Giving News from Mercy Health Foundation

"The act of philanthropy is a spiritual act, an expression of caring for one's fellow human beings. It is a belief in the future, that the future can be good. It is investing in that future. It is helping to make the dream come true."

Arthur C. Frantzreb

In This Issue -April/May 2010

Partners for Health

TCCDC

Vounteers Team-up

Mercy #1

IRA Conversion

Partners for Health Off to a Great Start

$229,775 (4/22/10) was raised for priority heart, vascular and cancer care projects at Mercy Medical Center and community health programs during the first annual Partners for Health luncheon held April 20. 158 friends of Mercy Health Foundation, old and new, heard moving stories from individuals who credit Mercy with saving their lives and from health care professionals who know first-hand how critical the right technology to provide the right care is when life hangs in the balance.

As stroke survivor Dick Norton explained, "In the Emergency Room at Mercy they did tests, called the appropriate doctors. I was diagnosed very quickly and prepped for a procedure to break up the blood clot in my brain. A stroke was the last thing that I or anyone who knew me ever expected. The speed, skill and wisdom of the next hour saved me and allowed me to return to a productive life. I drive, I am running again and I function well."

Jim and Jay Nerenhausen of Nercon Engineering and Manufacturing encouraged their fellow donors to give generously by providing a matching gift of $125,000 to double the impact of every dollar donated. Radiology Associates of the Fox Valley kicked off the matching by announcing a gift of $25,000 at the event. Pledges are still coming into Mercy Health Foundation to fully complete the match.

Each donor who pledged $1,000 or more for five years automatically becomes a member of the new Partners for Health giving society and will receive special recognition on the donor wall at Mercy Medical Center and in Mercy Health Foundation publications.

Tri County Community Dental Clinic Fills Gap

Dental Assitant Samantha Czarnick with patient Steve Kowalkowski at the TCCDC.

The volunteer dentists and hygienists at the Tri County Community Dental Clinic see 32 patients on an average day, a third or more of them emergencies. In 2009, visits totaled 6,861, a 14 percent increase over the previous year. About 1,100 were by individuals who live in Oshkosh, Omro and Winneconne whose care is subsidized by an annual grant of $25,000 from Mercy Health Foundation.

The TCCDC was established in 2003 and relies on volunteer dentists, hygienists, Marquette dental students and Fox Valley Technical College dental assistant students to provide care to low income residents of Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet Counties. It is the only dental clinic in the nation where the dentists are all volunteers. Last year, 9,313 volunteer hours were donated. The TCCDC accepts Medicaid and others pay what they can on a sliding fee scale. There are an estimated 60,000 residents in the three counties who would qualify for services at the TCCDC.

The TCCDC implemented a new Focus on Children program in 2009 to provide oral health education and check-ups to prevent serious oral health conditions. Phase I started in all 14 Oshkosh elementary schools last fall. Nearly 400 children were screened in their schools with 36 receiving follow-up restorative treatment at TCCDC and 21 treated as "in-hospital" patients.

For more information about the TCCDC, click here.

Volunteers Team-Up for Cancer Patients.

Long-time Mercy Health Foundation friend, Sally Eichstadt (left), with her husband Harold and son Jim, recently toured the Michael D. Wachtel Cancer Center and visited the Mercy volunteer work room with Vicki Schorse to see the finished patient lap blankets she makes possible. Sally crochets quilt squares by the hundreds at home which are then delivered to a team of fellow Mercy volunteers who hand sew the squares together. The finished light-weight but warm lap STAT Header

blankets are distributed to cancer center, dialysis or Subacute Unit patients at Mercy. "We try to share the wealth," volunteer, Marian Emerson, said. "They are made with love."

Each blanket takes about 12 hours to complete and the volunteer team has finished about 25 so far. They also sew other items such as icepack covers and arm sleeves for dialysis patients. Team members pictured in the photo to the right are Bev Edwards (left, front), Sheri Carlson (holding a blanket), Marian, Bev Ruedinger (left, back), Diana Borski and June Backus.

Mercy #1 in Wisconsin for Orthopedics

HealthGrades recently recognized Mercy Medical Center as the #1 ranked hospital in Wisconsin for orthopedics for the fourth consecutive year. Outcome measures over a three-year period for total hip and knee replacement, back and neck surgery, and hip fracture repair are considered for this recognition using information reported to Medicare for analysis and review.

The #1 ranking for Wisconsin also places Mercy in the top 5 percent of hospitals in the nation for orthopedics.

Roth IRA Conversion Update

STAT Header

The federal legislation that allows conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA without income restrictions was adopted in Wisconsin on March 15, 2010. This eliminates a distribution penalty of 3.33 percent to the state for anyone under 59 1/2 and not retired who wants to do a conversion. A 2 percent penalty for making a non-qualified contribution to a

Roth IRA was also eliminated through the new legislation.

Additionally, individuals who complete the conversion in 2010 may choose to spread the Wisconsin income tax owed over 2011 and 2012 instead of paying it immediately. This is good news for Wisconsin residents who wish to take advantage of this opportunity to reduce their tax burden in retirement.

Want to save on Roth IRA conversion taxes? Making a charitable gift to Mercy Health Foundation from an IRA can reduce your overall tax, so plan carefully. Check with your financial advisor or contact Vicki Schorse at (920) 223-0520 for more information.

Discover Mercy Dates

MMC Interior