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NEWS FOR OUR DONORS AND FRIENDS

MAY 2019

Philanthropically

Before January 2017, Jay and Missy DiBella had no idea what a NICU was. Little did they know that their daughter’s life would depend on access to this specialized level of care for newborns.

Jay and Missy were married 18 years when they were surprised to find out they were expecting a baby. After years of medical challenges and being told they were unable to have children, this was wonderful and unexpected news. As any other expecting parents, they prepared for the new arrival and celebrated with family and friends.

Eight weeks before her due date, Missy was admitted to Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center with elevated blood pressure. Two days later, on Sunday, January 22, Abigail was born by emergency cesarean section, weighing only 3 pounds and 14 ounces. She was immediately taken to the Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Abigail ’s StoryUp until this moment, Jay and Missy had never heard of a NICU nor understood what type of care the unit provided. During the two weeks Abigail spent in the NICU at Holmes Regional, Jay and Missy learned from the nurses how to care for their tiny daughter – everything from how to change her diaper to how to take her temperature and even feed her. It was all so different from what they planned.

“The NICU nurses do their jobs with such passion and make it seem so easy. During the most terrifying time in my life, they brought me comfort, and I wholeheartedly trusted them,” says Jay DiBella.

Neonatal Intensive Care Units combine advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals to provide specialized care for the tiniest patients. The Level II NICU at Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center was the first in Brevard. It has ten beds and is staffed by board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, a designated family specialist and intensive care nurses, all specially trained to provide complex care needed by premature babies and newborns.

Community support of Health First is vital to ensuring that specialized units and advanced technologies — like those found in the NICU and other areas — are available to everyone in their time of need.

During sudden, unexpected medical challenges, Health First is here for Brevard County. Whether it is a new baby, an unexpected illness, an accident, routine outpatient surgery or end-of-life care, we are here to serve our community when you need us most.

The NICU at Holmes Regional opened in 1987 with support from the community. Health First is grateful for the continued support received for Women & Children’s services. Donors are true partners in our mission to provide world-class, compassionate health care, right here at home. To share your story or learn more about how you can support Women and Children’s Services, visit our website – HFgive.org.

Jay has emotional memories of leaving his wife and running with Neonatologist Dr. Julio Vallette from the operating room to the NICU on the third floor to see baby Abigail.

Abigail is now a perfectly healthy, strong two-year-old who loves to join her dad, Jay, a musician, on the microphone.

Jay and Missy are so grateful that Health First had a NICU to care for Abigail when she was born. “The entire NICU team made us feel like we were the only family on the unit. But we knew they were caring for others the same way. It is amazing what they do on a daily basis with such ease and compassion,” they said.

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As a healthcare leader in the community, Health First has been actively supporting the efforts of Who We Play For for the past three years. The program began in Brevard County when two high school friends wanted to memorialize a fellow member of their high school soccer team. The student had suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) on the field during a soccer game in his senior year of high school.

The two friends decided to form a non-profit organization known as Who We Play For to create awareness about SCA as a silent killer and the leading medical cause of death in students. They began to schedule screening sessions at area high schools, focusing on athletes, who are at a higher risk of SCA.

Electrocardiograms (EKGs) are proven to be the most effective screening tool for sudden cardiac arrest.

From April 2016 to December 2018, there have been 2,053 students in Brevard County screened with an EKG funded through Health First. Of that number, 1,985 students were diagnosed as low-risk and 66 students were diagnosed with a cardiac abnormality with recommendations for follow-up testing.

Two students have been diagnosed as high-risk, in which it was strongly recommended that clearance be obtained from a specialist or cardiologist before continuing to participate in sports.

Currently, Who We Play For is focusing its efforts on urging the School Board of the Brevard Public Schools to pass a resolution that all student athletes be screened with an EKG before participating in sports.

For more information on this program, visit whoweplayfor.org.

EKGs for Student Athletes: Health First Supports Who We Play For

Rosen Shingle CreekA hotel block will be available

for the Grape Escape

A spectacular evening of exceptional food and wine with lively auctions to benefit

Health First Heart & Vascular

Saturday, October 12, 2019

THEDATESAVEFor more information,

call 321.434.7353

Formal invitation to follow

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Associate donations provided funds for:

¡ Blanket warmers and celebration bells in the Health First Cancer Institute infusion centers

¡ Portable body weight scales for Home Care to assist chronic heart failure patients in managing their condition

¡ Advanced nurse training, including nursing scholarships

¡ Four new incubator beds in the NICU¡ Flags for Veterans program, “Forever a

Hero,” at all four Health First hospitals and Hospice

¡ 2,473 community members and first responders to learn crucial life-saving techniques through the “Stop the Bleed” program

The Power of Many Begins with the Power of One

The Health First Associate Month of Giving campaign, held each February, invites associates to invest in our not-for-profit mission with a gift to an area of their choosing in the Health First Foundation. A total of 4,278 associates participated in the 2019 Associate Month of Giving, donating over $493,000 to twelve different areas, including Aging Services, Cancer Institute, Emergency and Trauma, Heart & Vascular, Hospice, Pastoral Care and Women & Children.

Over 295 associates volunteered to be campaign ambassadors and share this information with their colleagues. Health First associate giving is a national example — leading the nation in not only the level of participation but also the amount donated.

