St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation
Mission: To accelerate the advancement of
innovative programs and services that fundamentally
improve health care experiences in our community.
Vision: To guarantee the availability of resources
and community expertise for achieving excellence
in health care.
The Heart of Health Care
Winter 2017
www.slwrf.org
New Infusion Center Offers Hope and Healing for Local Actor
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation Invests in Care
Last year was a momentous year for health care in the Wood River Valley, when the new Infusion Center at
St. Luke’s Wood River opened in July, thanks to generous community philanthropy. The new Center—
complete with four infusion chairs, a warm, natural-light environment, and stunning views of the
mountains—opened to much anticipation and excitement.
The community donated over $1 million to build and equip
the new Infusion Center, which has dramatically improved
the patient experience and enabled patients to receive their
cancer or other infusion treatments right here in the valley.
Jana Arnold as Martha in Company of Fool’s
Production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Photo courtesy of Jana Arnold.
Just ask local celebrity, Jana Arnold, who’s getting some of
her chemotherapy treatments in the new Infusion Center.
“It’s more difficult to do it (chemotherapy) in Twin Falls,
because you have to have someone come with you to drive you home. Having my treatments here in
the Wood River Valley is great as it saves time without the commute.”
Jana Arnold receiving her infusion therapy at the
new St. Luke’s Wood River Infusion Center.
But what really motivated Jana to change her infusion treatments from Twin Falls to Wood River are the
fantastic nurses at the new Infusion Center. “It’s the great nurses,” she says. “We have fun, I enjoy their
company. They become closer than just nurses, they’re friends.”
Well known in the Wood River Valley for her numerous performances with Company of Fools, Jana moved to the community in 2004 following a
successful acting career in Los Angeles, and hasn’t looked back. She has an incredible attitude, saying in regards to her cancer, that you have to look
at the opportunities, have some fun with it all. In fact, throughout her first round of chemotherapy, when she lost all her hair, rather than getting
depressed she made a video, G.I. Jana, and had a little fun with it. And in her true upbeat character, Jana declares that through her work with
Company of Fools, she has “access to lots of great wigs.”
“Chemotherapy has gotten a bad rap,” Jana declares while receiving her second round of
treatment in the new Infusion Center. “Chemo is my best friend right now. Sure it will cause
some discomfort, but I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s in there battling for me!’”
Truly a proponent of the power of positive thinking, Jana focuses her energy on visualization,
seeing her body heal and seeing the medicine destroy the cancer inside her. “I’m finding joy in
small places,” she says, “not judging my healing, my fatigue. No, I am now embracing it.”
Community Invests in Compassionate Care
Fund celebrates one year of service to patients in need
What do you do when you’re in a terrible car accident, your wife is air-evacuated several
hundred miles for emergency treatment, and you’re transported, via ambulance, to the closest
hospital with nothing—no wallet, cell phone, glasses or hearing aids? If you’re Vietnam Veteran,
John Bruffett, you’re immensely grateful for St. Luke’s Wood River’s Compassionate Care
program.
When John arrived at St. Luke’s Wood River by ambulance last August, he wasn’t worried
about his injuries as much as his wife’s condition. She had been transported by Air St. Luke’s
to Boise to treat her critical injuries. After being assured his wife was stable, John was treated
by the St. Luke’s Wood River’s Emergency Department team. But after his physical injuries
were treated, it was obvious he needed more than just medical care. With no possessions on
him, no money or cell phone, John had no way to pay for lodging or get a ride back to retrieve
his vehicle.
That’s when St. Luke’s Wood River’s newly established Compassionate Care program stepped
in to assist. Funded by St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation and administered in partnership with
the Medical Center, the goal of the Compassionate Care program is to keep our patients well
and help them avoid unnecessary health and emotional crises.
For John, that meant assisting him with lodging, food and cab rides from the hospital to the
hotel and from the hotel back to his vehicle, so he could get to his wife at St. Luke’s Boise.
These may seem like small details, but when you have just suffered a traumatic accident and
have nothing, compassionate care and
proper medical treatment are everything.
John is immensely grateful for the
above-and-beyond services he received
through the Compassionate Care
program. The program has so far served
more than 42 clients with needs ranging
from prescription assistance to
transportation, from lodging to medical
equipment repair and medical supplies,
and many other necessities they didn’t
have the means to pay for by themselves.
WRF-206 Winter Newsletter.indd 1
The Compassionate Care program is
designed to encourage health and healing
by providing assistance to patients with
significant hardship. Last year over
$10,000 was granted to
42 clients. As a result, we saw a
decrease in unnecessary hospital
admissions and Emergency Department
visits among those served by the program.
Foundation Welcomes New
Board President and New
Board Members
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation is thrilled
to welcome these exceptional leaders to
our Board. Each brings a diverse set of
skills and expertise that will significantly
enhance our efforts to improve the health
and wellbeing of our community.
