Partners Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2021

Partners N E WS F R O M L MH HE A LTH F O U NDATI ON

Fall/Winter 2021

Mario’s Closet now offers afro-textured wigs Mario’s Closet at LMH Health now offers afro-textured wigs for women of color or any woman with textured hair experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment. These wigs were funded in part by The Mario V. Chalmers Foundation. The foundation donated $25,000 to the hospital in 2010 to create the specialty shop, which offers a variety of accessories for cancer patients.

The Mario V. Chalmers Foundation continues to provide donations to Mario’s Closet, and this year’s gift focuses on health equity. The wigs come from Coils to Locs®, a supplier of afro-textured synthetic wig styles.

Gail and Kevan Vick with their grandchildren

PHOTO COURTESY THE VICK FAMILY

Exceptional cancer care, close to home: Gail Vick’s story My story began with a routine mammogram, followed by a sonogram, a Mammotome biopsy and an evening call from Dr. Chad Tate, an LMH Health surgeon. You know when they save your call for the end of the day that the news is not good.

I can’t say that I was really surprised. I have lived quite a charmed life, and it was probably my turn for a little adversity. I certainly wasn’t happy about the news, but in the grand scheme of things, it could have been much worse.

The tumor was very small, and we had discovered it early. It seemed likely that we could get by with a lumpectomy and go directly to radiation.

There was only around a five percent chance that cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, but we wouldn’t know for sure until Dr. Tate removed the closest lymph node during surgery and had pathology take a look.

Someone has to be in that five percent, and this time it was me.

So I had 20 weeks of chemo and then six weeks of radiation.

I never really considered treatment anywhere else. I will admit that my husband was worried. Neither of us had ever had any kind of serious illness before, and he would get concerned and suggest that perhaps we should go to MD Anderson or Sloan Kettering. I would just look at him and say, “There is no way I want to be living in some hotel room and dealing with strangers.”

—continued inside

The wigs are sold in Mario’s Closet, located inside the LMH Health main campus, at regular cost. For those in need and who qualify for assistance, funding for the wigs is available through the LMH Health Foundation.

“It’s important to have wigs that represent the diverse hair textures of the patients we serve,” said Allyson Leland, volunteer services director at LMH Health. “We believe that having this option in Mario’s Closet will help advance health equity in our community.”

Mario’s Closet is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, or call 785-505-3144 to schedule an appointment.

PHOTO © COILS TO LOCS®

Expanding and updating our world-class cancer center Dear partners,

2021 B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S Becki Dick president

Mark Gonzales vice president

Cathy Shenoy treasurer

Gail Vick

Rebecca Smith

s e c r e ta r y

Jason Hoover

As you may have read, we are in the midst of fundraising for the expansion and renovation of the LMH Health Cancer Center. Our center has grown to provide approximately 16,000 patient encounters per year and serves as a regional destination for exceptional cancer care. We have added and enhanced a number of patient-centered services including genetic testing, survivorship, social work, financial counseling and more.

Yet, we are operating in the same space we opened with in 2000.

pa s t p r e s i d e n t

Our goal is to nearly double the space while remaining at the hospital’s Maine Street campus. The Cancer Center recently earned official accreditation from the Commission on Cancer. Of the 124 hospitals in the state of Kansas, only 11 have this prestigious level of accreditation, and it speaks to the high level of care we provide. Now, we need a facility that reflects the quality of care provided therein.

Jane Blocher Daryl Craft Lindy Eakin Barb Heeb Ernesto Hodison Joe Hurla

As a not-for-profit, safety-net community hospital that treats all who come in need — regardless of ability to pay — philanthropic support will play a vital role in turning this vision into a reality.

Dr. Walter Ingram Russ Johnson ex officio , lmh

health president and ceo

If you have already made a gift to support the LMH Health Cancer Center expansion and renovation, we thank you. If not, please consider helping.

Know that your gift will touch many lives for years to come.

