By Dana Dunn
For HealthFirst for Clinton County
WILMINGTON, Ohio -- $640,000.
That
is how much money HealthFirst for Clinton County has contributed more or less
under the radar to healthy charitable causes in the area since 2011 when all of
its $3.2 million in endowments, restricted and unrestricted funds were
consolidated within the Clinton County Foundation.
The
additional significance of that move six years ago is that the original fund
has actually grown by nearly a half a million dollars to $3.7 million, insuring
that HealthFirst’s efforts to positively impact individual and organizational
health and wellness in Clinton County will continue for years to come.
“Through
conscientious and judicious control of its fund, HealthFirst has made an
impressive impact on the Clinton County community while preserving its assets,”
said Jan Blohm, executive director of the Clinton County Foundation. “Its board
should be proud of the value they have brought to our community and be aware of
the economic impact HealthFirst has made.”
HealthFirst originated as the Clinton Memorial
Hospital Foundation in the early 1990s and became an independent, volunteer
board-driven community foundation in December of 2010 upon the sale of Clinton
Memorial Hospital to a for-profit entity.
Its
most visible ongoing community service is the Patient Medication Assistance
Program, which is operated by lone employee Jane Vandervort and volunteers at
the Clinton County Annex, 111 S. Nelson Ave., Wilmington.
Another
impactful health service is the Clinton County Diabetes and Wellness Program, a
HealthFirst partnership with the Clinton County Health Department and Clinton
County Commissioners.
HealthFirst
also hosts the You-Turn Recovery Docket Fund, which serves to support
participants and program needs of the drug docket within Clinton County Common
Pleas Court.
In
2015, HealthFirst collaborated with Clinton Memorial Hospital, the Clinton
County Health Department, and Mental Health Services of Warren and Clinton
County to conduct the first comprehensive community health needs assessment in
more than a decade. It has proven to be an excellent resource for area
organizations and grant writers and can be found on the HealthFirst web site at
www.healthfirst-cc-oh.org.
Over
the years, HealthFirst has financially supported a number of organizations and
causes, including Stepping Stones Ranch, the Clinton County Homeless Shelter, patients
at Clinton Memorial Hospital, the Health
Alliance of Clinton County, United Way of Clinton County, Honor Flight,
Leadership Clinton, Harvest of Gold, Wilmington City Parks and Recreation, the
American Legion Bus Project, the Business Advisory Council, WALH radio, the
Blanchester Recreation Center Project, and the local chambers of commerce.
For
the first time in several years recently, HealthFirst reorganized its board and
added three new board members. Pat King is the new chairperson, Andrew McCoy is
the new vice-chair, Pam Bauer is the new secretary, and Scott Holmer retained
the post of treasurer.
King,
a retired registered nurse with more than three decades of experience in
community health at CMH, has several goals and plans for HealthFirst. Among
them include adopting a budget for frequent grantees such as some of those
mentioned above; a quarterly meeting with the Clinton County Commissioners and
other bodies to seek potential partnerships; and to create a simple funding
application to assure consistent information when making funding decisions.
McCoy
is an assistant prosecuting attorney for Clinton County; Bauer is the health
commissioner for Clinton County; and Holmer is business development officer for
First State Bank.
New
board members are Jeff Drapalik, Dr.
Mike Newman and Kelsey Swindler. Former chairman Dana Dunn is now an
emeritus member but will continue to focus on communication/media/internet
relations for HealthFirst.
Dr.
Newman is a semi-retired general surgeon who also serves as the medical advisor
to the You-Turn Recover Docket; Swindler is coordinator for marketing/communications
at CMH Regional Health System; and Drapalik retired from a career in
finance/operations side for non-profit healthcare organizations. Dunn is the former director of CMH public
relations and the CMH Foundation who is now the part-time coordinator for the
You-Turn Drug Docket and a freelance journalist/blogger (DunnWrites).
For
more information about HealthFirst, go to www.healthfirst-cc-oh.org, like it on Facebook
and follow it on Twitter.
-HealthFirst-
