Enhancing the
experience of care
Science has proved something
most of us have witnessed
firsthand: Thoughts and
feelings affect physical wellbeing. As a faith-based system
whose mission is rooted in a
fundamental understanding
of human beings as created in
the image of God, Advocate
understands that technologically
advanced medical care alone
is insufficient for health and
healing: Care must be delivered
with compassion and respect for
each person’s inherent dignity,
and stress must be reduced to
the maximum extent possible.
Donors uphold Advocate’s
foundational values by
supporting facilities, programs
and services that help meet the
emotional and spiritual needs of
community members when they
are most vulnerable.
A wife and mother of two school-age children, Patricia Lundstrom was diagnosed with
stage 4 breast cancer following a routine mammogram and subsequent PET scan. She
underwent chemotherapy at Advocate South Suburban Hospital, where clinical expertise
was complemented by the support and compassion of her entire caregiving team. “When
I went in for my biopsy, I felt a nurse’s hand gently on my ankle, letting me know she was
there and that I was a person, not a patient,” Patricia says. “Just the smallest of gestures
meant so much.”
Modernizing facilities for greater user-friendliness
and privacy
Advocate’s hospital campuses have grown over the past
several decades as new medical technologies and services
have been developed, often requiring patients to travel
between multiple buildings to get the care they need.
Donors are generously supporting the construction of new
outpatient pavilions at Advocate Christ Medical Center and
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center that will greatly
reduce patients’ stress by locating related services in close
proximity to one another. Donors are also supporting
inpatient expansion projects at Advocate Good Shepherd
Hospital, Advocate Eureka Hospital and Advocate Good
Samaritan Hospital that will ensure patients are cared for
in their own private rooms.
Supporting patients through their cancer journeys
and beyond
Being diagnosed with and treated for cancer is physically,
mentally and emotionally draining, and the effects can
persist for years after treatment ends. Advocate’s 15 sites
of cancer care serve close to 10,000 patients annually with
$18.3
3
3
million raised for
Good Shepherd Hospital’s
modernization project
through 2013
70%
advanced technology, research and resources; donors
enhance cancer patients’ experience by helping fund
oncology nurse navigators. These dedicated partners and
advisors guide patients through their journey, providing
practical and emotional support. Philanthropy covered the
entire first year’s salary of the nurse navigator at Advocate
Condell Medical Center in 2013. Charitable gifts also help
sustain holistic cancer survivorship programs, which offer
exercise classes, wig boutiques, support groups and other
services to help patients thrive following treatment.
Harnessing the healing power of music
Numerous studies show that music has a therapeutic
effect—easing pain and anxiety, lowering blood pressure
and improving coping ability. Several Advocate hospitals
and Advocate Hospice offer music programming or music
therapy to promote a calm and relaxing environment that
helps heal patients and families alike. Charitable funds afford
this aspect of patient-centered care. For instance, donors
raised more than $35,000 to support the annual costs of
Advocate Sherman Hospital’s Musicians Care program.
of cancer
survivors live
for 5 years or longer
5,600
certified music
therapists
in the U.S.