitoring strips for indigent patients 1 NEWS FOR OUR DONORS AND FRIENDS PHILANTHROPICALLY Foundation SPRING 2018 Community Generosity Helps Improve the Health and Wellness Across Brevard In recognition of our generous and thoughtful donors, we encourage you to visit HFgive. org and view our 2017 Honor Roll of Donors (October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2017). Included in this recognition are our Health First Foundation Good Samaritan Society members, all tribute gifts and donors, and Legacy Society members. rough the generosity of Health First associates, children’s books and stuffed animals are now available in every Health First Hospital Emergency Department. e Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook helps patients through the treatment process.
Transcript
Each day, your generosity helps to improve the health and well-being of the Brevard community through gifts to the Health First Foundation. We are grateful for your support of the life-saving work of Health First, which has enabled us to do so much for so many this past year. Your gifts helped to:
■ Provide 31 scholarships to nurses pursuing continued education and
advancement of critical patient care skills
■ Enable support for grieving children at Bright Star, a program of Hospice of Health First (learn more about the Bright Star Center for Grieving Children on page 3)
■ Purchase breast cancer treatment books for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients
(Continued on page 2)
■ Install cell phone charging stations for patients and families in our emergency department waiting areas
■ Provide new inpatient communication boards, improving patient outcomes and experiences for those in our hospitals
■ Provide dental care and glucose-monitoring strips for indigent patients
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NEWS FOR OURDONORS AND FRIENDS
PHILANTHROPICALLY
FoundationSPRING 2018
Community Generosity Helps Improve the Health and Wellness Across Brevard
In recognition of our generous and thoughtful donors, we encourage you to visit HFgive.org and view our 2017 Honor Roll of Donors (October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2017). Included in this recognition are our Health First Foundation Good Samaritan Society members, all tribute gifts and donors, and Legacy Society members.
Through the generosity of Health First associates, children’s books and stuffed animals are now available in every Health First Hospital Emergency Department.
The Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook helps patients through the treatment process.
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(Continued from page 1) ■ Encourage hope and help for caregivers and families struggling with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-related illness, including counseling and resource referrals by The Center for Family Caregivers, a program offered free of charge through Health First Aging Services
As a locally owned, not-for-profit community healthcare system, our mission is in large part realized through the generous and loyal support of community members like you. We hope you will continue your support of our mission to improve the health and wellness of our friends, family and neighbors here in Brevard.
Community Generosity
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in Brevard. After exploring the available options, Tim was able to get an appointment with Dr. Miller who, according to Tim, is “one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the area.” During their first meeting, Dr. Miller assured Tim he could help.
However, the situation was more complicated than expected. Tim’s pelvic bone had deteriorated, so Dr. Miller had to rebuild a significant portion of the eroded bone.
According to Dr. Miller, Tim’s procedure was necessary to address a complex problem. “When you’ve had an implant in for a long time, things can wear out and start moving around,” explained Dr. Miller. “This was what happened to Tim and we had to reconstruct his entire pelvis.”
Grateful Patient Gets a New Lease on Life
Tim shared, “It’s comforting to have an outstanding healthcare system such as Health First in our community, with its dedicated and amazing physicians and nurses.”
Post-surgery, Tim’s follow up visits were with Dr. Miller’s assistant Clyde Blaylock, ARNP.
“Tim completely followed the prescribed instructions and healed faster than most who encountered this type of surgery,” according to Blaylock.
“Grateful” is the word Tim uses as he considers how the skilled Dr. Miller and his team gave him a new lease on life. Having his freedom again and being relieved of the pain is priceless, Tim says.
“I’m so glad I met Dr. Miller. He’s a definite asset to our medical community.”
Tim is no stranger to hip surgery, the pain associated with it — and the remarkable work done by Health First physician Dr. Scott Miller, who gave him the ability to again live pain-free.
Tim was weary from the constant hip pain robbing him of opportunities to walk and perform physical tasks, as well as hampering his ability to maneuver through airports because his job requires him to fly to North Carolina on a weekly basis.
