Annual Report 2006
Our lifetime of experience has readied us for your experience of a lifetime.

Harriet E. and James W. Pennybaker
	Annual Report 2006
	Letter from the Chairmen
	Hospital Expansion
	Outpatient Centers
	Cancer Care
	Heart Health
	Surgery
	Women's & Children's Services
	Development
	Financials
	Charity Care Policy
	Health Promotion & Wellness
	Recruitment
	Donor Report
	Mission
Related Links
- The Harriet E. and James W. Pennybaker Memorial Scholarship
- Volunteeer Services
- Hospice

Development

From its founding in 1913, Grand View Hospital has had as its loyal partner the Grand View Hospital Auxiliary. A small group of women formed the Auxiliary for the common cause of giving comfort to patients and visitors, supporting nurses’ activities and other worthwhile health-related community projects. Their mission today has hardly changed, although some men have joined the ranks.

While the events they organize no longer center around stocking the hospital pantry, their efforts on behalf of Grand View contribute substantially to the well-being of our patients, and to the bottom line. Two years ago, the Auxiliary pledged $750,000 to the Expanding The Vision capital campaign. As the largest pledge in its history, members worried about making the payments over five years. That concern quickly disappeared on June 1, 2006, when at their annual meeting, a $200,000 installment on their pledge was presented to the Foundation—the largest annual gift ever made by the Auxiliary.

Auxiliary president Charlotte Shuletsky praised the board and individuals and businesses that have supported this year’s events. In May, the Auxiliary unveiled its new signature event, the Flower Show and Gala. “The response was gratifying, even overwhelming,” she said. “Three hundred people attended and there were wonderful exhibits from florists and sponsorship support from local businesses.” Treasurer Donna Drexler added, “We would not have been able to pay our pledge early without the tremendous success of our Flower Gala.”

The Auxiliary’s most successful fundraiser is the Corner Cupboard Gift Shop. Gone are the days of the closet-sized shop that sells gum and lifesavers. Visitors and employees are treated to an ever-changing selection of flowers, cards, gifts, jewelry, handbags, books, music and more. The shop’s success has allowed the Auxiliary to hire a full-time manager who relies on Auxilians and volunteers to keep things running smoothly.

The Auxiliary has diversified its fundraising activities. In June, the annual Golf Tournament attracted the largest field ever with 168 golfers. The Festival of Lights tree-lighting event, held in December to honor or memorialize loved ones, brightens the spirits of all. The Auxiliary is looking forward to the second annual Flower Gala, returning to the Pearl S. Buck Historic Site in April 2007, followed by the Geranium Sale in May for Mother’s Day. Appealing vendor sales and raffles have also added to the Auxiliary’s success.

In addition to its support of the building project, the Auxiliary regularly funds community health and wellness projects, with a special interest in women’s health issues. Projects include Cancer Survivor’s Day, the Women’s Conference, WHALE stickers to identify children in their car seats and pill boxes for Home Care patients. The Auxiliary also provides more than $3,000 in scholarship money for employees and VolunTeens.

“We don’t have giving records as far back as 1913,” said David Alderfer, Director of Development for the Grand View Health Foundation. “However, since 1990, the Auxiliary has contributed $3 million to the hospital. I’m not aware of another Auxiliary of its size that is so successful.”

The Harriet E. and James W. Pennybaker Scholarship
Helping Tomorrow’s Nurses Today

Grand View awards the Harriet E. and James W. Pennybaker Memorial Scholarship to a worthy student pursuing a nursing career. The scholarship was established by family and friends in memory of the Pennybakers, dedicated hospital volunteers, and is held by the Grand View Health Foundation.

Mrs. Pennybaker, an RN, volunteered nearly 22,000 hours in such positions as front-desk receptionist and unit assistant. She was also a Grand View employee for several decades, working as a shift supervisor, IV team member and Institutional Review Board member. “As a supervisor, she kept everything in order,” Sylvia Shelly, RN, noted. “She never took no for an answer. Penny cared about results and wanted to make sure everything was taken care of properly for the patient’s well-being.” Mrs. Pennybaker also helped to set up the hospital’s first intensive care unit and radioisotope lab.

Mr. Pennybaker volunteered at Grand View after retiring from Schulmerich Carillons Inc. in Sellersville, serving nearly 3,000 hours at the front desk.

For more information about scholarship criteria or to apply, contact the Human Resources Department at 215-453-4874. To make a gift in support of this scholarship, contact the Development Office at 215-513-3935.

Grand View Hospice Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Hospice, with its focus on caring, not curing, was an innovative concept when Grand View Hospice opened in 1981. Twenty-five years later, it is an established model of medical care for people facing a life-limiting illness.

The first hospice program in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Grand View Hospice provides medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support to individuals with terminal illness and their families, usually in the patient’s home. At the center of hospice is the belief that each individual has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that families will receive the necessary support to allow them to do so.

In its infancy, Grand View Hospice provided services in the homes of patients following a hospital stay to manage symptoms of their terminal illness, usually cancer. “We served a handful of patients with visits from a registered nurse, part-time social worker and home-health aides employed by Grand View Home Care,” said hospice manager Cathy Haberle. “In the early days, we were supported by the hospital and private contributions. We received no money from the government or other insurers.”

In fact, the hospice movement was so young that only two years before our service was founded, the federal Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) initiated a demonstration program at 26 hospices throughout the country to test the cost-effectiveness of this innovative concept of care. That program proved that hospice was cost-efficient and laid the groundwork for the provision of hospice services for Medicare patients, and later for Medicaid recipients and nursing-home residents.

Directed by the patient’s physician, individuals receive visits one or more times a week from a hospice team that may include nurses; physical, speech, occupational and respiratory therapists; dietitians; medical social workers; chaplains; home health aides and volunteers. Support is provided to the patient’s loved ones as well.

All of the hospice patient’s care-related needs are covered, including medications, medical equipment and health-care supplies. Patients with a limited life expectancy and who no longer seek to cure their terminal illness are eligible. Once considered a service for cancer patients, hospice patients today have a variety of diagnoses, with less than half being cancer.

“We’ve come a long way in the past 25 years and are proud of the extent of services we provide,” Haberle said. “Not only do we offer high-tech services such as intravenous antibiotic therapy, but also a number of alternative therapies. It’s not unusual for us to send a harpist or flutist to visit patients in their home or nursing home. Patients may also receive a massage from a certified therapist or a visit from a trained therapy dog.”

The Grand View Hospice is located in the Professional Building, adjacent to the hospital.

Grand View Hospice Services

• Skilled nursing visits with support as needed from physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapists and dietitians.
• Social-worker visits to address emotional and psychosocial needs of patients and their families.
• Home health aide visits delivering personal, hands-on care.
• Volunteer services for support and companionship.
• Bereavement counselor/program for family members following the loss of a loved one through grief educational mailings, individualized support and group support for adults and children.

Hospice care is covered by most private insurance plans, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other managed-care organizations. Care is provided on weekends as needed, and emergency services are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. For more information, contact Grand View Hospice at 215-453-4210.

For information regarding giving opportunities, contact David Alderfer, Director of Development, at 215-513-3935. The Grand View Hospice Program welcomes your generosity and financial assistance as a means of ensuring the continuation of hospice services. Memorial donations, bequests, community organization support and all types of charitable contributions designated for hospice care should be directed to the Grand View Health Foundation, Hospice Program.