A Message from the President
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A Message from the President
At Advocate Good Samaritan
Hospital, our programs and
services extend well beyond the
walls of the hospital into the
neighborhoods we are privileged
to serve.
As part of Advocate Health Care,
we provided more than $296
million in charitable care and
services to benefit patients,
families and communities across
metropolitan Chicago in 2006.
You will learn more about these
important community partnerships
and programs in this issue.
Also highlighted in our fall Pulse
is SHARE, a unique and
compelling support opportunity
for grieving families, as well as an
update on health care legislation.
We are proud to serve you and
your community.
David S. Fox
President
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SHARE Support Group Helps Families Cope and Healr
When couples are expecting a baby, they are preparing for one of life’s
most exciting milestones...
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SHARE Support Group Helps Families Cope and Heal
When couples are expecting a baby, they are preparing for one of life’s
most exciting milestones. Yet no matter how many child-rearing books
expectant parents read, there is no
manual that can prepare them for
the emotional roller coaster
experienced when a pregnancy
does not go as planned.
At Advocate Good Samaritan
Hospital, the medical staff is fully
equipped to comfort new parents
when an unexpected pregnancy
outcome occurs.
An immediate resource to all
parents is a perinatal support group called SHARE. Funded in part
by philanthropy, SHARE offers help for those who experience
a high-risk pregnancy, premature birth, sick infant, or the loss of a
child due to miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. SHARE looks
to heal the whole person—emotionally, physically, spiritually and
socially—in addition to providing personal guidance towards the
positive resolution of grief.
SHARE offers a wide range of resources, including many that may
be crafted to fit individual needs: one-on-one counseling, monthly
support groups, educational resources, sensitivity training for
hospital personnel and memorial services. In celebration of each
child’s short life, the SHARE Angel Garden was established as a
living memorial site. The garden serves as a place of peace, prayer,
meditation and remembrance for those who have suffered grief
related to childbirth. It is a daily reminder of how precious life is.
SHARE began in 1988 at Good Samaritan Hospital out of a
collaborative effort of the obstetrics and psychiatry departments.
Since its inception, SHARE has served nearly 3,000 families in their
healing journeys. For additional information about SHARE,
call (630) 875-1360.
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Someone you should know
Gail Conforti, CNS, RN, CGRN, is a clinical nurse in the endoscopy center and
day hospital. Kandice Vancura, RN, CCRN, is a nurse in the staffing resource
center. Together, they are the Nurse Advocacy Council representatives of
Good Samaritan Hospital...
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Someone you should know
Gail Conforti, CNS, RN, CGRN / Kandice Vancura, RN, CCRN
Gail Conforti, CNS, RN, CGRN, is a clinical nurse in the endoscopy center and
day hospital. Kandice Vancura, RN, CCRN, is a nurse in the staffing resource
center. Together, they are the Nurse Advocacy Council representatives of
Good Samaritan Hospital.
What motivates you to be an advocate for nursing issues?
G.C.: I am in direct contact with patients, families and staff who experience the effects
of decisions made in the political arena. I think any of us in health care need to speak
out to legislators on behalf of our patients as well as the providers. We know how to
best provide patient care, and we can best choose how to maximize the utilization of the resources we need.
K.V.: The more I am involved in the Advocacy Council the more apparent it is that I can influence legislators to make
them aware how proposed bills apply to me as a bedside staff RN. I have the opportunity to educate them on nursing and
healthcare issues.
What is one valuable experience you have had since joining the Nurse Advocacy Council?
G.C.: I have found the education regarding how the political system works, such as how bills actually get passed, extremely
valuable. I also witnessed the impact that we as citizens, and especially as nurses, can make when we express our concerns
to our local politicians.
K.V.: I went with the council to Springfield to meet with legislators to educate them on the values of a patient acuity bill
and the detriments of a patient-nurse ratio bill. The patient acuity bill was passed and the patient-nurse ratio did not
and I believe our efforts had an impact.
What do you hope to bring back to the nurses at your hospital by serving on the Nurse Advocacy Council?
G.C.: I want to provide practical explanations to our nurses of what is being proposed by our legislators. Sometimes
legislation is lengthy and difficult to understand, I want to make it relevant for our nurses.
K.V.: I want to educate nurses about the importance of getting involved in nursing and healthcare issues at the legislative
level. I want them to be comfortable contacting their legislators and to realize how important their voice is and the impact
they can have.
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Medical Mission
Making an impact for our patients
Good Samaritan Hospital launches helmet safety
campaign geared at teens.
Fourteen-year-old Eric Field has made more of an impact
from his critical care trauma bed this summer than many
of us make in a lifetime...
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Medical Mission
Making an impact for our patients
Good Samaritan Hospital launches helmet safety
campaign geared at teens.
Fourteen-year-old Eric Field has made more of an impact
from his critical care trauma bed this summer than many
of us make in a lifetime. After nearly losing his life in a
skateboarding accident on August 1st, Field’s story has
served as a vital reminder regarding the importance of
helmet safety.
"You don’t want to go through this. If
you’re not wearing your helmet, this
can happen to you," said Field’s mother,
Sharon Field. After watching her
youngest son struggle for life for more
than ten days, Field was glowing as she
described hearing her son’s voice for
the first time. "It was him, it was Eric—
I wasn’t sure I would ever hear him again."
"We’re fighting a real battle here," said Michael Iwanicki,
D.O., Director of Trauma Services at Good Samaritan
Hospital. "Any kid can log on to YouTube and watch videos
of this; of course it’s portrayed as fun and exciting. We’re
here to show the reality of what can happen. The bottom
line is that these accidents have life-changing ramifications."
In response to the increased volume of these cases in
their emergency department as well as the national trend
of extreme skateboarding activities, Good Samaritan
Hospital launched a comprehensive helmet safety
campaign geared at teens.
"From Vert to Street… brains need buckets" has resulted in
the distribution of hundreds of free helmets both on the
Good Samaritan Hospital campus and in the community.
In addition, teens treated in Good Samaritan Hospital’s
emergency department as a result of skateboarding
accidents are also offered complimentary helmets.
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Advocate Health Care’s 2006 Community Benefits Contribution
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Advocate Health Care’s 2006 Community Benefits Contribution
Charity care and other uncompensated
costs*: Care that is provided free,
subsidized or without full reimbursement
from Medicare, Medicaid or other
government-sponsored programs.
$224,121,000
Subsidized health services: Services that
respond to unique community needs,
such as neonatal intensive care and
behavioral health services; as well
as health screenings, immunization
programs, school-based health care and
other community outreach programs. $14,250,000
Hospital-based education: Education to
train physicians, nurses, radiology
technicians, physical therapists and
a host of other highly skilled health
care professionals. $44,471,000
Volunteer services: Services provided by
hospital workers who volunteer in their
communities and community members
who volunteer at hospitals. $2,913,000
Language-assistance services: Services,
such as translators, as well as signage,
forms, brochures, patient education
materials and other information in
languages other than English.$1,334,000
Donations: Contributions by hospitals
of meeting and clinic space, as well as
other assistance to community groups.
$8,944,000
Total Community Benefits Contribution**:
$296,033,000
* Includes unreimbursed costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs and bad debt.
** Includes unreimbursed costs of community benefits activities of Advocate’s eight hospitals, home health care operations, and other non-profit health care operations.
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For more information and a complete listing of local events, please call 1.800.3.ADVOCATE
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