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| Sentara Heart/Lung patients and support group members |
Network: July 2009 
Reaching Out to Help Others Hats off to the Sentara Heart/Lung Transplant Support Group at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for raising money for the Transplant Emergency Assistance Medication fund. The fund supports crisis medication needs of the hospital’s heart/lung transplant patients. Since 2005, the group has raised more than $13,000 for medication assistance for heart/lung patients who do not have health insurance or are unable to afford a co-payment. They sponsor bake sales, jean day, and once a year have an auction. The funds raised are distributed through the
Sentara Health Foundation.
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| (L-R) Dr. Laura Eizember and Dr. Jennifer Real both volunteer at the Beach Health Clinic. |
Free Clinic is Safety Net
for Community Dr. Laura Eizember and Dr. Jennifer Real are among 50 physicians, countless other medical professionals and numerous community organizations – including Sentara – who give time and resources to provide health services to uninsured, working poor families in Virginia Beach at
Beach Health Clinic. Located on Holland Road, Beach Health Clinic, a non-profit organization largely staffed by volunteers, provides basic health care and prescription assistance to residents who “fall through the cracks” of the system. Qualifying patients are not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare, but also cannot afford health insurance.
With an estimated 55,000 children and adults in Virginia Beach without health insurance, many families are struggling, says Susan Hellstrom, the clinic’s executive director. Last year the clinic provided more than 10,000 patient visits and 3,100 prescriptions. Sentara Healthcare has played an important role in the clinic through grants and in-kind services, Hellstrom says. Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital covers the cost of lab services and diagnostic imaging for inpatients and outpatients.
Read other stories about people who are making a difference in the lives of others.
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Camp Lighthouse participants participate in team building games.
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CampLighthouse: A Beacon of Hope In April, 54 participants, 38 children and 16 adults, along with 40 volunteers, participated in Camp Lighthouse, a two-day camp for children dealing with grief. The annual event now in its fourth year, held at Triple-R Ranch in Chesapeake, is sponsored by Sentara Home Care Services’ Hospice Program. The camp is for children ages 5 to 16, who have experienced the death of a close family member or loved one in the past two years. Camp Lighthouse is funded by donations from the community and local businesses and it is facilitated by Certified Volunteer Support Counselors and Social Workers from the Sentara Hospice Program and Sentara Home Care Services. Activities include team-building games, crafts, making memory boxes, music therapy, horseback riding, archery, and rock-climbing. The children can discuss their grief in small counseling sessions led by licensed counselors. The camp’s activities conclude with a special memorial service for the children and their families. Children leave with new tools to help them cope.
Read more about Camp Lighthouse.
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| (L-R) Kay Bray, Pastor Larry Ryals, Buddy Ison and Jean Ison deliver blankets to Sentara Home Care. |
Providing Comfort to Sentara
Hospice Patients What began as a brief notice in the local newspaper inviting members of the community to provide blankets for
Hospice patients as a holiday project has evolved into a ministry of providing terminally ill patients with blankets. Jean Isom, a member of Deep Creek Baptist Church in Chesapeake, saw the news brief describing Sentara Hospice Program’s need and asked her Pastor, Larry Ryals, about publishing the request for blankets in their church bulletin. With his endorsement, the "Threads of Hope" group emerged. Twelve members of the church community responded to the invitation and they decided to create the blankets through knitting, crocheting or tying them.
Since October 2008, more than 250 blankets have been donated by community groups for hospice patients. Lyn Carroll, RN, Sentara Hospice volunteer coordinator, says, "The patients can hardly believe someone would create a blanket just for them." The "Threads of Hope" group welcomes yarn donations to support their project. For more information, contact Kay Bray at 757-482-0966 or Jean Isom at 757-547-9085.
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| Patient Chester "Chet" Bailey recovers from burns. |
Patient Assistance Fund Aids Burn Patients
Volunteer fire fighter, Chester “Chet” Bailey knew it was a bad idea to use flammables to start a fire, but while helping his neighbor burn trash in May 2007 on Hatteras Island, N.C., that’s exactly what he did. An explosion created a flash fire that resulted in second- and third-degree burns covering half of his body, primarily on his face, neck, chest, arms and knees. Bailey was air-lifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Burn Trauma Center. Skin grafts were needed for his knee, and special dressings that promote healing were applied to his arms and fingers after the burned skin was scraped away. With hard work and the help of Sentara therapists and nurses, Bailey was ready to go home in a month with custom-made pressure garments to reduce scaring.
The Red Knights Motorcycle Club, an organization for fire fighters, raises money for the Sentara Patient Assistance Burn Fund. People like Bailey, who had no health insurance because he was unemployed, or those whose insurance doesn’t cover all the costs, receive assistance for the garments, as well as for soaps, ointments and dressings. Sentara also helps uninsured burn patients by providing free care through a special burn clinic at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Today, other than scaring on one hand, Bailey is back to work and a normal life. Read other stories of compassion and hope in the
Community Benefits of the Sentara Web site.
Read more about Sentara community service efforts in "About Sentara."