Derek Kwan Danny Lewis Larry McElwain ex officio , lmh health

board of trustees

Devon Mihesuah Jan Pollard ex officio , lmh

In gratitude,

health volunteers

Dr. Luis Salazar Dan Schriner Livia Sexton

Rebecca Smith, Executive Director, LMH Health Foundation VP – Strategic Communications, LMH Health

Dr. Mike Thompson Jeff Weinberg GIVING OPTIONS (choose one) My check is enclosed, payable to LMH Health Foundation.

Cindy Yulich 316 Maine Street Lawrence, KS 66044

PA R T N E R S 316 Maine Street • Lawrence KS 66044 (785) 505-5005 Stories: Courtney Bernard LMH Health Foundation team: Amy Addington, Courtney Bernard, Erica Hill, Nicole Olson, Earl Reineman, Rebecca Smith, Becky Swearingen © 2021 LMH Health Foundation

GIFT INFORMATION I would like to make a gift of: $1,000 $500 $250 Other $ in support of LMH Health.

$100

Please use my gift where most needed.

I have included LMH Health in my estate plans.

Please bill my credit card: Card # Exp. date / CVV code Print name Signature Automatic monthly gift? Yes I prefer to give securely online: LMH.org/donate I have called (785) 505-5005 to make a gift.

Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Preferred email:

Phone number:

No

Generous donor support for a second heart catheterization lab at LMH Health The LMH Health Foundation team is thrilled to announce that we have met our fundraising goal of $1.3 million toward building a second lifesaving heart catheterization lab at LMH Health! Construction will likely begin in late 2022 or early 2023.

In early 2020, Sue and Dana Anderson made a $1 million challenge gift to the LMH Health Foundation in support of new patient-centered technology, including the second cath lab and surgical robotic technology.

The Andersons’ generous gift launched a $3 million fundraising campaign in support of these cutting-edge technologies.

Sadly, we lost Sue to leukemia in late February 2021, but her philanthropic Dana and Sue Anderson PHOTO © SCHAUMBERG PHOTOGRAPHY spirit continues to inspire us all.

“The LMH Health Foundation is excited to announce that we raised more than our $3 million goal in support of the second cath lab and surgical robotics,” said Rebecca Smith, executive director of the Foundation and VP of strategic communications for the hospital.

“We couldn’t have done it without the leadership and the vision provided to us by Sue and Dana, as well as the generosity of our donors.”

“This second heart cath lab is an important investment for our hospital and greater community,” Dana Anderson said. “It will enable more patients to be treated locally and lead to better outcomes. I am deeply grateful to our community members for stepping up to this critical initiative and achieving the goal. It’s important to keep our nonprofit hospital strong.”

Proceeds from the 2021 Penny Jones Open Golf Tournament went toward the second cath lab fundraising goal. Although we were unable to host the tournament on September 10 due to COVID-19, many businesses generously gifted their sponsorships toward this important cause.

Event Sponsor Commerce Bank Tee Sponsors P1 Group, Inc. Shield Casework Truity Credit Union Course Sponsorship Elixir Kearney and Son, Inc. Lockton Companies Pulse Design Group Cart Sponsorship Edmonds Duncan Advisors Green Sponsorship ACI Boland Inc. Alcove Health BKD, LLP Dobies Healthcare Group Emprise Bank Jayhawk IMG Sports Marketing Johnson Controls Laser Logic, Inc. McGrew Real Estate Professional Engineering Consultants, P.A. Radiologic Professional Services, P.A. The Trust Company of Kansas The Trust Company of Lawrence

“The second heart cath lab is an important investment. ...

It will enable more patients to be treated locally and lead to better outcomes. ” —Dana Anderson

Gail Vick’s story —continued I knew so many of the doctors and nurses that work at LMH Health on a personal level. I knew they were good people — and really good at what they do. I also knew that if they had unusual or difficult cases, they could consult with experts anywhere to get the resources they needed.

