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4/29/2005 - Founders Day: A Good Time for a Good Cause
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Richard Nieves or Nancy Kucik Alacare Home Health & Hospice 4752 Highway 280 East Birmingham, AL 35242 Phone: 205.981.8000 or 800.852.4724 Fax : 205.981.8743 E-mail: Richard.Nieves@alacare.com Alacare Founders Day: A Good Time for a Good Cause Birmingham, Alabama—May 2nd is Founders Day at the Corporate Office of Alacare Home Health & Hospice in Birmingham. It’s going to be a day of fun, with Big Band music, lots of good food donated by local restaurants, announcement of the winners of a children’s art contest, and a coconut cake contest. Nearly 100 people are expected to attend. But there is also a very serious side to this event. Proceeds will benefit the non-profit Hospice and Home Health Fund of Alabama. The Fund, founded in 1990 with the support of Major Charles D. Beard, Jr. (USAF, Retired), his wife, Mary Sue, and their son, John Beard, was formed as a way to help patients using home health or hospice services in the state of Alabama. The fund provides grants-in-aid to those patients who, without financial assistance, might need to be hospitalized or go to another facility rather than receiving care in the familiar surroundings of home. Stephen Hannum, Director of the Hospice and Home Health Fund of Alabama, explains, “Any home health or hospice patient in Alabama is eligible to apply for a grant from the fund—it is NOT restricted to Alacare patients. The Fund has provided monetary assistance for a wide variety of necessities for patients—things like home repairs and handicap modifications to homes; help with rent, utility, medical and pharmaceutical bills; glasses, hearing aids, and personal hygiene products, and clothing, small appliances and food.” “This was always a tremendously important cause to my parents, Charles and Mary Sue Beard,” said Susan B. Brouillette, MPH, MBA, CEO of Alacare Home Health & Hospice. I know Dad would be so proud if he could hear the stories of some of the people the Fund has helped.” Those people include a woman who was doing her best to care for her homebound daughter, but faced huge obstacles because she couldn’t read. She had a hard time dispensing her daughter’s medication properly, since she couldn’t read the labels. Social workers found her a literacy class in the community, but she couldn’t afford the required textbook. The Hospice & Home Health Fund of Alabama bought her book for her, and now not only can she take better care of her daughter, she’s thrilled to finally be able to read the Bible by herself. Another family helped by the Fund was a hospice patient and his wife living in a small house in Birmingham. They had never asked for assistance from any organization in their whole lives, but when the man became unable to breathe in the heat of their un-air-conditioned house, they reluctantly accepted a grant-in-aid offered by their social worker. The Fund bought them a window air conditioner, and because of that, the man was able to continue receiving care at home. “We chose May 2nd as the date, since it was my dad’s birthday,” said John Beard, JD, MBA, President of Alacare Home Health & Hospice. “For lunch we’re serving Dad’s favorite foods, including barbecue from Jim ‘n Nick’s, Jason’s Deli and Wings Sports Grille. We want everyone to have a good time, but at the same time understand just how important the Fund’s mission is.” About Alacare Alacare Home Health & Hospice is Alabama's oldest and largest privately owned, Medicare-certified home health agency. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alacare is dedicated to providing patients the highest level of skilled nursing, rehabilitative, palliative and hospice care available in the most cost-effective environment—the patient's own home. Since 1970, Alacare has provided patients with quality home healthcare. Medicare’s new Home Health Care data reflect that Alacare’s patient-care outcomes in 11 essential areas are among the best when compared to both National and Alabama averages. Interested persons can obtain this data online at http://cms.hhs.gov/quality/hhqi/ or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. Services provided include: diabetes education, enterostomal therapy, homecare aides, home medical equipment, hospice/palliative care, infusion therapy, medical nutrition therapy, medical social services, mental health nursing, occupational therapy, pain management, physical therapy, skilled nursing, and speech language pathology. Alacare’s service area now includes the following counties: Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Wilcox, and Winston. For more information, visit the Company's corporate Web site: www.alacare.com.
