Caring PartnersFall 2014 - Mayo Clinic Health System

Caring Partners
Fall 2014
Your gifts | Your impact | Our thanks
Sisters were
early champions
of local foods
PAGE 2
How your gifts help sustain
a Franciscan presence in
a modern medical practice
Franciscan Healthcare Foundation • mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving
No one dies alone
PAGE 4
Father and friar
PAGE 6
Big Blue Dragon
Boat Race
PAGE 10
Cover story
Your gifts link
yesterday, today
and tomorrow
Jointly sponsored by Mayo Clinic
and the Franciscan Sisters of
Perpetual Adoration, Mayo Clinic
Health System – Franciscan
Healthcare is shaped by the rich
and enduring legacies of both
organizations.
The stories in this issue of Caring
Partners highlight ways your gifts
help sustain Franciscan traditions
and a Franciscan presence within
the modern medical practice.
Yesterday ...
... today and tomorrow
2 |
Sisters clean fresh-picked beans from their farm at Villa St. Joseph near La Crosse.
Historic photos courtesy of the FSPA.
Sisters were early champions
of local foods
Your support helps renew a home-grown approach to health
Self-reliance has long been a hallmark
of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual
Adoration, so it’s no surprise that early
in their history, the sisters took steps to
establish a sustainable food source.
After settling at St. Rose Convent in
La Crosse in 1871, they built the first
Maria Angelorum Chapel and began
perpetual adoration in 1878. Five years
later, the sisters opened St. Francis
Hospital.
Needing land to provide food for the
congregation at St. Rose and the patients
at St. Francis, the FSPA purchased 240
acres on a picturesque ridge outside of
La Crosse in 1895. Soon they built Villa
St. Joseph and established a working
farm. Cows, pigs, geese and chickens
could be found in the paddocks, while
grain, vegetables and fruit grew in the
fields.
For nearly 70 years the sisters’ farm
supplied fresh, local food to the convent
and the hospital. At its height in 1940,
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the farm produced 6,265 dozen eggs
and 5,000 pounds of potatoes, along
with abundant quantities of meat, milk,
butter and produce.
Today, organic gardens at the farm
continue to feed the residents of St.
Rose Convent and the Villa St. Joseph
retirement community. As leaders in
ecological advocacy, the FSPA have
taken steps to preserve the property and
have partnered with Mississippi Valley
Conservancy to develop a long-range
plan to sustain its bluff lands.
Healthy eating initiatives rooted
in tradition
With significant media attention
devoted to America’s challenges with
obesity and related health issues, many
people are taking steps to eat healthier
and be more active. As a nation, we’re
beginning to see results.
Your generosity has helped Mayo
Clinic Health System - Franciscan
Healthcare launch several healthy
eating initiatives rooted in the
example of the FSPA. At the core are
programs that encourage people to
grow and eat fresh, local foods.
The Washburn Neighborhood
Garden, located on a corner of the
La Crosse campus bordering a
residential area, encompasses half
a city block. It was established in
2010 and includes 55 plots available
to neighbors and staff for a $30
annual fee, with proceeds donated to
St. Clare Health Mission. Gardeners
also donate 10 percent of what they
grow to people in need.
Five year old Aubree Pintz works with a volunteer to plant her garden seeds.
“It can also provide families with
nutritious food at a low cost.” Because
traditional row gardening is not
an option for everyone, small-scale
alternatives — such as square-foot
gardening and edible landscaping —
are featured.
Plants flourish at the Washburn
Neighborhood Garden.
Coulee Montessori students from
nearby Lincoln Middle School used
a hoop house at the garden to grow
vegetables they shared with Place
of Grace, a nearby Catholic worker
house. Students personally delivered
their harvest and took pride in
knowing others would benefit from
the fresh, healthy food they provided.
At community events, Franciscan
Healthcare staff and volunteers lead
interactive activities encouraging
children and
parents to try
gardening.
“Gardening is
a great way to
stay active and
reduce stress,”
says registered
dietitian
Kathy Oslund.
Kathy Oslund
Registered dietitian
This planter in front of the La Crosse
hospital is home to both vegetables
and flowers.