We have a convenient, first-rate oncology center right here.

The best thing about being treated at LMH is that you are treated like a person. Every staff member is caring and kind, and patients are treated with dignity and respect.

On your last day of treatment they gather and sing to you.

It was just so sweet and meaningful. Every time I heard them, I would tear up. If I knew someone who was considering going to LMH for cancer treatment, I would tell them not to hesitate. The people at LMH Health are dedicated, and they are the best!

Since my last treatment seven years ago, I have welcomed two new grandsons, cheered on my husband as he finished the New York City marathon, and celebrated with the Kansas City Royals as they won the World Series.

These seven years have allowed me to take a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier in New Zealand, snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, spend the night in a castle in Ireland and kiss my husband goodnight many more times.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the people within the LMH Health surgical, oncology, radiology, radiation oncology and pathology departments. Their kindness and expertise are unparalleled, and I was lucky to have them in my corner. Thank you, thank you, thank you for these seven years! I think I have spent them wisely. If I am lucky enough to get seven more, I will try to do the same.

—Gail Vick, LMH Health Foundation board member

If you’d like to support the LMH Health Cancer Center expansion and renovation project, please make a gift online at LMH.org/donate, call 785-505-5005, or mail a check to LMH Health Foundation at 316 Maine St, Lawrence, KS, 66044. For information about making a major gift or multi-year pledge in support of the Cancer Center expansion initiative, contact Earl Reineman at 785-505-3317 or earl.reineman@lmh.org.

Strategic clinical partnership update In August, LMH Health announced that it has invited the University of Kansas Health System (UKHS) to discuss a potential clinical relationship. Conversations, which are now underway, are aimed at increasing access to highly specialized care across the community hospital’s service area.

“More than 18 months ago, LMH Health convened our board members, providers and stakeholders to discuss how a strategic clinical relationship with a larger health system could benefit the patients and communities LMH Health serves,” said LMH Health President & CEO Russ Johnson. “In every decision we make, our patients are our most important stakeholders and our physicians are our most important advisors. Our goal in collaborating with UKHS is to increase patient access to exceptional specialty care locally, and we look forward to exploring the feasibility

of creating a formal agreement with UKHS in this realm.”

LMH Health defines a strategic clinical relationship as a collaborative commitment to shared success. Over the next several months, LMH Health administrators and providers will lead discussions with UKHS to determine if the systems can develop a committed relationship focused on clinical, strategic and operational improvements, while honoring the guardrails set by the LMH Health Board of Trustees — the most important of which is maintaining LMH Health’s independence.

“LMH Health is not for sale,” Johnson said. “We have created agreements with our providers that establish guardrails to protect our independence, clinical decisionmaking and charitable care mission while allowing us to increase access to exceptional clinical care locally.

Ultimately, our goal in collaborating

with UKHS is to advance a positive, high-quality and safe patient experience. We are at the outset of what will likely be a very lengthy process to determine feasibility.”

A current focus has been on a sports medicine partnership, with the introduction of Dr. Erik Henkleman into the community in a collaboration with OrthoKansas and the University of Kansas Health System.

Dr. Erik Henkelman recently completed his sports medicine fellowship through The University of Kansas Medical Center with clinical rotations at LMH Health. He joined The University of Kansas Physicians, and is part of this unique care collaboration relationship between LMH Health/OrthoKansas and The University of Kansas Health System/ Department of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine. This collaboration provides patient evaluation and treatment services at two locations in Lawrence.

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Over the past few years, LMH Health has expanded access to primary care in critical areas of our community.

East Heights Family Care, largely funded by private donations, opened in fall 2019 and benefits a previously underserved area.

“Access to healthcare services can have a significant influence on health outcomes,” said Rebecca Smith, LMH Health Our thanks to the key contributors Foundation for the LMH Health East Heights executive director Family Clinic: and LMH Health The estate of Sydney Garrett vice president Dan Schriner and Sally Hare-Schriner of strategic Eleanor Woodyard communications.