Shelia Fryberger, St. Luke’s Wood River
Foundation Board President
Roger DeBard
Deb Robertson, MD
Get Help! Resource Guide
St. Luke’s Center for Community
Health, with support from St. Luke’s
Wood River Foundation, recently
published Get Help!, a mental health
resource guide for the Wood River Valley.
The guide is available in English and Spanish.
For a digital copy, visit www.slwrf.org.
Your Generosity at Work:
3-D Mammography
Last year your generosity made it possible
to bring state-of-the-art breast cancer
detection technology to the Wood River
Valley. Since installing the new 3-D
mammography machine:
•2,249 screening exams completed
•976 diagnostic exams performed
•24% increase in screening volumes over
previous year
•40% decrease in unnecessary patient
callback exams
•$70,000 given by the Foundation to
minimize costs to patients
2/8/17 9:21 AM
How You Can Benefit Using the
IRA Charitable Rollover
The IRA Charitable Rollover allows a tax-free
transfer of up to $100,000 directly from an IRA
to a qualified charity, such as St. Luke’s Wood
River Foundation, without income tax
consequences. You must be age 70½ years
or older at the time of the gift.
A Lasting Legacy
Save the Date!
For Women Only: How to Protect
Your Wealth Using an Estate Plan
“We are so fortunate to have a critical access hospital
of this caliber that is committed to improving the
health of our community. A legacy gift will make a
lasting impact for future generations.”
– Cynthia Murphy,
St. Luke’s Wood
River Community
Board and Legacy
Society member
Featuring Johni Hays, JD, FCEP
National Estate and Charitable Planning
The effect of a qualified IRA Charitable
Expert
Rollover is that the money distributed from
Tuesday, February 28
your IRA to the qualified charity will not count
as taxable income
11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
to you, but may
The Valley Club
count toward your
For information, call Marsha Edwards:
Required Minimum
(208) 727-8416
Distribution. You
won’t be able to
deduct it, but you will be in the same position or better because
the amount won’t count as income.
To complete an IRA Charitable Rollover, contact your IRA
administrator. For more information, call Marsha Edwards at
(208) 727-8416 or email her at [email protected].
Legacy Society
Join our Legacy Society. (208) 727-8444
P.O. Box 7005
Ketchum, ID 83340
Contact Us:
The Heart of Health Care is published by
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation.
Phone (208) 727-8419 • Fax (208) 727-8412
www.slwrf.org
BR
LE A
TE
Celebrate
Doctors’ Day
on Thursday,
March 30, 2017
CE
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation promotes the philanthropic
support of St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center.
With a gift in honor
of your physician.
Visit www.slwrf.org to give online.
Highlights in Giving
Congratulations to the caregivers and community members listed below for being honored
and remembered through generous community philanthropy.
In Honor of:
Kristin Biggins
Rachel Brannon
Wendy Collins
Emergency Department Staff
Amanda England
Dr. Dan Fairman
Mary Kay Foley
Lois Heagle
Bob Lane
Cody Langbehn
Dr. Jared Manning
McGraw Family
Dr. P. Scott McLean, Jr.
Marvin Miles
In Memory of:
Dr. Leigh Morse
Sara Nelson
Keith Perry
Erin Pfaeffle
Physical Therapy Staff
Dr. Deb Robertson
Dr. Keith Sivertson
Becky Smith
Judith Smooke
Megan Thomas Tanous
Phebe Thorne
Dr. Jim Torres
Buddy Wilton & Shay Doll
For more information about our Grateful
Patient program, please call St. Luke’s
Wood River Foundation at (208) 727-8416.
Missy Butterfield
Margo Donahue DePeyster
Norman Friedman
Frank Gerlits, Sr.
Patricia Hanggi
Russ Horn
Forrest Hymas
Charlie Johnson
Rod Kagan
Mavourneen Karroll
Lucy B. Lieder
Marion Malarkey
Stuart Mason
Dr. Andrew McRoberts
Katherine & David Nalen
Bud Purdy
Shirley Renick
Robert M. Rogers
Paul Tillotson
Jim Vaughn
For more information
WRF-206 Winter Newsletter.indd 2
2016 Year in Review at
St. Luke’s Wood River
First
Spinal robotics
navigation system in
Idaho performs minimally
invasive spine surgery.
2,249
3-D screening
mammograms performed
Top 5%
Ranking for our Emergency
Department as determined
by our patients*
196
Babies delivered at
St. Luke’s Wood River
Healing
New Infusion Center opens,
doubles our capacity for
care and keeps patients
close to home.
7,000+
Client visits to St. Luke’s
Center for Community Health
$72,383
Awarded for staff
education.
12 Grants
Awarded to Blaine County
non-profits to strengthen the
health of our community.
*Press Ganey Small Hospital Database
2/8/17 9:21 AM