At the La Crosse hospital, large
planters once used exclusively for
flowers have been converted to
edible landscaping, incorporating
dwarf sunflowers, tomatoes, peppers,
cabbage, sweet potatoes and greens,
interspersed with blooms. Food
gathered from the planters can be
found in the cafeteria’s salad bar and
meal options. Edible landscaping will
expand to clinic sites in 2015.
For those without gardens, locallygrown produce is available from
grocers, farmer’s markets and food
pantries around the region. While
many of us know what to do with
staples like tomatoes and carrots,
preparing less familiar offerings can
be a challenge.
Teaching people how to prepare
vegetables like kale and kohlrabi
is important to increasing overall
consumption. Mayo Clinic Health
System - Franciscan Healthcare
recently acquired a mobile teaching
kitchen — funded by a grant from
Franciscan Healthcare Foundation —
to help people broaden their healthy
food options. Familiarity with easy,
kid-friendly recipes using fresh
ingredients makes it easier for families
to make good food choices.
Consuming healthy, locally grown
foods is once again at the forefront of
community health care. While today’s
model may differ from the sisters’
years ago, the goals — self-reliance
and good health — remain the same.
Thank you
for your support in sustaining this
and other Franciscan traditions
at Mayo Clinic Health System –
Franciscan Healthcare.
|
3
Your gifts at work
A presence
at the bedside
Your gifts help ensure
no one dies alone
“ O
ne of the reasons I’ve stayed is that we never
lost our mission. Patients and families still come
first. I’m glad about that. The sisters’ presence
is still felt here, and I think that’s important.”
ary Kief, registered nurse, Mayo Clinic Health System M
Franciscan Healthcare
4 |
When registered nurse Mary Kief began her shift at the
hospital that morning, she learned she’d be caring for a
woman who was near death and all alone. As she stood
near the patient’s bedside and introduced herself, the
woman suddenly grabbed her hand, clearly yearning
for companionship. With several other patients to care
for, Kief couldn’t stay long, so she excused herself but
promised to return. Each time she did, the woman
grabbed her hand.
“You knew she didn’t want you to leave,” says Kief.
“The other nurses and I tried to be with her, but the floor
was busy and we were in and out. Eventually we were
able to reach some family members who visited briefly.
Then she was alone again. The chaplain sat with her for a
while, but he also had other patients to see. We all felt so
bad for this woman. I thought about her for a long time
after my shift ended.”
“A patient dying alone doesn’t happen a lot, but it
happens occasionally,” Kief says. “Some are estranged
from family members; others don’t have children or have
outlived friends and relatives.”
A few weeks later, Kief shared the woman’s story at a
meeting of the hospital’s palliative care group. She told
them she wanted to bring “No One Dies Alone” — a
program founded at a medical center in Eugene, Oregon
in 2001 — to Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan
Healthcare. Others in the group, including a vice
president and a physician, immediately volunteered to
help make it happen. Mayo Clinic in Rochester already
had a NODA program in place, and colleagues there were
also eager to help.
Most NODA programs are housed in hospital volunteer
offices because the service is provided by specially-trained
volunteers. But the group felt strongly that at Franciscan
Healthcare, NODA should be part of the Spiritual Care
department. In fact, they decided to call their program
NODA: A Franciscan Presence.
Ultimately, it was a collaboration of several
departments, with input from the Franciscan Sisters
of Perpetual Adoration, that carried the idea from
dream to reality. You played a role, too. Your contributions
to Franciscan Healthcare Foundation helped provide
financial support for the program.
NODA: A Franciscan Presence serves
the intensive care unit and the third,
seventh and ninth floors of the La Crosse
hospital. Twenty three people, including
active and retired staff and FSPA, have
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registered with volunteer services and
completed the training program.
“Some of our volunteers have
sat at the bedside of a dying family
member, and they want to do the
same for someone else who doesn’t
have family,” says Kief. “It’s really an
honor to be present for someone at
the end of life. That’s why I volunteer
for the program, because I can’t really
do that when I’m working and taking
care of patients.”
Volunteers receive a text message
when a hospitalized patient is alone
and near death. They respond only
if they’re able to help, signing up
for two hour shifts. “We had five
volunteers respond the first time we
used the program, and the responses
Special volunteer baskets include a
came in quickly,” says Kief.
journal for companions to communicate
“Volunteers understand the nurse
with each other, inspirational books
is still totally responsible for that
and poems, a flameless candle, hand
patient,” says Kief. “If they feel
massage oil and a Reverie Harp that
the patient needs something, they
anyone can strum with soothing results.
summon the nurse, just as a family
member would. They aren’t expected
to provide any care for the patient.”