Val and Beth Stella “We knew the Mike and Linda Wildgen East Heights clinic Nancy Ezell was vital to the Larry and Jacqueline Gadt health of our Chuck and Karen Warner community, and we were thrilled to see our donors come together and move this project forward.”

Smith said that more than $291,000 of donor support funded clinic renovations and operations, ensuring LMH Health can provide an increased level of care in east Lawrence and the surrounding areas.

“We’re glad to bring primary care services such as access to well child care, vaccines, family planning services, acute care and telehealth to provide the care our community needs — where and when they need it,” said Dr. Ashley Bloom, a primary care physician at East Heights. “We’re proud to provide care to our east Lawrence neighbors, as well as patients from across Lawrence, Douglas County and surrounding areas.”

In summer 2020, LMH Health took another major step toward enhancing access to care by announcing an affiliation with First Med PA, a longtime medical clinic in the Lawrence community. The new location on South Iowa Street, in front of Target, allows First Med and LMH Health to provide convenient family practice and walk-in services to yet another medically underserved area.

“We chose the location on South Iowa because there is a gap in primary care in that area,” said Jared Abel,

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vice president of strategy and clinic operations at LMH Health. “That area continues to grow and it is important for LMH Health to ensure local care for that part of the community.”

Most recently, LMH Health announced its affiliation with Free State Family Medicine, formerly known as Lawrence Family Medicine & Obstetrics. Providers officially joined LMH Health on Sept. 1 and will relocate to the LMH Health West Campus in the future.

“The Free State Family Medicine team is a great addition to LMH Health’s existing primary care base,” Abel said. “This is a group LMH Health is proud to be associated with and one that adds great value to our health system.

This clinic is committed to providing patient-centered care for individuals and families, core values which are very much in line with our patient-first focus. We are happy to welcome these clinicians to our team and have such a strong, growing practice on board.”

Free State Family Medicine joins LMH Health affiliated family and internal medicine practices in Lawrence, Baldwin City, Eudora, McLouth and Tonganoxie. They will also be affiliated with specialty practices for orthopedics, oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, pain management, neurology, cardiology, vein treatment, pulmonology, general surgery, gastroenterology, spine care, endocrinology, urology and plastic surgery in Lawrence, as well as an affiliated orthopedic clinic in Emporia.

APRN Beth Reynolds and Drs. Pamela Huerter, Lori Nichols, Larisa Kimuri and Malati Harris of Free State Family Medicine, formerly known as Lawrence Family Medicine & Obstetrics

NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 3 EUDORA, KS

316 Maine Street Lawrence, KS 66044

Gifts at work: New low-intervention birthing suite Thanks to the generous gifts from donors to our Mother/Baby Fund, LMH Health is able to reformat a current labor and delivery room into a low-intervention birthing suite.

“At LMH Health, we are always looking for ways to expand the options we can offer to our community,” said Emily Hester, clinical nursing manager at LMH Health. “For our mothers who want to experience a natural, non-medicated birth, we want to create an environment that will help them achieve their goal at our hospital.”

This includes the ability to move freely in the labor room through use of wireless monitoring or intermittent monitoring, a birthing chair to assist with upright positioning for labor and pushing, use of the tub for pain relief and a calming environment. The room will be available near the end of December 2021.

Pamela Pray, one of LMH Health’s certified nurse midwives, spearheaded this project with the support of the physicians at Lawrence OB/GYN Specialists and Lawrence Family Practice Center.

“We hope this newly designed room will meet the needs of a segment of our community currently pursuing other options for birth and will serve our clients who wish to experience a non-medicated birth at LMH Health,” Hester said.

PHOTO © EARL RICHARDSON

Baby-Friendly designation LMH Health announced in September that it has achieved the prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation. This achievement came after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA. This honor demonstrates that LMH Health adheres to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the first days of a newborn’s life.