Catholic Foundation strengthens healthcare in Southern Arizona

By Elizabeth Bollinger, Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson

The Catholic Foundation received a little more than nine million dollars to establish the St. Joseph Catholic Healthcare Endowment many years ago. There are several restricted funds that are part of this endowment, of which the interest can be used to provide grants. 

Last week, members of the Catholic Foundation staff accompanied Bishop Edward Weisenburger and members of the St. Joseph Catholic Healthcare Committee to distribute funds in support of healthcare in Southern Arizona. 

The Klinger Burn Fund for burn victims and burn education/prevention in Southern Arizona was able to support: 

• UMC Banner Health Burn Unit to enhance clinical education, training, and specialized equipment so that burn and trauma patients in Southern Arizona do not have to go to Phoenix. 

• Tucson Fire Department for a Youth Fire-Setting Prevention and Intervention Program. Funding will go toward educational and training materials, therapy and rehabilitation, counseling, resources, and class instructors. 

The Dardis Fund and the Jane Robb Fund both support nursing and healthcare scholarships for active Catholics in the Diocese of Tucson. This year, two scholarships were awarded to: 

• Erson Lopez attending the University of Arizona College of Nursing 

• Selena Hopkins attending the University of Arizona to pursue a Doctorate in Audiology 

The largest fund, the St. Joseph Catholic Healthcare General Fund, is restricted to supporting healthcare initiatives in the Diocese of Tucson. This year, grants were made to the following: 

• Carondelet Health Network’s Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales to supply a Panda Warmer, which is utilized in births allowing the healthcare team the ability to easily assess and evaluate a newborn baby, along with easy critical access to oxygen, suction, weight, and emergency equipment needed to maintain airway needed in emergent situations. 
  
  

• Tucson Medical Center (TMC) / Tucson Collaborative Community Care (TC-3) to support disadvantaged and/or marginalized people who often cannot or do not know how to access routine medical care or social services. TC-3 has a staff of eight navigators, split equally between Tucson Fire Department personnel and TMC employees that include paramedics, behavioral health specialists, emergency room nurses, and EMT navigators. The goal is to take the burden off 911 and the emergency rooms. 

• Tucson Medical Center / Peppi’s House, the 16-bed home for TMC Hospice, is located on the northwest part of the Tucson Medical Center campus. While most of the hospice care is delivered in the home setting, inpatient care is used for respite care when a patient's caregiver needs a rest or for a short-term stay to help manage pain or symptoms that cannot be effectively managed at home. 

• Hospice of Yuma, to assist in the cost of their charitable care program, which provides hospice to terminal individuals and bereavement support to their families who have no insurance or ability to pay for their medical services and care. 

• Hansen House Yuma, to help provide safe housing and 24-hour caregivers to persons on hospice services who lack a safe home environment, and/or family members unable to provide 24-hour care at the end of life, regardless of income. 

• Diocese of Tucson Catholic Schools to support a School Health Coordinator Consultant to bridge the level of expertise needed to provide each school the necessary information, oversight, training, and support to ensure that proper health management is maintained at each campus in accordance with state health standards and diocesan policy. 

• Diocese of Tucson Catholic Schools to support a Counseling Consultant to support the mental and social-emotional health services for students in our Catholic schools. 

• Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona’s Medical Respite Center where men and women experiencing homelessness may recuperate from an acute illness requiring medical intervention, or hospital care.  
  
  

Bishop Weisenburger appoints the St. Joseph Catholic Healthcare Fund committee to assist him in providing grants to individuals and organizations engaged in healthcare within the Diocese of Tucson. Members of that committee include: Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas, Bill Assenmacher, Dr. Amy Beitner, Dr. Scott Wilson, Michelle Morgan, Mike Marum, Peg Harmon and Elizabeth Bollinger. These funds, held by the Catholic Foundation, are extremely specific and can only be used for the original purposes for which they were intended.   

Anyone wishing to support these endowments, or anyone interested in starting a new endowment with the Catholic Foundation, is encouraged to contact Elizabeth Bollinger, Executive Director at (520) 955-2109 or [email protected].