Sustaining Franciscan values and traditions is important to Kief. “When
I came here 40 years ago, there were still sisters on the nursing staff,” she
says. “One of the reasons I’ve stayed is that we never lost our mission.
Patients and families still come first. I’m glad about that. The sisters’
presence is still felt here, and I think that’s important.”
A key Franciscan value — respecting the dignity, diversity and Godgiven worth of every human being — is the foundation for NODA: A
Franciscan Presence. Volunteers consider what it means to be fully present
with someone, such as freely offering what you have to give (empathy,
concern and attention) and honoring the individual and the sacredness of
the moment.
Respecting patients’ religious beliefs is also important. “If we know a
patient has a particular faith background, we may include prayer. If we
don’t know that, or if the patient doesn’t have a faith tradition, we focus on
reading, handholding and other comforts.”•
Yesterday ...
Photos from the early days of
St. Francis Hospital often show
sisters — the only nurses at the time
— sitting quietly at patients’ bedsides.
In that era of medicine, often the
only care a sister could offer was her
mindful, prayerful presence.
Today your support, coupled
with a commitment to sustaining
Franciscan values, ensures a
similar caring presence for patients
who might otherwise be alone at
People interested in volunteering for
NODA: A Franciscan Presence may contact
Beth Allen, Spiritual Care at 608-392-2218 or
allen.elizabeth@mayo.edu for more information.
the end of life.
| 5
Your gifts at work
Hospital ministry keeps friar busy
Gifts to spiritual care department help support priest presence
“We have several
chaplains on staff
who provide spiritual
care for patients, but
traditionally, we’ve also
had a priest available
to celebrate Mass,
provide sacramental
ministry and visit
with patients. We
believe having priest
coverage is important
to maintaining a
Franciscan presence.”
Mike Brown
Director of Spiritual Care
6 |
Since 1970, the Catholic population
in the United States has grown nearly
40 percent, while the number of priests
has decreased by 35 percent.
“Securing priest coverage for the
hospital has been a challenge in recent
years,” says Mike Brown, Director of
Spiritual Care at Mayo Clinic Health
System – Franciscan Healthcare in
La Crosse. “We have several chaplains
on staff who provide spiritual care for
patients, but traditionally, we’ve also
had a priest available to celebrate Mass,
provide sacramental ministry and visit
with patients. We believe having priest
coverage is important to maintaining a
Franciscan presence.”
“Facing similar challenges, the
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual
Adoration, Viterbo University
and Mayo Clinic Health System
- Franciscan Healthcare worked
together to address the needs of our
organizations,” says Brown.
A grant from Franciscan Healthcare
Foundation helped provide financial
support to bring three priests, all
Franciscan friars with the Order of
Friars Minor, to La Crosse.
Fr. David Kelly accepted the
position at Franciscan Healthcare,
where his days typically run from
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The mid-morning
start allows him to be at the hospital
during the afternoon and early
evening, which is more conducive to
seeing patients. Most nights, he is also
the priest on-call.
“About a third of our patients
identify as Catholic, and I try to
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see most while they’re here,” says
Fr. David. “Priority is given to
candidates for the Sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick, which includes
the elderly and those with more
serious conditions.” He estimates he’s
provided more than 1,300 individual
anointings since arriving in 2011.
Fr. David also celebrates Mass in the
chapel six days a week. “It’s the most
important part of my day,” he says.
Health care staff are included in
Fr. David’s ministry. “The hospital
is like a city, with so much going on.
People who work in health care have
answered a call to serve others. I
admire what they do and try to be of
assistance when needed. We pray for
staff at every Mass in the hospital.”
Fr. David is often called to be with
Catholic patients at life’s end. “It’s
a comfort to the dying and their
families,” says Fr. David. “I’m able to
offer the Last Sacraments. I also try
to celebrate a Mass at some point for
those to whom I have ministered at the
end of life.”
Even as a priest, Fr. David says
it can be difficult at times to know
how to comfort families. “Still it’s
rewarding to be present at a privileged
place in someone’s life; to be there
when people really want to have
a priest present. I rely on the help
of the Holy Spirit because every
situation is different. Of course, God
is always the source of any good,
working through us as instruments.”
