Ponderosa owners donate more than expected to St. Anthony Capital Campaign

CROWN POINT - Ponderosa Steakhouse, 1498 N. Main St., is serving a pleasant surprise to the Saint Anthony Medical Center Capital Campaign, following a fund-raiser the restaurant conducted on the campaign’s behalf July 29.

Owners Jimmie Sue and Gerald Farmer will donate $2,520.06 to the campaign, which is more than 70 percent of the $3,533.66 in receipts the restaurant realized that day. The campaign was expecting 50 percent of the proceeds, the agreed amount.

“We planned on donating $2,500 all along,” Jimmie Sue said. “We love Saint Anthony and its people. So many people that day talked about the hospital. I’ve never heard a bad word about it.” Asked why they decided to far exceed the 50 percent proceed amount, she replied, “God gives back.”

The campaign, which is receiving matching funds from a private donor, seeks to raise $4.5 million by the end of 2010 to fund construction of a new complex to house the hospital’s St. Clare Health Clinic and the Pre-Natal Assistance program, both of which provide free services to underprivileged Northwest Indiana residents. So far, about $2 million, including the match, has been raised.

The Farmers followed the lead of Circle Restaurant and Bar, 110 S. Court St., and Conservative Café, 201 N. Main St., which earlier this year donated half, or more, of a day’s proceeds to the campaign.

Warren Johnson, director of development for Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region, Saint Anthony Medical Center’s parent, praised the Farmers’ generosity.
“We are so appreciative and surprised that in stressful economic times for many businesses, the Farmers chose to donate well beyond our expectations to show their faith in us and to do all they can to help build a new St. Clare Health Clinic to expand its life-saving work and help teach local families how to live longer, healthier lives.”

The Capital Campaign has not been the only recipient of the Farmers’ generosity in the last year.
They also have distributed some 40,400 free meal passes (worth about $10 each) to help Lake and Porter county residents cope with the economic downturn.

“The community has been so good to us; we just want to give back,” Jimmie Sue said. The Farmers have owned the restaurant since 2002.

Prenatal Assistance program moves to temporary location

CROWN POINT - Saint Anthony Medical Center’s Prenatal Assistance Program is temporarily relocating, effective Aug. 4.

The program, previously offered at the former Crown Point Clinic, 1121 S. Indiana Ave., will be housed at Saint Anthony-North Point, 2050 N. Main St.

The move is taking place in anticipation of plans to build a new, permanent location for the Prenatal Assistance program, and for the St. Clare Health Clinic, on the Indiana Avenue site.

The prenatal program, which has been offered by Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region since 2002, provides free assistance for expectant Northwest Indiana mothers who have limited family income.

Services include:
* Free pregnancy testing.
* Referral and assistance with accessing community and hospital resources.
* Nutritional and pregnancy-related education.
* Regular and supportive contacts during pregnancy.
* Mother and infant care teaching after delivery.
* A clothing closet for expectant mother and baby needs.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. For more information, call (219) 663-5349.

WorkingWell expands at Saint Anthony

CROWN POINT - The Occupational Health program at Saint Anthony Medical Center is working well, in more ways than one.

WorkingWell is the title of the program, which also serves Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region sites in Michigan City, Hammond, Valparaiso and Munster. The Saint Anthony Medical Center program is working so well it is relocating effective July 27 to larger quarters at Franciscan Point, the medical center’s new outpatient complex, where it will offer clients more convenience and serve to consolidate with other services offered there.

"In the four-plus years WorkingWell has been offered, we have moved or remodeled every location. The Saint Anthony Memorial (Michigan City) site, which is the headquarters, is the only one that hasn’t moved,” said Tim Ross, SSFHS regional director of Occupational/Employee Health.

WorkingWell is the brainchild of Gene Diamond, regional CEO, who launched the effort in 2005.
The program has more than 3,000 clients, among them municipalities, health care facilities, nursing homes, county government agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, steel, manufacturing, construction and utility companies.

Ross said the number of clients has increased 20 to 30 percent since 2005.
“Much of it can be attributed to educating companies about what occupational health can do for them. Customer service also is key; our surveys show a satisfaction rate of 95 percent,” he added.
Some 45 employees, among them seven doctors and two nurse practitioners, serve WorkingWell clients.

Services include:
* Physicals, including Department of Transportation, sports, executive, pre-placement and independent medical exams.
* Functional evaluations.
* Fit testing (respirator).
* Drug and alcohol screenings and substance abuse referrals.
* Spirometry (lung testing).
* Audiograms (hearing exams).
* Blood panels.
* PPD (tuberculosis) testing.
WorkingWell also will come to clients and provide many of those services and more, including:
* Bone density screenings.
* Pulmonary function tests.
* Health fairs and educational programs.
* CPR and first-aid training.

