Saint Michael's Foundation 2011 Annual Report - Ministry Health Care

John
enny
John Paul
John is a typical 10-year-old boy. He loves Doritos, his family, and television,
but strongly dislikes the family cat. His anxiety from a previous bad
dental experience, coupled with his eidetic memory, which gives John the
ability to recall images, sounds, or objects with extreme precision, meant
his mother struggled to get him to the dentist for years. Then they were
introduced to the staff at Ministry Dental Clinic. His mother, Lesley,
recounted his visit to Ministry Dental Clinic this summer: “I cannot thank
John’s dental team enough. They were phenomenal and so attentive to all
his needs. It was truly amazing that they were able to coordinate everything
for us so that we were able to get John’s dental exam, X-rays and
sealants all done during one exam. They are an unbelievable team!”
In May 2010, Kenny and his wife, Liz, visited the doctor because Kenny had
been having stomach pain. The news wasn’t good – it was inoperable stomach
cancer. Liz had read about hospice and knew it was a service that allowed
people to stay at home and receive the care and support they needed to have
a good quality of life when there was no longer a cure. She asked about
hospice for Kenny, and their doctor helped them make that connection.
Throughout their care, the Ministry Hospice team coached and assisted both
Kenny and Liz so they could continue to have the quality of life they wanted in
the comfort of their home. Two months later, Kenny died, peacefully
surrounded by Liz and his family. His stepdaughter wrote, “I thank Hospice for
allowing my mom and Kenny the opportunity to spend their last months
together in their own home, living life the way they always had.”
Cheryl
Nine years ago, Cheryl suffered a major
heart attack. Luckily, Cheryl survived the
heart attack but was left to navigate several
prescriptions to help aide her recovery
following her hospital stay. Due to several
challenging life situations, Cheryl was
unable to afford all the expensive prescriptions
she was prescribed, so she felt very
fortunate to have Ministry Saint Michael’s
Medication Assistance Program (MAP)
assist her.
“It was a life saver. The MAP staff treated
me with respect, just like I was family.
I couldn’t believe it,” said Cheryl.
Unfortunately, her difficult journey
continued. In April 2011, Cheryl was
diagnosed with cancer and again had to
face the reality of having to pay for
expensive prescriptions she was unable to
afford. “Because of the Medication Cost
Relief program, I didn’t have to suffer in
pain while waiting for my prescriptions. I
seriously do not know what I would do
without them. They literally saved my life.”
Medication Assistance Program (MAP) Team (L-R):
Nicole Rineck, program coordinator; Christina Krueger,
Medication Assistance Program specialist; and
Karen Kewer, patient financial counselor.
Sid Ellenbecker, pharmacist, is not pictured.
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