Summer 2008 Celebrating 300,000 Babies Center for Women and Infants’ Health Patients Pay it Forward 2008 Puttin’ on the Pink Raises Record Amount Alliance of Stars Dear Friends, For all of the time our foundation devotes to relaying facts and figures about our Harris Methodist hospitals, they often fall on deaf ears. Perhaps we would be smarter to focus our efforts 16 inches lower. Time and again, we are reminded that it is the grateful heart that inspires the act of giving. This issue of STARS pays tribute to the capacity and power of the grateful heart – to heal pain, to express thanks, and to touch others. At Harris Methodist Health Foundation, we see these grateful hearts in action through the gifts we receive each day. This graciousness is reflected in the center of this magazine with the Alliance of Stars – pages and pages of names who gave to help others. Often we are left to wonder what inspired such generosity. But in other cases, we come to understand how the care and support delivered in our hospitals moves the grateful heart to pay it forward – and how powerful that can be. Such is the story told by Gloria and Quad Boenker. Relationships built with the physicians and staff at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Harris Methodist Fort Worth inspired a gift that will offer hope and support to others for years to come. Fred and Mary Attaya similarly chose to honor those who provided more than a year of exceptional care to Fred with a gift of enduring value. And for John Stevenson, his gift in recognition of physicians and nurses truly came from a grateful heart. Beyond these stories, enjoy reading about two of the signature events on our annual calendar – Puttin’ on the Pink and the H•E•B Gala. The efforts of dedicated volunteers supporting these events again reminded all who attended that the availability and quality of health care cannot be taken for granted. Please also take a moment to admire the grateful heart of Edna Anderson, who feels she has a responsibility to support those who care for others. To her, it is really that simple. On behalf of the board of trustees and the staff of the Harris Methodist Health Foundation, thank you for inspiring our best efforts through the expressions of your grateful hearts. Sincerely, Robert Capper, M.D., Chairman, Board of Trustees Harris Methodist Health Foundation (l-r) Doug White and Robert Capper, M.D., pictured in the Doug White, President Morris Meditation Garden located on the Harris Methodist Harris Methodist Health Foundation Fort Worth Hospital’s Heart Center grounds. The Garden was donated by Linda Morris Elsey, of the Morris Foundation, in honor of her late husband, Jack B. Morris. Dr. Mike McKee, Senior Minister at First United Methodist Church in Hurst, participates in the live auction skit at the 2008 Harris Methodist H•E•B Gala. Page 28. Page 4 Page 7 Page 8 Page 27 Page 32 Patient Gloria Boenker, Special celebration, Grateful patients show Edna Anderson’s 15th annual Puttin’ on with her baby girl Oaklie, held on May 8, honored their appreciation by charitable gift annuity the Pink “Passport to knows the importance donors of the newly paying it forward to leaves a legacy. Style” has record set- of the Center for Women renovated Center for help others. ting results. and Infants’ Health’s Women and Infants’ comprehensive care. Health. Board of Trustees Martha Fikes Dorris Morrissette, M.D. Honorary Trustee Harris Methodist Joel K. Glenn Philip E. Norwood Robert E. Klabzuba Doug White, President Health Foundation Robert Havran Anne Paup Harris Methodist Pat Hawkins Jason Prado STARS is published by Health Foundation Chair Robert Herchert Buddy Puente the Harris Methodist Robert Capper, M.D. Doris A. Johnson Lynny W. Sankary Health Foundation Editor: Jessica Annaloro Kenneth H. Jones, Jr. Colby Siratt 6100 Western Place Design: Claudia Butts Trustees John A. Klabzuba Robert W. Slone, M.D. Suite 1001 Photographers: James N. Austin, Jr. Bill Lamkin James H. Stewart, Jr., Fort Worth, Texas 76107 Mike Lewis Rhoda B. Bernstein Jay Lesok Ph.D. 817-317-5200 Bob Lukeman Rev. Frank Briggs Pat Lorimer Virginia B. Tigue Fax 817-317-5201 Leo Wesson Jerry Chism, D.Min. Darlene I. Mann Richard Vigness, M.D. www.HMHF.org Printer: Curry Printing John Cockrell Carter J. Martin Sam Walls John Eubanks Philip A. Moroneso David R. Walters Gary Fickes Page 3 H Harris Methodist Health Foundation H Stars Summer 2008 High-Tech Help, Heart-Felt Hope and Compassion for Area Women and Infants 1930. The numbers are impressive, but at the inpatient at Harris Methodist Southwest The year Harris Methodist Fort Worth core, the Center for Women and Infants’ Hospital. When pulmonary edema Hospital first opened its doors. Health is really about stories. Each one (fluid around the heart and lungs) set of those 