Perhaps most challenging for
Fr. David is the breadth of
circumstances he may encounter in a
given day. “In a short time span you
can go from a happy situation like
the birth of a baby, to a very serious
situation, such as a patient receiving
troubling news. You just need to be
there for them.”
Fr. David notes it was St. Francis
himself who established caring for
the sick as a Franciscan tradition.
“Saint Francis’ conversion happened
throughout his life, not at a single
moment in time. His testament
reflects that in his final years, living
among the lepers was a key element
of his conversion. With God’s grace,
he overcame his natural aversion
and fear, and lovingly cared for
them by seeing Christ in them.”•
“Still it’s rewarding to be
present at a privileged place
in someone’s life; to be there
when people really want to
have a priest present. I rely
on the help of the Holy Spirit
because every situation is
different. Of course, God
is always the source of any
good, working through us as
instruments.”
Fr. David Kelly
|
7
Estate planning
Why estate
planning is for
everyone
Estate plans and legacy gifts often seem to
belong in the realm of the ultra-wealthy —
it’s easy to see why Warren Buffett or Bill
Gates would need a plan for how they want
their billions in assets to be divided up.
It’s less clear why the average person needs an
estate plan. After all, it’s not like your relatives
are going to be fighting it out in courts over
your billion-dollar bank accounts, right?
Think again. Whether your net worth is
$100 or $1 billion, you have an estate. If you
have a house, car, or rare stamp collection,
you have an estate. If you have a savings
account or a 401(k), you have an estate. If you
have an opinion about who gets your Great
Aunt Nelda’s pearl necklace or Grandpa
John’s antique tools, you have an estate.
The truth is, estate planning is for everyone,
regardless of assets or age. A well-crafted estate
plan allows you to protect the people and
causes you care about most, no matter what.
What if you don’t have an estate plan?
A will is one of the most important documents
you’ll ever write, so it’s no surprise the
consequences of not having one can be steep.
Without an estate plan in place, here are just a
few of the problems that could arise:
• The state will be in charge of dividing up
your assets, including sentimental items or
family heirlooms.
• Your heirs may be left holding the bill for
significant estate taxes.
• A court will name an executor of your
estate, leaving someone you may not
have chosen in charge.
• A court will designate a guardian for
those under your care, including
minor children.
• Your commitment to supporting
charitable organizations, like
Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan
Healthcare, will be forgotten.
8 |
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4 steps to get you started
Step 1: The basics
Figure out what you have and what you want to do with it. Think carefully about family
members, friends, and charitable organizations you may wish to include. Then take a
rough inventory of your assets — don’t forget to determine the value of your property and
include all savings and retirement accounts.
Step 2: Choose a guardian
You take the security of your family seriously. You do any number of things to protect
them — from buying life insurance to wearing your seat belt. Naming a guardian is a way
to extend this care beyond your lifetime. Guardians are of the utmost importance if you
have minor children, but if you have a disabled adult child, parent, or spouse who is your
dependent, you must also think about who will care for them when you are gone.
Step 3: Choose an executor
First and foremost, your executor should be someone you trust. This person will have great
responsibility in managing your estate, so choose carefully. The executor is responsible for
notifying all relevant businesses and individuals of your death, settling your debts, filing
necessary tax returns, and distributing your assets according to the plan you created.
Step 4: See a professional
After you’ve spent some time taking stock and making decisions, set up a meeting with an
estate planning attorney. You can get things lined up, but you’ll need an attorney to create
and finalize your will into a legally sound document. If you’re not sure whom to call, ask
family and friends for recommendations.
© The Stelter Company The information in this publication is not intended as legal advice. For legal
advice, please consult an attorney. Figures cited in examples are for hypothetical purposes only and
are subject to change. References to estate and income taxes include federal taxes only. State income/
estate taxes or state law may impact your results.
We’re happy to help you start the planning process or answer any questions
you have along the way. Feel free to contact us at 608-392-8200.
For even more estate planning tips and advice, visit our website,
mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving
|
9
A Generous Community
Raging river can’t stop the
BIG BLUE DRAGON BOAT RACE
Event supports local breast cancer programs, celebrates survivors
A
last-minute change of venue
couldn’t dampen spirits at the
second annual Big Blue Dragon
Boat Race. Originally planned as
part of the annual Riverfest
celebration at Riverside Park in
La Crosse, flood-level conditions
on the Mississippi River necessitated
a move to calmer waters.
