BHV Generous Funding
Dear Editor: Brave Heart Volunteers recently received some very generous funding from groups in our community and we cannot thank them enough. First, we received $6,096 from Pointy & the Birds Ukelele Group, who spent countless hours this summer busking for BHV. Members are Wendy Alderson, Beth Caffrey, Mary Chambers, Phyllis Hackett, Jeannie Jay, Sheri Mayo, Marg Parsons and Lori Whitmill. We are so grateful to each of these lovely musicians for graciously donating their time and talent to support us.
We also received a $5,000 grant from the St. Peter’s Endowment Fund for BHV operations – a gift that will make a huge impact on our ability to continue providing services to those who are facing loneliness, grief and end of life. We sincerely appreciate this kind support, which will go a long way in helping us safeguard our mission to help our neighbors.
Also, as I prepare to leave my role as executive director, I would like to thank everyone who faithfully contributes to BHV, including the donors, grantors, fundraiser participants, businesses, volunteers, board, artists and media outlets. It costs $400 a day to keep our doors open, and raising funds amid tough economic conditions is a challenge. Rising overhead costs and finding unrestricted, operations-based grants that are not limited to projects makes it especially hard for human services organizations like BHV.
Our daily “project” is to uplift people and help alleviate their suffering, and all our expenses are tied to accomplishing that. Funding the operations of organizations like ours is vital because without it, there would be no outreach. Thankfully, the recent contributions from Pointy & the Birds and St. Peter’s Endowment Fund can be used for operations to help guarantee service delivery.
Sitka is surely fortunate to have an organization like BHV, but we know we are also fortunate to have a base like Sitka. Thank you to everyone who supports us. We could not do it without you. If you would like to learn more about or donate to BHV, please visit our website braveheartvolunteers.org
In gratitude,
Angie DelMoral, Executive Director
Brave Heart Volunteers
HIPPA and SEARHC
Dear Editor: Patient Alert! Did you know that Corporate SEARHC will not give you medical information about your loved one unless your loved one has completed a HIPPA release form annually? We are in our upper 80s and need to take care of each other. Sometimes we need to gather medical information about our spouse when it is difficult for our spouse to do so. That is not so simple to do as it sounds.
This year we have had increasing difficulty communicating with Corporate SEARHC (907-966-2411) when we have needed advice.
• When we phoned SEARHC to find out the hours Emergent Care was open we were answered by a person in Juneau who informed us that SEARHC had no Emergent Care service in Sitka!
• When we phoned SEARHC to seek advice from a nurse we were told by an automated message that our phone call would be returned within 24 hours. That did not happen.
• When my wife, following the recommendation of our pharmacist, sought advice from our physician’s nurse about a four-day procedure to be completed before I saw my physician, she was denied even phone access to our doctor’s office because the medication was to be used by me. My wife’s argument that we’d been married 64 years and that we’d been our doctor’s patients for decades “cut no ice.” Her call could not be forwarded to our doctor’s office because there was no HIPPA release for her in my record!
There is nothing we can do about the first two “glitches.” The third we CAN address, although Corporate SEARHC did not help us find out how. The law helps to keep our medical information confidential through HIPPA rules. Corporate SEARHC enforces HIPPA rules through “gatekeepers” on their end of patient phone calls. Unless you have completed a HIPPA release form authorizing a loved one to ask about your medical needs you will not be passed on to your nurse or physician. We did not know this until #3 above occurred. WE had to ask about the form, and only then were given the form, which was brand new to us! The form appeared to be designed for a one-conversation episode. By changing a bit of the language, we were able to make it effective for securing medical information for one year – when the process will need to begin all over again. Each of us has completed a form for our spouse and for each of our two children – six forms. We will be required to remember to do this annually!
We wish that Corporate SEARHC could make this process easier for increasingly limited seniors. If YOU are a senior or have any responsibility for the health care of a loved one, YOU will need to ask for a HIPPA release form, to be completed and signed by your senior family member, for EVERY person who might need medical information about them. Don’t wait until you need that information!
David and Marge Steward, Sitka
Spook-ghetti Thanks
Dear Editor: Youth Advocates of Sitka would like to thank the community for their support for our annual Spook-ghetti dinner fundraiser on Oct. 25.
We would also like to thank Sea Mart for their generous donation for our event.
Our next fundraiser will be our annual plant and bake sale in the spring. See you there!
Youth Advocates of Sitka