While Tim lived with the pain, even this stoic Maine native admitted it eventually became too acute to ignore. It was literally dictating his day-to-day activities, preventing him from doing the things he enjoyed.
Tim’s hip problems began long before he came to Brevard and visited the Cocoa Beach office of Health First Medical Group’s Dr. Scott Miller.
At the age of 42, Tim required a replacement of his left hip. The procedure was done in Salem, Massachusetts. At the time, Tim was the orthopedic surgeon’s youngest hip replacement patient. Although the procedure went well, the physician told Tim that because of his young age and physical activity level, it was likely he would outlive the new hip appliance and eventually need another replacement in the future.
In 2006, Tim underwent a second hip replacement, this time on his right hip. Already, his left hip appliance was exhibiting wear and had begun to aggravate him.
For several years, Tim tolerated the pain of the original replaced hip, living with the inconvenience the deterioration was causing him. By July 2017, it was apparent he needed a second surgery on the left hip. Having gone through two hip replacements already, Tim knew he needed a top-notch “ortho guy.”
Luckily, Tim found one right here
Tim King, orthopedic patient at Health First, is grateful to have the freedom that comes with having no more hip pain.
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American Business InteriorsBB&T
Coastal Health Systems of Brevard, Inc. Delta DentalFordHarrison
Krasny & DettmerMilliman
Rossway Swan Tierney Barry Lacey & Oliver, PL
Sorensen Moving & StorageThree21 Creative
Bright Star Helps Grief-Stricken Hearts HealMikey Puffer is among the fans.
“It was fun,” Mikey said of the activities offered. “They have Skee-Ball, and then they have this one room called The Hurricane Room, and that is my most favorite. I can do anything I want in there.” The Hurricane Room was made possible by a gift from Marj Bartok in memory of her son, Bob.
Through heartfelt gifts from donors like you, two new dramatic play areas are now available at our Bright Star Center for Grieving Children. In addition to a traditional theater stage, we now offer an area designed as a hospital room, so that young children can safely act out the scenes around them and have a safe place to begin to work through their emotions.
Thank you for helping us care for these most vulnerable members of our community. We couldn’t do it without you.
Gifts to The 1937 Fund, the annual campaign for Health First, help fund projects like these dramatic play areas. If you are interested in supporting Bright Star through The 1937 Fund, visit HFgive.org.
Because of you, kids can be kids even in their darkest hour.
It’s been five years since Mikey Puffer lost his 43-year-old father, Mike, to lung cancer.
Now 13, the Palm Bay boy has limited memories of life with his dad. But thanks to Health First’s Bright Star Center for Grieving Children and Families in Melbourne, a sense of normalcy has been restored. Part of Hospice of Health First, the center is funded through donor generosity to the Health First Foundation. It provides a safe place where Mikey can not only cope with his hurt, but celebrate his father’s memory – and just be a kid.
“He loved the fact that people understood that somebody else was going through the same thing he was,” said Eva Puffer, Mikey’s mom. “Because kids at school don’t understand.”
Three weeks after Mike’s death, the two walked into the program – and have never left.
Bright Star, located at 1131 W. New Haven Ave., has helped more than 2,800 children and 850 families since opening in September 2000, said Terry Musso, who has been with the program for 15 years as a Clinical Social Worker.
“Children who are grieving, they’re not broken,” Musso said. “What works best for them is peer-supported group activities.”
Bright Star provides a comfortable environment in which these children are encouraged to talk about their loss, in addition to participating in creative, positive play in a peer group setting.
“They don’t feel as isolated in their grief,” Musso said. “They find friends here. They find comfort here.”
Mikey certainly did, recently leafing through a memory book he made in the months that followed his dad’s passing.
“If I could have one wish, it would be that my dad was still alive,” Mikey, now 13, solemnly read aloud from the scribble on the green pages. “But at least he’s not suffering anymore.”
