Access News Archive
Hero Awards 2008
Health Care ‘Hero’ Recognition Dinner
To Celebrate Support, Service to Uninsured U.P. Residents
On May 1, during Cover the Uninsured Week (April 27-May 3), the Upper Peninsula Health Access Coalition invites the public and the U.P. health care community to a special event celebrating contributions of exemplary citizens and organizations that improve the health and well-being of hundreds of their Upper Peninsula neighbors.
The annual “Hero for the Uninsured” Awards for 2008 will be presented during an evening dinner and reception beginning at 6 p.m. at Upfront & Company in Marquette. Among dignitaries participating in the ceremonies will be a 2007 “Hero” Award winner, Dr. Kevin Piggott of Marquette, who will speak from an historic perspective on the outlook for national health care as well as from his experience with the Access to Health Care movement.
2008 “Hero” Award winners from across the U.P. will be announced in four categories – “Above & Beyond Hero,” “Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Hero,” “Personal Touch Hero” and “Innovation Hero.”
In today’s troubled economy, it’s an everyday dilemma: faced with choosing between paying for basics like food and housing or the costs for health care, too many Upper Peninsula residents are going without medical services and prescriptions to make ends meet.
For the fortunate ones that choice isn’t necessary, thanks to intervention from dedicated health care providers, committed medication sources, extraordinary social services and other selfless efforts by community support programs and volunteers. These individuals and programs step forward as part of their everyday routines to make a difference in the lives and health of residents in their communities, often at little or no cost to the patient. They work independently or in cooperation with Local Access Coalition programs around the U.P.
This awards dinner is an opportunity for U.P. communities to thank those who help “cover” uninsured residents’ health care needs. Medical care organizations, health care service and prescription providers, social service groups and others involved in examining and addressing needs in the regional population’s health profile are encouraged to attend this event.
It is sponsored by UPHAC and five Local Access Coalitions which serve citizens of all 15 U.P. counties: Community Health Access Coalition (Chippewa, Luce and Mackinac); Dickinson-Iron Medical Care Access Coalition; Medical Access Coalition of Delta and Menominee Counties; Medical Care Access Coalition (Marquette, Schoolcraft and Alger) and Western U.P. Healthcare Access Coalition (Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon).
Tables at the dinner may be sponsored by affinity groups for their members and/or individuals and organizations from their communities whom they’d like to recognize during “Cover the Uninsured” Week.
Individual tickets are $25; tables of 6 may be reserved for $125. Organizations may also support the annual “Hero” recognition dinner as a “Community Builder” at three levels of sponsorship.
Register online for group or individual reservations for the “Hero for the Uninsured” Awards Dinner. Any questions can be directed to: adittrich@uphealthaccess.org .
Deadline for reservations is Friday, April 25.
VISTA: An Alum Looks Back
Tami Dowd of Escanaba joined the Access Coalition family in late 2005, just as the Medical Access Coalition of Delta County was getting its feet on the ground to serve uninsured county residents.
At MAC, she says, “serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA gave me a sense of actually influencing change in the lives of those who have far less than I did. I felt needed and worthy of being an AmeriCorps*VISTA member.”
Her experience in “making a difference” through two service years that ended in December 2007 included her involvement in the growth of the MAC program into a two-county health care outreach effort. Since opening its doors in March, 2006, Tami helped the staff at MAC which has:
- served 634 uninsured residents of Delta and Menominee counties, including 331 enrolled patients;
- secured $584,735 in donated medications from pharmaceutical companies and provided another $58,515 in generic prescriptions for patient-enrollees;
- referred and continues to refer uninsured patient-enrollees into the local OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group system for needed health care.
“The use of AmeriCorps*VISTA members is an incredibly valuable asset to any program that needs additional man/woman power,” she says. Her belief that “volunteering as an AmeriCorps*VISTA is a very rewarding experience” has even prompted her to recruit family and friends to
“give it a try.”
“Just the experience alone is a major reward for becoming an AmeriCorps*VISTA,” Tami contends. “No other one work experience can give you so much of a wide variety of eye-opening knowledge.”