On Saturday, July 5, 52 teams —
nearly 1,200 people — took to the
Black River at Copeland Park in
colorful 40-foot dragon boats.
All day they vied to see which could
paddle fastest along a 250-meter
course. Thousands of onlookers
watched from bleachers, chairs and
blankets along shore.
The Big Blue Dragon Boat Race
celebrates breast cancer survivors
and benefits the Mayo Clinic Health
System – Franciscan Healthcare
Center for Breast Care. Proceeds
support free mammograms for
women in need and comprehensive
care and support for all patients
diagnosed with breast cancer.
This year’s Big Blue
Dragon Boat Race
included 52 teams
vying to see which
could paddle fastest
along a 250-meter
course.
10 |
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Linda Loper, a returning
paddler and breast cancer survivor,
competed on the 2 Tough 4 Cancer
team. “You look around you in
the boat and see survivors of all
ages, from their 70s down to their
20s, and the wonderful thing is,
we can all participate,” she says.
Loper believes the range of ages
reflects the true face of breast cancer.
“I think sometimes people have an
image in their heads of who gets
breast cancer,” she says. “Maybe
they think of older women, or people
Dragon boating is a family
affair for breast cancer
survivor Linda Loper, center,
with daughters Katie Loper,
left, and Lindsay Schilling,
also a breast cancer survivor.
Survivors are cheered on
by fellow paddlers during
the raised paddle salute.
with certain lifestyles; but it affects
all different types of people — young
women, active women, really,
anybody and everybody.”
That insight comes from
experience. Loper was 48 when
she was diagnosed seven years ago
and underwent treatment at Mayo
Clinic Health System – Franciscan
Healthcare in La Crosse. This January
her oldest daughter, Lindsay Schilling,
learned she had breast cancer at age
31. A few months later, her 82-yearold mother-in-law, JoAnn Loper, was
diagnosed.
In support of all three women,
Loper’s youngest daughter, Katie, 22,
paddled with her this year. Schilling,
who lives in Rochester, was in
treatment at Mayo Clinic and could
not participate. “But she came with
her two daughters to root us on,” says
Loper. “Next year she plans to paddle
with Making Waves, a breast cancer
survivor team from Rochester.”
Participating in the Big Blue
Dragon Boat Race rekindled Loper’s
connections with fellow survivors.
“When I decided to paddle last year,
I was six years out from my diagnosis
and hadn’t been to the support group
for a while,” she says. “Paddling
with other survivors renewed my
appreciation for being with other
women who’ve experienced breast
cancer. It reminded me how good it
feels to have that kind of support.”
Loper appreciates the support she
felt from others as well. “The number
of people at the race was absolutely
amazing,” she says. “We filled
Copeland Park. It was great to see the
community out there supporting us.”
A mid-day pause in racing
celebrated the spirit and tenacity of
survivors and remembered those lost
to the disease. As survivors boarded
dragon boats for the ceremony, a
large crowd gathered on shore. The
survivors were frequently cheered
and received a special blessing sung
by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual
Adoration.
“I love that ceremony,” says Loper.
“At the end, when you walk beneath
the raised paddles of your fellow
competitors, it’s a really great feeling.”
Moving the event to a new location
created numerous challenges, but also
offered a fresh perspective. “Being at
Riverfest the first year was wonderful,
but you knew you were part of a
larger event,” says Loper. “This year,
looking around Copeland Park and
knowing everybody was there for the
Big Blue Dragon Boat Race and breast
cancer survivors, I think I enjoyed it
even more.”•
Hearing similar sentiments from many participants, plans are underway for the
third annual Big Blue Dragon Boat Race to be held July 18, 2015 at Copeland
Park. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of this year’s sponsors, strong team
participation and the help of 100-plus volunteers, more than $50,000 was
raised for the Center for Breast Care and local breast cancer programs.
| 11
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Caring Partners
Caring Partners is published twice yearly for the friends and
benefactors of Mayo Clinic Health System.
Information for Caring Partner stories is provided by Mayo Clinic
Health System medical professionals. If you have medical
questions about these stories and how they affect your health,
please contact your physician.
To learn more about the Foundation, News and Events, FAQs and
more visit mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving.
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