Bright Star groups aren’t only
Thank You Corporate Partners
about mourning. They’re also about celebrating the memory of lost loved ones through arts, crafts and other forms of expression. And about letting kids just be kids – through games, dress-up or taking a few minutes in the popular “Hurricane Room,” where kids can bounce around with the cloth dummy and safely funnel frustrations.
For information on becoming a Corporate Partner, please contact the Foundation at 321.434.7353 or visit HFgive.org.
Health First is grateful to the following leading corporations and local businesses who contribute to the continued growth of Health First through a shared investment in the health and well-being of Brevard County, supporting new technologies, facilities and programs.
Health First Corporate Partner recognition wall installed in the lobby of Health First corporate offices in Rockledge.
Mikey Puffer and his mother, Eva, with memory book created at Brightstar
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Thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers, we have successfully held the Benefit Ball for the last 35 years, raising more than $6 million for important programs and services that benefit our community.
In response to community feedback, we are replacing the Benefit Ball with an exciting and engaging invitation-only annual donor appreciation reception. This new event will honor your generosity, celebrate providers and share how your gifts are making a difference in the health and wellness of our community.
We will host the first donor appreciation reception in September 22, 2018, where we will showcase the 35-year history of the Benefit Ball. We hope you will continue your philanthropic support of Health First and join us.
For more information, contact the Foundation office at 321.434.7353.
Celebrating 35 Years of Benefit Ball History
Philanthropically Speaking is published byHealth First Foundation1350 S. Hickory St.Melbourne, FL 32901321.434.7353HFgive.org
Health First Foundation Board of TrusteesRobert Perers, ChairJessica André, Vice ChairBecky Dukes, Immediate Past ChairMichael Seeley, PresidentPatricia Pruitt, SecretaryNicholas Romanello, Assistant SecretaryStephen Lacey, Treasurer
Gobivenkata Balaji, MDRichard C. BeagleyStephanie A. BrownCarl D. Coddington, Jr.Shelly CooperDale A. DettmerBobbie DyerEvelyn FosterTina Goins
Our MissionThe Health First Foundation helps improve the health and well-being of residents in our community by raising funds to support and advance the mission of Health First and its family of charitable healthcare providers.
These include four not-for-profit hospitals — Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital, Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center, Health First’s Palm Bay Hospital and Health First’s Viera Hospital — as well as many Outpatient & Wellness Services that include Hospice of Health First and Health First Aging Services.
The Health First Foundation, Inc., Florida Registration #CH-12568, receives 100% of all contributions. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free, 1.800.435.7352, within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.
Contact usfor more information on ways to support Health First through the Foundation.
Thank you to our sponsors and everyone who joined us on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Citrus Club for the Health First Foundation Grape Escape: Downtown Crush.
Together, we raised more than $284,000 to bring advanced cardiac imaging services to Brevard County for quicker and more effective treatment of cardiac diseases.
Currently, patients who need a cardiac MRI or PET must travel as far as Gainesville for such screening – or choose an alternative, less effective test. Now, patients will have access to these tests right here in our community.
A special thank you goes to Dr. Richard Thompson who specializes in cardiac CT and MRI. He led the charge to bring this equipment to Health First Heart & Vascular Services in order to better serve our patients.
This year’s Grape Escape success would not have been possible without the leadership of co-chairs Rita Moreno
and Christine Lance, as well as many generous sponsors. As a not-for-profit community healthcare system, we are grateful for the generous support from our community, ensuring our families, friends and neighbors have access to the latest state-of-the-art technologies and procedures.
2018 Grape Escape Raises Funds for Local Heart Care
Pictured left to right: John Gallo, Pamela Gatto, Becky Dukes, Stephanie Brown, Karen Nierenberg, Carey Gleason, Rita Moreno, Dr. Ruben Moreno, Darcia Jones Francey and Natasha Cartagena Spencer
Katie and Alan Prestwood, member of Health First, Inc. Board of Trustees.