WorkingWell also offers Health Injury Prevention and Travel Medicine programs.
Earlier this year, WorkingWell became the first such program in the state to receive (three-year) certification from the National Association of Occupational Health Professions group.
“The program’s total health management focus is the health care management system of the future for business and industry. WorkingWell is exceptional in all areas,” said Donna Lee Gardner, who evaluated the program for NAOHP.

Karen Wallisch, School City of Hammond chief administrator for business services, sums up the feelings of the majority of WorkingWell clients.
“WorkingWell has provided the School City of Hammond with excellent medical and health services for several years. They are our Workers Comp ‘go-to’ facility and provide our employees with excellent care when they are injured on the job. I would recommend WorkingWell to any employer who is interested in providing outstanding occupational health services to employees,” Wallisch said.

The new Crown Point location will be Suite A 204 at Franciscan Point, 12800 Mississippi Parkway (along U.S. 231, about one-half mile east of Interstate 65. Scheduled hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 to 4:30 p.m. Fridays. For more information, call (219) 662-5500.

For more information on WorkingWell’s other locations or services, call (866) 552-9355 or visit www.WorkingWellsite.org.

"Hospitalist" program begins at Saint Anthony Medical Center

Medical Center-based physicians help streamline care and efficiency


CROWN POINT - What is billed as medicine’s fastest-growing specialty is taking root at Saint Anthony Medical Center.

Dr. Shoaib Rasheed, who is board-certified in internal medicine, has been hired to lead a staff of “hospitalists,’’ hospital-based doctors who are available to provide care for patients -- in lieu of primary physicians -- during their stay. The program, which is optional for those physicians, aims to streamline cost and service efficiency for hospitals and doctors and to provide patients increased care and attention.

Rasheed became a hospitalist (a termed coined in a New England Journal of Medicine article in 1996) in 2003. He received his doctor of medicine degree in Pakistan in 1990 and comes to Saint Anthony from a hospitalist program in Kansas City.

“We work as a team with the primary physician, if they choose to participate, and patients and their families, to provide the best care. Since we are always at the hospital and don’t have to make office calls, we can take more time with patients. Physicians can spend more time with patients at their offices and not have to worry about going back and forth to the hospital,” he said.

There were about 1,000 hospitalists nationwide in 1996, with projections of 30,000 next year.

Dr. John King, Saint Anthony Medical Center vice president of medical affairs, and Rasheed, say the program will be up to speed as soon as a sufficient number of hospitalists is hired. The goal is to have four and to further expand the program, depending on what King called, “supply and demand.” King said that in 1998, he explored the possibility of implementing the program, but found little interest from doctors.

“It went to the back burner for a while. Physicians then began to learn more about it and the idea became more active about a year ago. We surveyed the medical staff and 75 percent of those who responded said they favored the program,” King said.

As with any new plan, there are challenges, Rasheed and King agreed. Hospitalist patients sometimes express concern about why their regular doctor isn’t on hand.

”Some people have trouble at first with not having their doctor there, but once they get the good care, they don’t have a problem. We explain to them who we are and what we do,” Rasheed said, adding, “When they are released, they return to the care of their primary physician.”

King said hospitalists are “the captain of the ship” when patients are under their care, but cooperation at all levels is key.

“The hospitalist acts as the leader for a patient’s treatment. He checks and coordinates with physicians and specialists and takes care of patients as appropriate. Our goal is to include everybody and work as a team.”

Franciscan Physicians Hospital, Go Red Event - July 30

Munster will Go Red to help prevent heart disease


MUNSTER - Franciscan Physicians Hospital is seeing red in its fight against heart disease and is urging the community to do the same. The hospital and the American Heart Association will lead the charge on July 30 when they host a Go Red for Women in Munster program to help better equip the public in the battle against the No. 1 killer of Americans and the leading cause of death of women aged 25 and older.

The program will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Franciscan Physicians Hospital, 701 Superior Ave.

The AHA says 500,000 women annually die from cardiovascular disease, which also is the No. 1 birth defect in newborns and the primary cause of stroke and long-term disability.
“Our goal is to make women aware of the startling statistics and to have them embrace heart health before it is too late,” the AHA says. Go Red efforts were launched by the AHA in 2000.

During the Munster event, Dr. Hilton Hudson will discuss causes and prevention of heart disease and answer questions from noon to 12:30 p.m. A hospital patient and her husband will be on hand to share her story of an open heart valve replacement procedure.
Educational pieces will be available, as will giveaways, including red nail polish, cookbooks, lipstick, t-shirts and more; including refreshments and a “special treat” for those who wear red clothing.