Senator Stabenow Visits MCAC Office
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U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (center in photo) met with Access Coalition board members and staff at Medical Care Access Coalition offices in Marquette Sept.4 |
to discuss access to health care programs in the Upper Peninsula and Congressional health care legislation, including pending bills for reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). “We’re pleased Senator Stabenow graciously accepted our invitation to discuss health care issues affecting our families, friends and neighbors here in the U.P.,” said Bill Reid, UPHAC board president (left in photo). “Her interest in and support of the work of Access Coalitions and her commitment to making health care accessible to all Americans is gratifying, and we hope to continue working with her toward that end.”
DIMCAC VISTA Honored for Service
Erik Koenig of Iron River, a VISTA volunteer with the Dickinson-Iron Medical Care Access Coalition (MCAC), has been recognized as a finalist in the 2007 AmeriCorps *VISTA Spirit of Service Award competition. |
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Erik began his VISTA service work with the Iron County access program office in February, 2005. He has been largely responsible for developing MCAC’s outreach in Iron County where he grew up; he has not only garnered services of dozens of volunteers but has helped raise donated dollars to offset costs of medications for uninsured residents in the program.
MCAC Executive Director Benjamin Wood nominated Erik for his demonstrated leadership skills. “Erik has certainly been a vital part of our successes with the program to date. His knowledge of his hometown community has been immeasurable as we’ve worked to get our program off the ground within the last three years,” he said. “He’s been a true asset for us and is very deserving of this national recognition.”
AmeriCorps*VISTA is a national and community service program that assists small grassroots organizations in economically challenged communities to build capacity for addressing local needs through the placement of more than 6,000 VISTA volunteers nationwide.
UPHAC Recognizes 8 ‘Hero for the Uninsured’ Awardees Cover the Uninsured Week –
April 23-29, 2007
“These ‘Heroes for the Uninsured’ provide
exemplary assistance on a regular basis and, for
the most part, their service goes unheralded,” said
Bill Reid, president of UPHAC. “We are pleased
to honor contributions of eight exceptional ‘Heroes’ as
we recognize the work of hundreds of others who partner
with our Local Access Coalitions to serve the uninsured.”
Honorees
for 2007 are:
- Ruthann Davey of Calumet, a volunteer enrollment counselor and office assistant with Western Upper Peninsula Healthcare Access Coalition (WUPHAC). She is honored as an “Above & Beyond Hero.”
- Jeannette Hauver of Marquette, an enrollment and pharmaceutical assistance program volunteer with Medical Care Access Coalition (MCAC). She is a “Personal Touch Hero” awardee
- OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group of Escanaba, whose charity care program has supported the mission of Medical Access Coalition of Delta and Menominee Counties (MAC-DMC). OSF is one of four “Most Valuable Partner” Hero awardees.
- Kevin Piggott, MD, of Marquette, a family care physician and Volunteer Medical Director for MCAC, was instrumental in establishing MCAC as the first access-to-health-care program in the U.P. and is an advocate for health care reform nationally. He is recognized as an “Above & Beyond Hero.”
- Portage Health System’s Financial Assistance Program of Hancock, honored as a “Most Valuable Partner” Hero awardee for providing more than $1,202,000 in quality health care services free or at reduced cost to low-income uninsured residents of four counties served by WUPHAC.
- Steve Roell and TDS Pharmacies of Iron Mountain and Norway, partnering with Dickinson-Iron Medical Care Access Coalition (DIMCAC) on a pioneering local effort to make prescription drugs affordable for the uninsured through a $4 co-pay plan at TDS Pharmacies. They are recognized with an “Innovation Hero” award.
- Upper Peninsula Association of Rural Health Services, Inc. of Marquette, a “Most Valuable Partner” Hero awardee, has been active in the access-to-care movement through connections between local Access Coalitions and its six Federally Qualified Health Centers at Crystal Falls, Engadine, Ewen, Menominee, Sawyer and Spalding; 2 centers (Spalding and Crystal Falls) pioneered a unique working relationship with DIMCAC.
- War Memorial Hospital of Sault Ste. Marie, a “Most Valuable Partner” Hero honoree for working closely with Community Health Access Coalition (CHAC) of Chippewa, Luce and Mackinac counties to provide patients with free or low-cost laboratory and X-ray, in-patient and clinic services through its charity care program.
“Hero for the Uninsured” awards are presented annually by UPHAC in conjunction with five Local Access Coalitions to recognize excellence in service that advances their shared mission of achieving 100 percent access to quality health care with dignity for residents of the U.P.
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