Lincoln Center at the Aronoff: Fall Concert Supports Diabetes · Abda Tall is a native of Senegal and speaks six different lan-guages including French, Fulani, Arabic, English, Wolof

budget that will double the space of this pediatric center.

Nearly 80 supporters joined us for a luncheon pro-gram at the Hamilton County Educational Services Center (ESC) Early Learning Program, hosted by Executive Director Jack Collopy and presented by The HealthCare Connection. Our Forest Park Health Center, serving children birth to adolescence, resides within a building that was formerly a Winton Woods City School’s elementary school and now houses a multitude of early child-hood programs, coordinated by Hamilton County Educational Services.

Speakers on the agenda included our CEO Dolores

The spirit of collaboration was evident in many ways as we celebrated National Community Health Center Week 2009, with guests that included a bipartisan group of national, state and local leaders as well as a location that is an example of a one-stop for children’s services. On August 14th, we acknowledged this national celebration of community health centers at our Forest Park Center while also celebrating funding from the State of Ohio capital

Volume 1, Issue 3 Fall/Winter 2008

Lincoln Center at the Aronoff: Fall Concert Supports Diabetes

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The comments ranged from “delightful” to “awesome” to “a smooth jazz Sunday” – all from music fans that joined us for our Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis concert on October 5th. Nearly 2300 people gathered in Procter & Gamble Hall at the Aronoff Center, combining an evening filled with music with an opportunity to support a new initiative at The HealthCare Connection.

Concert Steering Committee co-chairs Carole Rigaud and Merri Gaither Smith, along with CEO Dolores J. Lindsay, announced a net profit of $25,000 raised from the concert, which will target new and enhanced services for patients of The HealthCare Connection (THCC) through our Diabetes Initiative 2009. Members of the Steering

Committee planning all aspects of the event included THCC board trustees Gyasi Chisley and Linda Childs Jeter along with Faith Daniels, Yvonne Edmonds-West, Sarah Hale, Marlene Johnson, Lillian Jones, Barbara Kreines, Leslie Kreines, Phyllis McCallum, Penny Pensak, Edgar Smith, Marcella Trice and Miriam West.

Wynton Marsalis brought the 15 member Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to the stage of the Aronoff as part of a national tour. According to Cincinnati Enquirer arts writer Janelle Gelfand, “Wynton Marsalis hardly needs an introduction. One of the most brilliant trumpeters of our time, he’s also an accomplished classical musician, composer and jazz

State Legislators Share National Community Health Center Week

Individuals who helped make the capital expansion project possible include John Prather of The Spauld-ing Foundation (left to right); CEO Dolores J. Lind-say, Ohio State Senator Robert Schuler; Jack Collopy, Hamilton County ESC Early Learning Program; State of Ohio Representative Steve Driehaus; and Ohio State Senator Bill Seitz.

Mrs. Lindsay and Jack Collopy (left and center) welcome U.S. Representative Steve Chabot (2nd from left) and his aide Steven Hill (right) to the celebration of National Community Health Center Week 2008.

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A visit to your doctor may mean listening carefully to a diagnosis, asking him/her to repeat medication orders and some extra effort to make sure things are clear to you. Now imagine if your doctor was speaking a language you didn’t understand. At The HealthCare Connection, we are committed to provid-ing quality health care to all and that includes ensuring that all our patients understand what the doctor says or asks about.

Our staff of medical interpret-ers makes sure that happens – by being available during all ap-pointment times at our Lincoln Heights Health Center. Whether it’s Abda Tall helping someone who speaks Arabic or French or Ana, Yolanda or Georgina assisting Hispanic people with medical translations, patients of THCC hear and understand their medical diagnosis and treatment…completely.

According to Ana Matinez, recently certified as a medical interpreter, it’s all about her patients. “I’m so pleased to be part of the Lincoln Heights Health Center interpreter team because it’s a way of giv-ing, of providing a service that is so important to

our patients.” Yolanda Mayweather, a native of Panama, has been, “facilitating communication for the Hispanic community for over seven years now.” Ms. Mayweather emphasized that it’s the “closeness and interactions with patients,” that is an enjoy-able part of her job. Georgina Unroe is the new-est members of the team, having started her job at THCC last month. She’s already busy with patients, helping them understand test results, the need for a

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Medical Interpreters: Always Available in Lincoln Heightsspecialist or new prescriptions.

Abda Tall is a native of Senegal and speaks six different lan-guages including French, Fulani, Arabic, English, Wolof and Serere, a language spoken in many parts of Africa. Abda’s name can be heard throughout the day as he is paged for a

child being seen in the pediatric wing and then back to see a new refugee who is visiting our adult medicine area for the first time.

Our staff interpreters help in many ways, providing a service that is of-ten not available, even in major cit-ies. A study by The Chicago Reporter completed this past summer found that in the suburbs of Cook and five surrounding counties, only 12 hospi-tals out of 52 employed interpreters, and only 4% of health centers had translation services available. The study found that many community

health centers relied on bilingual clerks or janitors to assist patients. The Reporter’s findings show “a stark reality of how the local health care industry has failed to respond to the needs of immigrants.”

