Fall 2023 TFHS Foundation News

As we approach autumn, signs of the new season are definitely here! The bustle of a new school year, fading tourism, leisurely drives along our scenic roads, cooler weather. So often, renewed perspective goes beautifully with the crisp feeling of fall in the air.

The Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation team reflects frequently on the impact our supporters have on our work. We are grateful for the level of support we receive – not only from members in our close-knit communities, but also from visitors who need care when health concerns require immediate medical attention.

As you will read in our Fall 2023 eNewsletter, your support greatly impacts our work. Learn about our 2023 Summer Reception at Schaffer’s Mill, attended by members of the TFHS Administrative team, multispecialty physicians, and guests from the community. Experience a Grateful Patient’s appreciation for the outstanding care she received on her journey back to good health. Get better acquainted with one of our long-serving TFHS Board Members, Trinkie Watson. And lastly, be sure to learn about our 2023 #GivingTuesday campaign!

Your support matters. With your contributions, we continue to strengthen lifesaving programs and services at Tahoe Forest Health System. Thank you for helping us make a difference!

In gratitude,

Karli Epstein
Executive Director

On July 25th at Schaffer’s Mill Golf, Lake & Ski Club, we gathered with members of the TFHS Administrative team, a group of multispecialty physicians, valued donors, and community members to celebrate summer and share important updates about Tahoe Forest Health System.

Joined by over 100 guests, we enjoyed delicious appetizers provided by Chef Billy McCullough, live music performed by local artists Ike & Martin, and an evening of comradery. Two very important parts of our mission are to show appreciation for our supporters, and to keep our community informed about important advancements in local healthcare. Prompt access to general, emergency, and specialty providers remains a top priority for our Health System.

As our community continues to grow, we remain focused on exploring opportunities that will help expand care to meet the needs of our patients. If you would like to learn more about the efforts and goals of the TFHS Foundation, or give a gift in support our lifesaving work, please visit tfhd.com/giving.

The TFHS Foundation is proud to be the recipient of a $30,000 grant recently awarded by the Martis Camp Foundation! This will help fund two important service lines: the TFHS Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMAD) and Grief Counseling Program, designed for patients receiving prenatal care and birthing services at Tahoe Forest Health System; additionally, it will help cover mental health support services for mothers who have experienced pre- and post-natal depression, anxiety, pregnancy loss, or fetal demise.

PMAD and grief are significant health risks for mothers of newborns, causing an urgent need for behavioral health support services. Every year, more than 400,000 infants are born to mothers experiencing depression. According to the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, perinatal depression has been classified as the most underdiagnosed obstetric complication in the country.

TFHS is committed to reinvesting in the communities we serve. Grant funding, like that from the Martis Camp Foundation, helps us enhance healthcare services for our growing population. We are profoundly grateful to the Martis Camp Foundation for this endowment, and for giving us the opportunity to expand pre- and post-natal care.

The TFHS Grateful Patient program was created to provide patients with a way of sharing gratitude with caregivers and staff for the care either they or a loved one received. Supporting patient services, through gifts and words of appreciation, helps us enhance expert and compassionate healthcare. Read on to learn more about one grateful patient’s experience at Tahoe Forest:

“I’m writing, COVID behind me, about the helpful, thoughtful, kind care I received from TFHS staff. A week ago Sunday. I wrote in MyChart that I had tested positive for COVID and hoped to get a prescription for Paxlovid. I was out of town, at our son’s house in Palo Alto, and didn’t quite know what to do. My throat was very painful, like it was filled with needles, pins and arrows. Within two hours, a member of the TFHS care team called me. She understood my request and my dilemma. She very patiently – and clearly – walked me through finding the California telemedicine website, choosing a Provider (available ‘now’ was the deciding factor), and locating the nearest pharmacy (warning me to check that they actually HAD Paxlovid before I made my selection). In other words, every step of the way, I knew what to do and how to do it. I am sure she was very well trained for her role, but training and delivery often are different things. And she delivered! Kindly, thoughtfully, and quickly. She made sure I had everything I needed. The aftercare was also very reassuring. I wasn’t just helped and cut loose.
The MyChart portal has always worked for me. When we moved from the Bay Area to the mountains, it helped me bring everything ‘with’ me. Whomever read my portal messages on a Sunday at noon recognized my request and took care of it – took care of me.

I really want to say thank you — I feel that I have a ‘care team’ surrounding me — and especially commend staff who helped me.”

