Indianapolis Medical Society

President's Message March 2010

"We Can Do Better" Help Project Health, Help Them

We members of the Indianapolis Medical Society have much to be proud of in Project Health. I'm elated that 42 of our member physicians have so generously donated $13,000 to Project Health. Thank you for stepping up to the plate! Opportunity remains for the 1958 other members to come to the financial aid of this remarkable program. We can also give hearty thanks to the hundreds of IMS members who have generously contributed their time and talent to care for Project Health patients.

Let me take this opportunity to remind you of what an impressive undertaking Project Health is along with a few examples of our successes.

Project Health has been in operation since 2003. The staff has achieved miracles. But they haven't been able to do this alone. We want to thank each and every one of the physicians who have volunteered to see Project Health patients, as well as the hospitals and labs that also donate their services. YOU have collectively donated more than $14 million in services.

More than 10,000 appointments have been scheduled with over 25,000 procedures completed - some small, but many of them quite significant. Procedures include, but are not limited to: 11 open heart procedures, 5 corneal transplants, 2 brain surgeries, 3 spinal surgeries, 2 hip and 2 knee replacements, scores of gall-bladder and cataract removals, hernia repairs, colonoscopies, prostate surgeries and, unfortunately, too many cancer surgeries, accompanied by chemotherapy and radiation.

The most striking success has been that frivolous emergency room visits among the Project Health members patients have gone from an initial 77% to less than 1% for the past 4 years, saving the emergency rooms an average of $515,000 per year in our population alone. This has been accomplished by personally counseling the patients on appropriate and inappropriate emergency room use and asking patients to sign a pact that they will not break the rules. Project Health works!

The incredible stories abound, i.e., the gentleman who had two egg-sized brain tumors, and thanks to the late Julius Goodman, MD, and Aaron Cohen-Gadol, MD, they were removed within 24 hours of the PH call. A woman with an aortic coarctation was seen and "fixed" by David Heimansohn, MD. She is now back working two jobs, trying to support her sons and get them into college. Another man had two cataracts that prevented him from doing just about everything, including driving or working. Thanks to Frank Price, MD, he can see again and has his old job back. These are just a few examples of thousands of appointments made. We've witnessed tears welling up in the eyes of patients as they relate their stories. They are so very grateful, as we all are.

Until now, Project Health never lacked for funding. The local foundations have been very generous. However, the economic downturn has adversely affected all endowments, and currently grant funding is nearly impossible to obtain.

This is why we solicited your donations in December and asked for doctors to step up to the plate, make tax deductible donations, and help Project Health remain financially sound. Those donors who responded to our request are displayed on the front cover of this magazine.

Please, if you haven't already donated - get out your checkbook and make a donation to the Indianapolis Medical Society Foundation's Project Health. We need $100,000 and so far have only $13,000. Your hospitals (Clarian Health, Community Hospitals, and St. Vincent Hospitals) have stepped up to the plate for many years but those donations cover only about 1/3 of the total budget.

Therefore, Project Health came up with a different "event" to raise money. It is an on-line silent auction we call "Pitch in for Project Health."

Special birthday or anniversary coming up? Want to take off, literally, on an adventure? Would you like to arrange to give your favorite sports fan a one-of-a-kind memorabilia from Peyton Manning or Larry Bird? How would you like to throw a party for 20 of your friends at Chateau Thomas winery? Any and all of these things are attainable by simply going online - and for less than you'd think. That's the beauty of an auction for a charity. The customer can get incredible bargains, while at the same time helping out a good cause.

The Project Health Auction runs March 1-13th. To participate, all you have to do is visit: www.projecthealth.cmarket.com. Take a look at the catalog and START BIDDING. The catalog changes daily as new items arrive. Tell your family, your friends, and colleagues to take a look. Maybe you could even throw a few hints their way as to what you'd like.

There is something for every age group from infants to grown-ups ... even a couple of items for your dog. For example: two tickets on AirTran to anywhere in the continental United States; golf packages to Kiawah Island and Savannah, Georgia; cruises to the Caribbean; a Discovery Flight from Eagle Flyers; hot air balloon rides; and much more.

To preview the catalog, go to www.projecthealth.cmarket.com, select what you'd like, and then start bidding March 1st. The catalog changes every day. Donations above and beyond the value of the items are tax deductible.

And there you have it - two ways to help Project Health - and receive a tax deduction at the same time. Now, more than ever, Project Health needs your help. It's our program - we need to get behind it and support it as much as possible.

"Pitch in for Project Health" is sponsored by: WTHR-TV 13, MDwise, and Clarian Health.