Ana, Abda, Yolanda and Georgina help us support our mis-sion of culturally sensitive health care, while also ensuring more cost-effective services for our patients. Studies show that having health information understood, in one’s own language, helps avoid unnecessary tests, reduces emergen-cy room visits, ensures good preventative care and helps avoid misdiagnoses.

Yolanda Mayweather, Ana Martinez and Georgina Unroe are available to assist Spanish-speaking patients at our Lincoln Heights Center.

Abda Tall brings great language skills to patients of THCC.

The 5th annual “Pancakes & Jazz” event was spon-sored by THCC Board of Trustees on September 13th, featuring jazz performers and secret recipe pan-cakes. The culinary team at the event include Board Chair Vern Rolf and Charlotte Powell (rear) and Chef Wendell O’Neal, Travis Mapp and development com-mittee chair, Nina Lewis.

Committee mem-ber Marcella Trice (right) and her daughter Janice Glaspie.

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Members of the CCM Jazztet play for guests at the “Cool Jazz & Hot Delights” reception.

Reverend Wayne Davis (left) and Norma Holt Davis (far right) talk with concert committee members Carole Rigaud, Phyllis McCallum and Yvonne Edmonds-West (center).

Ivan Misrach (left) and his wife Patty Misrach (far right) stop to chat with Merri Gaither Smith, com-mittee co-chair and her husband Schuyler.

Faith Daniels, radio talent from sponsor MOJO and reception hostess, enjoys the party with THCC board member Charlotte Powell.

Arzell Nelson, who helped coordinate music for the Cool Jazz & Hot Delights reception, talks with guest Art Slater.

Marlene and J.C. Johnson – Marlene was part of the 14 member steering commit-tee.

Laura and Dr. Donald Harrison, THCC CEO Dolores J. Lindsay, John and Karen Bankston from concert spon-sor Drake Center and Jonathan and Nancy Lippincott share memories of earlier days in community health centers.

Lincoln Center at the Aronoff: 2nd Annual Fall Concert Supports Diabetes

The Honor-able John and Miriam West (left) share “hot de-lights” from Jeff Thomas Catering with Janet and Roger Ach.

Jazz

Lauren Woode, Geneva Woode and THCC board member Charles Woode talk with Dolores Lind-say.

Members of the Princeton High School Jazz Combo entertain at the VIP reception

Page 4A Round of Applause for Our Generous Sponsors!

University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music

US BankUniversity Hospital, Health

AllianceThe Pepper Family Fund of

the Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Cincinnati Children’s HospitalDuke EnergyMacy’sNational CityLocal 12- WKRC

Bartlett & CompanyDrake CenterHospice of CincinnatiKnowledgeWorks FoundationLois & Richard Rosenthal

FoundationTriHealthUC Physicians

Clark Theders Insurance AgencyAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,

Sigma Omega Chapter

We want to extend sincere thanks to the following media organiza-tions and businesses that helped promote the concert and enhance the experience of Wynton Marsalis and the members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, as they visited our city:

Hardy Brown and Patrice Fant (left) joined Dr. John and Teresa Henderson (center) at the reception, along with Melvin Marshall and his daughter Bleuzette Marshall.

Representatives from one of the event’s major sponsors, UC’s College Conservatory of Music, meet Wynton Marsalis after the concert. They include, from the left, J. David and Dianne Rosenberg, Rick and Anna Van Matre, Mr. Marsalis, Dean Douglas Knehans and his wife, Josephine McLachlan.

Mark Ellis and his son Maurice Ellis (left), Wynton Marsa-lis and Kathy Jordan, from concert sponsor Hall-Jordan & Thompson Funeral Homes. Maurice Ellis played at the reception as part of the CCM Jazztet.

Dr. Alvin Crawford and Dr. Wendell O’Neal (back-ground) play with the Wannabees, part of the reception’s entertainment.

Myrtis Powell with steering committee mem-ber Lillian Jones.

Concert co-chairs Merri Gaither Smith (left) and Carole Rigaud (middle) celebrate a successful event with Mrs. Lindsay and committee member Leslie Kreines.

The Cincinnati HeraldThe Blue Wisp Jazz ClubThe PulseHyatt Regency CincinnatiPremier PianosCincy MagazineMOJO – 100.3WVXU-91.7

Cincinnati Smooth Jazz- WCINJoseph Beth BooksellersKathy DeAngelo Design &

IllustrationThe Fawn ConfectioneryHall- Jordan & Thompson

Funeral HomesGail Myers Public Relations LLCQuality Printing & DesignJeff Thomas CateringLook for news about our Fall,

2009 Concert . . . coming soon!

Making a connection. That’s what leaving a legacy is all about. When you leave a legacy to your favor-ite non-profit organization, like The HealthCare Connection, you are making a lasting connection between yourself and the lives of untold hundreds---or even thousands---who will benefit from your generosity in the future. You are making an endur-ing connection to those things that matter most to you, and ensuring their vitality for decades to come. You are leaving something of yourself, your spirit of giving and a legacy that can inspire others to do the same in their own lifetimes as well.