Besides the public, Munster officials, physicians and representatives from throughout Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region, which, besides Franciscan Physicians Hospital, includes Saint Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point, Saint Anthony Memorial in Michigan City and St. Margaret Mercy Hospitals in Dyer and in Hammond, will be in attendance.
The news media likewise is invited. “This is an opportunity to educate our community about heart and vascular disease and share valuable experience that may save lives in the future. We anticipate a good turnout,” said hospital President Barbara Greene.

Call Tracey Franovich at (219) 922-4200 for more information on the event. Visit www.americanheart.org to learn more about heart disease.

SAMC added to Ponderosa restaurant's menu of giving

A steady serving of charity


CROWN POINT - There appears no end to the generosity of Jimmie Sue and Gerald Farmer, owners of Ponderosa steak house, 1498 N. Main St. It isn’t enough that they have spent most of the last year donating 40,000-plus free meal passes (worth about $10 each) to help area residents cope with the economic slowdown. Now, they are joining with Saint Anthony Medical Center in another cause to benefit the less fortunate.

The Farmers, who have owned the restaurant since 2002, will donate half of July 29’s proceeds (hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) to the Saint Anthony Medical Center Capital Campaign, which seeks to raise $4.5 million by the end of 2010.

The money will be used to build a new, larger complex to house the medical center’s St. Clare Health Clinic and Pre-Natal Assistance program, both of which provide free services for qualified Northwest Indiana residents.

So far, nearly $2 million, which includes matching funds from a private donor, has been raised since the campaign drive began early last year.
“A lot of people need help right now and St. Clare has helped a lot of people,” Jimmie Sue said. “I think people these days need hope. We want them to know we care, and that care is right around the corner.”

The Farmers are following the lead of Circle Restaurant and Bar, 110 S. Court St., and Conservative Café, 201 N. Main St., which earlier this year donated half, or more, of a days’ proceeds to the cause.

Warren Johnson, director of development for Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region, applauds the owners of Ponderosa, Circle Restaurant and Bar and Conservative Café. “In our stressed economy, we are looking for ways to reach out to the Crown Point business community to not only raise much-needed funds for our Capital Campaign, but to build lasting relationships that support local businesses,” Johnson said.

Saint Anthony Medical Center Capital Campaign gains momentum

‘Philanthropy is contagious’

CROWN POINT - Kathleen Mueller has sometimes tearful, but loving memories of days spent at Saint Anthony Medical Center with injured and ill family members since 1978.

Mueller, of Hebron, says she never will forget the concern and compassion shown by hospital and hospice staff during that time. “I have a long connection with the hospital and have experienced every service and level of care. Saint Anthony is just a very good place; at every turn you find people who care,” Mueller says.

Mueller has decided to give back in a way that will show her appreciation and help future patients by donating $1,000 to the hospital’s Capital Campaign, which seeks to raise $4.5 million by the end of 2010. A family friend, Scott Alderson, a former Gary resident now living in Virginia, also is contributing $1,000, at Mueller’s urging.

Alderson is donating the money, raised at a golf outing, in memory of Mueller’s late husband, Donald. Alderson played high school baseball for Donald, who coached the sport in Northwest Indiana for 45 years. Mueller is donating on behalf of her husband, her late mother, and her son, who also received “wonderful” care at Saint Anthony Medical Center.

The funds, which are being matched by a private donor, will be used to build a new St. Clare Health Clinic, which will expand its free services to uninsured residents of six area counties, and to support the addition of new technology and further development of Franciscan Point, Saint Anthony Medical Center’s new outpatient complex.
So far, nearly $2 million, which includes the match, has been raised since the drive began in early 2008.

Mueller’s most recent experience involved Donald, her husband of 46 years, who succumbed to cancer in April after spending six months in and out of the hospital.
“Don spent 13 of his last 17 days at Saint Anthony Medical Center and his last 30 hours in Saint Anthony Hospice. I have never seen people who do so much for their patients and families – I got as good of care as they did,” Mueller relates.
She calls the Capital Campaign, “a good thing for Crown Point and the area communities.”

Joseph Allegretti, campaign chairman, said the latest contributions show that “philanthropy is contagious,” citing previous events this year at The Circle Restaurant and Conservative Café. Each restaurant donated one-half or more of its proceeds from a given day. The same-type event is scheduled July 29 at Ponderosa steak house, 1498 N. Main St.

“It is wonderful that a lady who thought her family received such good care would donate, along with a man who had been coached by her husband and thought that if she donated, he would. It’s good to see that this generosity is catching,” Allegretti said.

Warren Johnson, director of development for Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region, agreed. “It is a gift that provides solid bricks and mortar to build a stronger future, not only for the hospital and St. Clare Health Clinic, but also for the best in health care for our community.”