¡ Two new dramatic play areas at Bright Star Center for Grieving Children and Families – a hospital room and a karaoke stage, plus an artwork wall-hanging system.

Associates also volunteered 216 hours at The Children’s Hunger Project and Central Brevard Sharing Center.

Thank you to all Health First associates for your generosity and the work you do each day to care for our community.

equipment advances, introduce vital services to our community and offer educational opportunities for our clinical staff. These advancements include earlier and more precise cancer diagnostic equipment, along with a variety of cancer interventions, including highly specialized care not available anywhere else in Brevard. We are grateful for ABI’s commitment and are honored to recognize them as a Corporate Partner.

For information on becoming a Corporate Partner, please call the Foundation at 321.434.7353.

Corporate Partner Spotlight: American Business Interiors (ABI) has been an industry leader in commercial interior design, products and exceptional service for 50 years. With employees living and working in Brevard County, ABI, as a Corporate Partner, values Health First’s commitment to exceptional local healthcare and gladly supports Health First’s non-for-profit mission.

The Health First Foundation’s Corporate Partners provide essential philanthropic support for the ever-changing healthcare needs of our community. Support has helped us keep pace with technology and

“As a local employer, I know the value of having exceptional health care available for my team. I believe Health First is dedicated to our local community and provides high quality medical care across our entire county. That’s important to me, my family and my business,” said Rob Perers, President of ABI.

Associate volunteers at The Children’s Hunger Project

“Stop the Bleed” community education program

Dramatic play areas at Bright Star Center for Grieving Children and Families

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Philanthropically Speaking is published byHealth First Foundation1350 S. Hickory St.Melbourne, FL 32901321.434.7353HFgive.org

Foundation@Health-First.org

facebook.com/healthfirstflorida

Health First Foundation Board of TrusteesJessica André, ChairStephen Lacey, Vice ChairRob Perers, Immediate Past ChairMichael Seeley, PresidentPatricia Pruitt, SecretaryNicholas W. Romanello, Esq., Assistant SecretaryTina Goins, Treasurer

Gobivenkata Balaji, M.D.Richard C. BeagleyStephanie BrownCarl D. Coddington, Jr.Rochelle L. CooperDale A. DettmerBecky DukesBobbie DyerEvelyn Foster

Steven JohnsonChristine LancePolly MolnarRita MorenoBarry RichardsonBarbara Wall Scanlon Nancy TaylorKenneth Tieu, M.D.Bill Troner

Kevin Steele, Emeritus

Our MissionThe Health First Foundation helps improve the health and well-being of residents in our community by raising funds to support and advance the mission of Health First and its family of charitable healthcare providers.

These include four not-for-profit hospitals — Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital, Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center, Health First’s Palm Bay Hospital and Health First’s Viera Hospital — as well as many Outpatient & Wellness Services that include Hospice of Health First and Health First Aging Services.

The Health First Foundation, Inc., Florida Registration #CH-12568, receives 100% of all contributions. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free, 1.800.435.7352, within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.

Contact usfor more information on ways to support Health First through the Foundation.

In Tribute...Tribute gifts are a special opportunity to remember a friend or loved one in a way that impacts future patients and their families. Gifts can be made to honor a family member, cherished friend or compassionate medical provider.

The Foundation recognizes the generosity of donors as they honor special people who have touched their lives. Tributes made between January 1, 2019, and March 31, 2019, in honor or memory of loved ones, are featured on our website. Visit HFgive.org to view the full list of tributes.

Gift Planning Offers Flexibility

Next Steps

1. Contact Jeanene Donilon at 321.434.7386 or Jeanene.Donilon@HF.org for additional information on bequests or other options for including Health First Foundation in your will or estate plan.

2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.

3. If you include Health First Foundation in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID (listed below) and be sure to let us know so that we can say Thank You.

Legal Name: Health First Foundation

Address: 1350 S. Hickory St., Melbourne, FL 32901

Federal Tax ID Number: 59-3528774

Generosity comes in many forms. Planned Giving is a meaningful way for you to support the causes that matter the most to you in your life. When you give to Health First Foundation, you support Health First in its mission to provide for the wellness and health of Brevard County for years to come.

Including the Health First Foundation in your will is easy and allows you the flexibility to change your will in the event that life circumstances change.

An Example of How It Works

Meet Tom and Martha. When they got married and created a will, they included a $25,000 gift to the Health First Foundation. As their family grew to include three children, Tom and Martha decided to revise their gift to ensure their children’s future financial security.

The couple met with their attorney and revised the gift language so that the Foundation received a percentage of their estate, instead of a specific amount.

In later years, when the children graduated college and became established in their own careers, Tom and Martha revisited their estate plan and decided to utilize one of their highest-taxed assets (an Individual Retirement Account) for their gift to the Foundation. In doing so, they and their children avoid future federal income tax that would be incurred on withdrawal.

Tom and Martha now rest easy knowing that their plans will provide for the people and charitable work they love.

Tribute gifts are a special opportunity to remember a friend or loved one in a way that impacts future patients and their families. Gifts can be made to honor a family member, cherished friend or compassionate medical provider.

The Foundation recognizes the generosity of donors as they honor special people who have touched their lives. Tributes made between January 1, 2019, and March 31, 2019, in honor or memory of loved ones, are featured on our website. Visit HFgive.org to view the full list of tributes.