Leaving a legacy can do all that? Absolutely.

Thanks to the LEAVE A LEGACY® initiative in our area, Greater Cincinnatians are beginning to discover just how their bequests or other planned gifts can make a profound difference in the lives that follow. All bequest gifts, whether large or small, have great potential to transform lives in lasting and powerful ways. By including The HealthCare Connection in your will, along with your family and others impor-tant to you, you can help ensure that we will be here – for other patients and their families – for many years to come.

Most non-profit organizations rely on volunteers and donors to give of their time and resources during their lifetimes. But, we understand that to perpetu-ate and even enhance our programs and services, we need to look toward gifts with lasting value. Annual operating dollars will not be sufficient to allow or-ganizations like ours to achieve the sound financial footing necessary to plan for our future. Planned giv-ing will allow us to do just that...and more.

You’ve been connected to The HealthCare Connection in some way. Now we want to make you aware of some others. Look for more information in upcoming newsletters about planned gifts or contact us with questions right now at 513-483-3098 or [email protected].

LEAVE A LEGACY® is an initiative of the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council

historian.” Support from Greater Cincinnati’s jazz commu-nity included Rick Van Matre, UC College Conservatory of Music; Ed Felson of the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, Tim Smith, Jazz Studies Director of Princeton High School; and Arzell Nelson of L’lezra Entertainment Group.

The evening began for VIP supporters with the Cool Jazz & Hot Delights reception, hosted by Faith Daniels, radio host at concert sponsor MOJO. Guests arrived to the beat of jazz music in the loge and balcony lobbies, provided by members of the CCM Jazztet and the Princeton High School Jazz Combo. A Cajun menu from Jeff Thomas Catering carried out the New Orleans jazz theme, with the reception wrapping up with the sounds of a local nine-piece jazz group, The Wannabees.

John Lomax, news anchor from concert sponsor Local 12-WKRC, welcomed concert guests and introduced a short video about the 40 year history of The HealthCare Connection. While Mr. Lomax talked about diabetes as the focus of this event, he shared his personal experiences with this chronic disease that now affects over 18 million Americans. Major sponsors of the concert, the UC College Conservatory of Music, US Bank, University Hospital of the Health Alliance and the Pepper Family Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation are the Founding Sponsors of the Diabetes Initiative 2009, underwritten by the pro-ceeds from this concert.

If you are interested in volunteering or supporting upcoming concerts of The HealthCare Connection or our Diabetes Initiative 2009, please contact our develop-ment director at 513-483-3098 or [email protected].

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Lincoln Center at the Aronoff: Fall Concert Supports Diabetes (continued from page 1)

Making a Connection…Ensuring our FutureS av e t h e Da te

Please join us

Glenwood GardensMay 16, 2009

The HealthCare Connection 1401 Steffen Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45215

Dolores J. Lindsay Chief Executive Officer

Sandy Haas Director of Development

Editor

Partners for Health is published quarterly.

The mission of The HealthCare Connection is to provide quality, culturally sensitive, and accessible primary health care services focusing on the medically underserved, underinsured, and uninsured residing in northern Hamilton County and surrounding areas.

www.healthcare-connection.org

...because everyone deserves quality health care.

Lincoln Heights Health Center1401 Steffen Ave.Cincinnati, Ohio 45215513.554.4100

Mt. Healthy Family Practice8146 Hamilton Ave.Cincinnati, Ohio 45231513.522.7500

Forest Park Health Center924 Waycross RoadCincinnati, Ohio 45240513.589.3014

J. Lindsay and Mr. Collopy, as well as Dave Distel, Superintendent of Hamilton County Educational Services; Stephanie Byrd, Success by 6® executive director; and Senator Bill Seitz, State of Ohio Senate. The luncheon celebrated the confirmation of $150,000 in capital fund-ing from the State of Ohio, dollars that will enable us to double our available space and greatly impact the number of pediatric patients seen by our providers there.

As Senator Seitz talked about the funding for this project, he described a Saturday in Cincinnati last winter when state senators and representatives heard over 50 presenta-tions about funding needs around the community. “As leg-islators, we felt that The Healthcare Connection is totally committed to improving the health and lives of children in this region,” said Senator Seitz. He described that legisla-tive gathering, “there was instantaneous agreement that this organization builds successfully on its partnerships,” allowing for successful support of the requested funds.

Jack Collopy commented on our long-time collabora-tion, “Kindergarten readiness depends on a combination of appropriate early education and attention to physical

State Legislators Share National Community Health Center Week (continued from page 1)

health. The partnership between the HCESC Early Learning Program and The HealthCare Connection together can prepare a child for school and future suc-cess.” Stephanie Byrd, of Success by 6® also confirmed the critical relationship between a child’s physical well be-ing, school readiness and later school success.

The center expansion is due to begin in early 2009, with a projected open-ing date for the larger center set for next summer. Additional funding for the project was also made available through the generosity of The Spaulding Foundation and The Dr. Stanley & Mickey Kaplan Foundation.