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2021 Annual Report to Our Donors Scroll Down ↓

A Message from J.P. Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer, NorthShore University HealthSystem

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Access to Excellence: NorthShore Community Health Center

Community Health Center Offers New Hope

Anthony’s family came to the United States from Mexico when he was just 5 years old. He has struggled with mental illness most of his life but received care and medication through Illinois’ All Kids insurance program until he turned 18. When he lost this coverage, his family did not have the resources to continue his medication and therapy. Anthony digressed severely; he couldn’t leave his room or go to work. His mother, Teresa, was devastated and desperate to find him help. Fortunately, she found her way to the caring team at the NorthShore Community Health Center, where patients can access specialist psychiatric care. The Community Health Center’s volunteer psychiatrist and medical residents worked with Anthony, then 22 years old, to create a personal treatment plan for getting him stable so he could return to work. Part of this effort involved advocating with a pharmaceutical company to have the costs of his very effective—but very expensive—schizophrenia medication, underwritten. Their efforts were successful, and Anthony now visits the Community Health Center monthly for an injection that keeps his symptoms at bay. Every time they see him, the team reflects on the incredible difference from Anthony’s first visit, where he was completely withdrawn, to today, where he’s energetic and has a positive outlook. Anthony is now back to work and can plan for his future. His family couldn’t be more grateful.

Assistance Fund

The Kellogg Cancer Center Patient Assistance Fund provided 100 cancer patients a total of $355,000 to help pay for everyday expenses. This reduces stress for patients and families so they can focus on what really matters—fighting their disease.

A Predictive Model to SAVE MOMS

This past year, The Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem’s American Craft Exposition (ACE) focused on funding SAVE MOMS, an innovative maternal health program at NorthShore. The call for support was met with unwavering generosity! $425,000 was raised for SAVE MOMS despite having no in-person ACE event for the past two years due to COVID-19.

SAVE MOMS uses NorthShore’s electronic health record to continuously track maternal health, alerting the healthcare team of possible problems before, during and after delivery to avoid serious complications through timely intervention. Each year, more than 50,000 women in the United States experience the most severe complications of pregnancy, and up to 75% of maternal deaths in Illinois are thought to be potentially preventable.

The SAVE MOMS program has made significant progress despite constraints and challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are just some of our accomplishments:

  • Built a data set of all delivery admissions for the past eight years (N= 36,600 women) and identified and coded all severe maternal morbidities during that time frame.
  • Created a highly predictive model that incorporates patient characteristics and real-time variables, such as vital signs and lab values, to identify patients at risk for complications during their delivery admission.
  • Created clinical pathways that will be triggered when a patient is found to be at high risk for a complication.
  • Hired a Research/Quality Nurse to work with nurse and physician leadership and education teams to implement our SAVE MOMS program.
  • Partnered with our newly hired hospitalists—five master clinicians who oversee our obstetric service 24/7—who will be integral to the success of SAVE MOMS.
“We are so pleased with our progress on SAVE MOMS. Thanks to the generous support from The Auxiliary, we’ve developed a highly predictive model that uses real-time data to identify moms who have the greatest risk for severe complications during their delivery admission. Our next step is to validate the model ‘behind the scenes’ for all our obstetric patients. Once deployed, the model will identify someone at high risk for a complication and automatically fire an alert. We are very excited to continue this important work.”

—Beth Plunkett, MD, MPH, Director Northshore Research OB/GYN Maternal-Fetal Medicine

The Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem—2021

Nursing Scholarships

Scholarships supported 49 team members in pursuit of their associate, bachelor's and master’s degrees. The total $198,000 awarded will help care providers become nurses or advance their nursing education.

Additionally, The Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem awarded six area high school students $5,000 each toward a career in nursing. The scholarships are open to high school seniors in the NorthShore service area who show exemplary academic achievement and community involvement on their way to pursuing a career in nursing.