THANK YOU!
A Grateful Patient

Are you interested in sharing a Grateful Patient story or giving a gift in honor of the care you received at TFHS? Visit our Grateful Patient webpage.

Tahoe Forest Hospital was founded on the spirit of philanthropy. Befitting of the Dick Joseph Family, who in 1951 donated the land upon which the Truckee campus resides, the TFHS Foundation provides resources that help fund capital needs and underwrite health and wellness programs offered throughout the Tahoe-Truckee region. Good works have a lasting impact.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving, created with one simple idea in mind – to encourage people to do good things. It has since grown into a movement that has inspired hundreds of millions of people worldwide to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. By supporting organizations and causes that are important to us, communities are transformed.

This #GivingTuesday – November 28th – the TFHS Foundation will be raising money in support of Oncology Support Services at our Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. The Cancer Center offers a variety of supportive care programs – all at no cost to the patient or their caregiver. 100% of every donation designated to Oncology Support Services goes toward a whole-person approach to cancer care, and provides services such as individual counseling, massage therapy, acupuncture, and biofeedback – to list just a few! Access to this integrated healthcare approach significantly improves quality of life for patients, their families, and devoted caregivers.

We will be sharing more information soon on how you can support Oncology Support Services this #GivingTuesday. Please consider donating now!

Trinkie moved to Lake Tahoe in 1966 and, except for a small four year hiatus in 1985, she has lived in Squaw Valley (now Palisades), Incline Village, and Truckee. In real estate since the early 70s, she is a California and Nevada broker with a strong history in lakefront sales, as well as Sierra Valley ranches and mountain cabins. As an aside, she started in the business on an orange Kawasaki, graduating to a car after her first sale!

Trinkie graduated with a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She continued to pursue education in real estate, obtaining numerous designations – including a Certificate of Negotiation from Harvard Law School.

Her leadership strengths include being President of the Incline Village Board of Realtors, the Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service, and the Lake Tahoe Music Festival. After being on the Cancer Advisory Council for six years while building the Gene Upshaw Tahoe Forest Hospital Cancer Center, she became its Chair. Her community giving also includes Board and committee activities within other organizations. Currently, she serves on the Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation Board as a Director for the third time.

The Foundation team is incredibly honored to collaborate with Trinkie, and extends heartfelt appreciation for her ongoing service as a Board Director.

Dr. Lauren Lessard is an associate professor of health sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage and a maternal and child epidemiologist at the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies. She has extensive experience developing research protocol and interventions addressing health disparities and inequities in communities. Dr. Lessard completed her PhD in Public Health at UCLA and her MPH at UC Berkeley in Maternal and Child Health. Prior to completing graduate school, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Suriname, South America, and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Political and Community Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She moved to Truckee in 2022 and has 3 children attending and thriving in local schools. Her husband is a full-time emergency medicine physician at Tahoe Forest, and they both love the vibrant community and outdoor activities Truckee has to offer.

The foundation is incredibly honored to welcome Lauren Lessard as our newest addition to the Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation Board. We look forward to collaborating with Lauren in this role as board member.

We are always proud to share some of the positive recognition we receive from patients, honoring the compassionate care provided at Tahoe Forest Health System!

“Everyone I have encountered in this facility has been nothing but professional and a delight. We should all love where we work this much!”

“Bravo! Well run campus! Please keep up the great and wonderful work that you ALL provide here. I truly believe, and am confident, that I am under the best care. I live with thankfulness.”

“The nurses were AMAZING! They were so kind and made me feel safe during a very stressful situation. Can’t say enough good things! Thank you!”

“Best experience with a hospital emergency issue. They set a standard for excellence. Should be a teaching hospital.”

“From the moment I entered the Cancer Center, I felt welcomed with compassion and care! Every thought had been taken into consideration to support me. It was incredibly positive given the stress I was under.”

Learn more about the Foundation by following the Health System on social media! We post updates weekly.

Instagram Username: tahoeforesthealthsystem
Facebook Page: Tahoe Forest Health System
Twitter Account: TahoeForestHospital

Thank you for your interest in the Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation. To learn more about the different ways you can support TFH through philanthropy, visit www.tfhd.com/giving/giving or contact Karli Epstein, Executive Director, at 530-582-4204 or [email protected].

If you are not on our electronic mailing list, sign up to receive our quarterly TFHS Foundation eNewsletter.