300,000 births represents a in, Gloria Boenker was transported by 300,000. family touched by Harris Methodist. ambulance to Harris Methodist Fort The number of babies born at the The Boenkers of Weatherford are one of Worth Hospital. hospital since that time. those families. The newly renovated Center for Women $20 million. Their story began with the birth of their and Infants’ Health was designed The cost of a recent construction son Quint. By all accounts, it had been a in collaboration with local patients, and renovation project that has perfectly normal, healthy pregnancy – families, donors, doctors, designers, made the Center for Women and until February 13, 2007, 24 weeks and 2 architects and builders to ensure that Infants’ Health at Harris Methodist days into the pregnancy. every need and purpose was met with Fort Worth Hospital one of the most efficiency and comfort. Quality is the comprehensive, comfortable and It started with a headache. It hallmark of the facility, not only in terms customized health care facilities in quickly progressed to a diagnosis of of the advanced technology, high-risk the area. preeclampsia and several days as an services and innovative surroundings, Page 4 H Harris Methodist Health Foundation H StarsStars SummerSummer 20082008 but also in relation to the personalized overnight accommodations for dads, friends. Nursing stations have been care provided for every patient and remodeled bathrooms with spacious relocated and redesigned to maximize family. Here, care is offered for every walk-in showers, and in-room vanities health record privacy and patient care stage of a woman’s life and is delivered with plenty of storage for personal efficiency. with a finely-honed focus on compassion belongings all housed in warm, relaxing and personal connection. surroundings where mothers recover The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, already after childbirth. one of the largest and most respected Virtually every aspect of the Center for in the region, has grown to a total of 67 Women and Infants’ Health has been The 29-room antepartum unit offers beds where the tiniest patients receive improved or expanded in the recent high-tech capabilities and hotel-like the most specialized care – and where renovation. Specifically, the enlarged amenities for high-risk pregnancies babies like Quint Boenker have the best newborn nursery provides more than that can often require hospital stays chance in their fight for survival. 7,000 square feet of brightly designed ranging from weeks to months. Waiting space for the newest additions to areas throughout the facility have The NICU became the backdrop for the area families. Fifty-seven redesigned been expanded, updated and outfitted bulk of the Boenkers’ Harris Methodist post partum rooms (increased from with furniture and features aimed at story. When Quint Boenker was born the previous 41) feature inviting increasing comfort for families and 16 weeks early, via c-section, parents Page 5 H Harris Methodist Health Foundation H Stars Summer 2008 Gloria and Quad were grateful to be in a hospital that was equipped for and experienced with extremely premature infants. They found great comfort in the fact that their baby was in a place that not only had the technology and knowledge to give Quint the best possible chance, but also the commitment and compassion to provide care that went beyond the medical. “The doctors and especially the nurses blew us away every day. Those nurses are like the preemies’ mommies. When your baby is on a ventilator, you can’t touch him or hold him. So the nurses do it for you. We are so grateful to those nurses. They truly do care. It’s not just a job for them,” Gloria Boenker says. While babies are at the heart of it all at the Center for Women and Infants’ Health, they aren’t actually the whole story. The Center operates with the understanding that women’s health care needs are about more than just childbirth. So a full range of services address the spectrum of health needs a woman may encounter during the course of her lifetime. From gynecological care and surgery to heart health services – all are provided with the quality and personal attention that are the cornerstones of Harris Methodist. Bone density, vascular and breast cancer screening services are also offered. The new Kupferle Education Resource Center provides a wide range of educational materials on all kinds of women’s health topics. The Healing Arts Center offers spa services that promote health and well-being. Rounding out the offerings are two advanced services that complement the Center’s childbirth care. For couples struggling to conceive, Assisted Reproductive Technology Services (ARTS) at Harris Methodist provide the full range of infertility treatment, from the simple to the sophisticated.