Here are this year's awardees:

  • Adaly Jimenez of Waukegan High School was awarded the Dr. Janardan and Amita Khandekar Nursing Scholarship. She will be attending the University of Michigan.
  • Erin Hamann of Adlai E. Stevenson High School was awarded the Whitehall of Deerfield Nursing Scholarship. She will be attending the University of Michigan
  • Alyson Ludden of Loyola Academy was awarded the Dr. Ron and Nancy T. Semerdjian Nursing Scholarship. She will be attending Villanova University
  • Stefanie Mosele of Hoffman Estates High School was awarded The Auxiliary of NorthShore Nursing Scholarship. She will be attending Loyola University Chicago
  • Katherine Wenc of Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart was awarded the Diane Newman and Nancy T. Semerdjian Nursing Scholarship. She will be attending Duquesne University
  • Ginger Mirabelli of Lake Zurich High School was awarded The Auxiliary of NorthShore Nursing Scholarship. She will be attending Saint Louis University

Investing in Positive Cultural Change

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NorthShore

NorthShore’s ability to care for the communities we serve depends on understanding perspectives of people from all backgrounds. Building a culture that delivers through diversity is integral to best fulfilling our mission to preserve and improve human life, whether patient or team member.

In September of 2020, the NorthShore Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Group and Health Equity Impact Team (HEIT) were formed to take a deeper look inward to assess where NorthShore can improve in this crucial area. Acting on the recommendations of these groups, NorthShore committed to accelerating the following to all NorthShore patients, communities and team members.

  • Opportunity: We are becoming a better reflection of the world we live in, investing in community partnerships and leadership development to enhance diversity across NorthShore.
  • Inclusion: The ability to be our authentic selves impacts our life, health and happiness. NorthShore is making this a place where all team members and patients feel they belong.
  • Health equity: We are addressing disparities in health and wellbeing, advancing access to care and patient outcomes across all the communities we serve.

Click here to learn more and meet the leaders of the NorthShore Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey.

In February of 2021, the Foundation formed its own DEI Committee to make DEI a dynamic and natural part of all philanthropic operations at NorthShore. In the past year, the following actions were taken as the next steps in this ongoing journey:

  • Accessibility: Continued our focus on accessibility for events, added virtual event captions (when possible) and provided post-event transcriptions.
  • Inclusive messaging: Developed an internal “Inclusive Messaging Guide” designed to help us think about the power of our words and deepen our knowledge of the diversity of cultures in our communities and their preferred terms/language (e.g., ways of talking about disability, gender and inequality). The guide will evolve as we learn more.
  • Health equity and access: Deepened our relationship with NorthShore’s Community Health Center, raising $87,000 for their work in health equity and access.

The Foundation is dedicated to incorporating DEI into its core values, continuing to evaluate who is being served and whose stories are being told. There is much more to be done as we look to a future that is more diverse, equitable and inclusive for all.

Lorraine G. Scott—A Life Well Lived

NorthShore Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of The Lorraine G. Scott Fund honoring James C. Kudrna, MD, PhD, former Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery. This fund underscores NorthShore Orthopaedic & Spine Institute’s leadership in innovative treatment, research and education—and the critical role philanthropy can play in improving health outcomes.

The transformative gift from Lorraine’s estate recognizes Dr. Kudrna’s compassion and expertise. She and Dr. Kudrna shared a longstanding patient-physician relationship, which began during the early years of Lorraine’s marriage to Jim Scott, who required ongoing orthopaedic care. Lorraine searched for and found excellent care with Dr. Kudrna. His expertise vastly improved Jim’s mobility and comfort, and the three became longtime friends. After Jim’s passing in 2011, Lorraine made a bequest to honor Dr. Kudrna for his exceptional care.

“We at the NorthShore Orthopaedic & Spine Institute are deeply gratified to be the recipients of Lorraine Scott’s extraordinary generosity and kindness. Lorraine’s transformational philanthropy will enable us to achieve new heights of innovation and excellence.”

—Jason Koh, MD, MBA, Mark R. Neaman Family Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director, Orthopaedic & Spine Institute

Prior to her passing in 2020, Lorraine donated generously each year. Added to her previous giving, the $3 million estate gift will help further advance treatment and education, and allow NorthShore orthopaedic surgeons to develop and refine leading-edge treatments and innovative learning in joint pain and mobility. Lorraine’s remarkable giving legacy at NorthShore spanned more than four decades.

Lorraine hoped to inspire others to give to NorthShore to help transform how we deliver care. Her legacy of giving at NorthShore and elsewhere will transform lives. Hers was truly a life well lived.

Pictured in Photo—Longtime friends Dr. James Kudrna and philanthropist Lorraine Scott

Keeping Families Connected: ISCU Cameras

Thanks to the volunteer fundraising efforts of The Associate Board of NorthShore, the Henrietta Johnson Louis Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU) was able to purchase 16 NICVIEW cameras, which enable parents with babies in the ISCU to watch their children from their smartphone, tablet or computer. The cameras have been an especially timely benefit when family visitation has been restricted due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Maria, whose premature firstborn son William spent time in the ISCU, said, “I really jumped at the chance—not just for myself, but for my mom and my mother-in-law, who had only seen him in photos and videos we sent.” Since 2013, The Associate Board has raised over $1 million to benefit neonatal projects at the ISCU and the Department of Pediatrics at NorthShore Evanston Hospital.

The Associate Board of NorthShore University HealthSystem—2021

The Highest Academic Honor in Medicine—A Lasting Legacy

Since the first permanent endowed fund was established at Evanston Hospital in 1900 through a philanthropic gift of $100, NorthShore has received many generous gifts designed to provide critical funding for years to come. Today, NorthShore’s endowment—collectively known as the Second Century Fund—continues to recognize faculty members for excellence in medical research and patient care. Endowed chairs, in particular, offer donors an opportunity to improve patient care by investing in scholarly resources and scientific efforts, like our groundbreaking research. Gifts also help us retain and recruit exceptionally talented clinicians, scientists and educators. Being appointed to an endowed chair is the most prestigious acknowledgment of an individual’s work, and the donor’s generosity and intent are recognized in perpetuity.

This year, NorthShore established three new endowed chairs, bringing the total to 39. The Selma and Emanuel G. Carton Chair of Neurology, the Owen L. Coon Chair of Integrative Medicine and the Ian Bernard Horowitz Chair of Obstetrics were made possible through the foresight, compassion and generosity of Selma Carton, the Owen L. Coon Foundation, and Frank and Pam Horowitz, respectively. The inaugural chair holders, respectively, are Steven L. Myers, MD, Vice Chair of Quality and Informatics in the Department of Neurology; Leslie Mendoza Temple, MD, ABOIM, Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine Program; and Ann E.B. Borders, MD, MSc, MPH, Executive Director and Obstetric Lead for the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Each of these physicians holds an academic appointment at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Endowed Chairs

Donor Bill of Rights

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is integral to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, NorthShore University HealthSystem Foundation declares that all donors have these rights:

  1. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
  2. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
  3. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
  4. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
  5. To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
  6. To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
  7. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
  8. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
  9. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
  10. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

I hope that you are as inspired as I am by the health outcomes made possible by the generous spirit and actions of each and every one of our donor partners. Our supporters have made such a positive difference in the lives of so many individuals and families in our community over the course of the past year.

The mission of NorthShore, to preserve and improve human life, is truly powered by giving. There are always meaningful opportunities to make a difference with philanthropy at NorthShore. Our foundation website is a place where you can hopefully find inspiration as you read through the ways funding is improving the health of our community. We invite you to share your own story. Whether it’s why you give or how giving has impacted your life, we’d love to hear from you. Just click on “Share Your Own Story.” Thank you for your support.

Your philanthropic partnership is always appreciated and never assumed. Together, we will make a difference.

—Murray T. Ancell, MS, CFRE, Executive Director, NorthShore Foundation