Five Years of Experience - A Social Worker Makes Her Case for IHS

Let's establish the mission for this highly qualified charity which is so very responsive to the entire Social Work staff at the University of Virginia (UVA) Medical Center in Charlottesville. Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS) is a totally independent, non-religious, ALL volunteer, no stock, nonprofit, 501(c)3, public charity, which was originated to meet the unmet needs for the indigent and severely underfunded patients and caregivers who must come to UVA Medical Center from considerable distances. Perhaps the word "responsive" takes on a whole new meaning when you realize that this charity's volunteers have been on call to UVA Social Workers 24/7 for almost seven years.   A Letter of Support from Sheila Ahmadi, Clinical Social Worker, UVA Women's Health Clinic "I've been working with IHS for the past five (5) years. They have provided pharmacy co-pay assistance,  infant clothing and infant car seats,  in addition to lodging and food. IHS is always willing to problem solve other needs with social workers which patients and families have, in order to work out favorable outcomes. As an example, IHS in 2014 provided 82 infant car seats for children to travel home in a safe secure environment. These car seats continue to trend upward from three years ago when the Hospital request was for thirty (30). The full-day meal packet program has been instrumental in providing annually between 2,500 - 3,000 individual meal packets which includes food items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The volunteers who assemble the packets also include touching affirmation notes that personalize these packets. IHS is very unique in the range of services it provides. I personally know that many health care facilities do not have this type of support and would welcome just one-third of this level of support. In conclusion I fully support the work of Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS) in seeking funding support to deliver needed assistance to our patients and families. Sincerely ...  Sheila Ahmadi Your donation keeps us in rapid response mode! Please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.    A Sincere Appeal ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam                                IHS Founding Officers

SPECIAL NOTICE for UVA Medical and University staff, and all other Virginia Commonwealth State Employees. The Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) 2015-2016 begins October 1st.  Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum, Inc. (IHS) is a CVC charity.  To support our work for lodging, food programs, prescriptions & co-pays, pediatric support with infant car seats and clothing, etc. , designate your gift to CVC code 3648..

A Full Page of Positive Opportunity in Local Newspaper is Delightful

The Fluvanna Review weekly issue for October 22-28, 2015 has a feature entitled "Fluvanna Faces," which allows local residents to learn some rather in depth information about their neighbors.  This issue features our responses to a series of questions. We had no idea that the entire copy which was provided to writer Christina Dimeo Guseman, the newspaper's correspondent, would be used without any editing for size. This is a real treat for sharing. I communicated with Christina and asked if the Fluvanna Review has an on-line link in order to send the article along to all of our friends, many of whom do not live anywhere near Fluvanna County, Virginia.  Sure enough, the newspaper offers such an opportunity. The link is http://fluvannareview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6844:thomas-wade-and-elisheva-clegg&catid=111:fluvanna-faces&Itemid=312 So - if you have a chance to pull up a chair at the kitchen table, please do so, and read one of those rare features which allows a family to share some of our adventure in life. For some of you a cup of coffee will be needed to keep you awake. For others it's like reading a personal letter from old friends. Thanks to Christina Guseman for providing a full page of print for this family to express our pleasure with being contributing members to our community in Central Virginia. Sincerely ....  The Cleggs Your donation keeps us in rapid response mode! Please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.    A Sincere Appeal ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam                                IHS Founding Officers

A First-Hand Account from Someone Who Knows IHS Well

There is only one totally independent, nonprofit, non-religious, no stock, All volunteer, 501(c)3, public charity which maintains a 24/7 response with The University of Virginia Medical Center Social Workers to assist with meeting immediate unmet needs of long distance indigent and underfunded patients and caregivers when no other opportunities exist. The following letter is one of several letters from a UVA Clinic which was received in the last few months to acknowledge the work of Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS), now in its 7th year of serving the least able among us through the UVA Medical Center Office of Social Work. "As a Clinical Social Worker at the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, I have witnessed the many ways this organization has directly impacted the lives of our patients and their families. The ECCCC serves a wide variety of patients who travel great distances to receive care they couldn't otherwise access. Their treatment often involves 6-7 weeks of daily radiation therapy in combination with weekly chemotherapy. Our patients are typically exhausted, overwhelmed, and fearful of their course. Many of these patients face severe economic and financial distress as a result of their cancer diagnosis. They use every means possible to get to Charlottesville and then learn that they will need to pay for lodging, meals, and gas during their treatment. Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS) has helped alleviate this burden by assisting with our local UVA Hospitality House lodging co-pays and supplying essential food items for unexpected and unplanned events. To say that IHS helps "save lives"  is an understatement. They have added quality, dignity, and hope to the lives of MANY of our patients and their family members. Their meal packets include nutritional products wrapped in a message of faith and support. This gesture not only connects our healthcare team to the community, but allows our patients to feel valued at the highest level. IHS truly makes a difference in the lives of our patients every day. They provide an opportunity and financial means for our patients to succeed in treatment through delivery of specific concrete services such as lodging and food. IHS is vital to our Cancer team particularly as we struggle to meet the growing needs of our patient population with few resources. Allow me to thank you for your wonderful organization." Sincerely, Paula Capobianco, LCSW Clinical Social Worker UVA Health System/Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center Your donation keeps us in rapid response mode! Please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.    A Sincere Appeal ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam                                IHS Founding Officers

Just in Case You Didn't Know ... and It Hasn't Been Said in a While

The last time I checked the Social Work roster at UVA Medical Center, there were sixty-one (61) inpatient and outpatient Social Workers diligently working to assist patients and their families with problem-solving. The range of intimate involvement with patients is truly broad, and it is not necessarily isolated to a patient's case file after entry into the Hospital, or after check-out. Sometimes it is worth repeating why this totally independent public charity was formed As a volunteer mostly overnight Chaplain at UVA Medical Center from 2006 - 2009, Rev. Elisheva Clegg quickly recognized that treatment for all-comers was of the highest quality; however, among the indigent and underfunded patients there were stressful challenges, especially for those who were forced to travel extremely long distances to this state discount hospital for their care. Very few within this giant teaching hospital, except those Social Workers assigned to handle individual cases, were confronted with the knowledge that their severely underfunded patients with critical situations must worry not only with their life-threatening condition, but also how to pay for transport to and from Charlottesville; where to secure lodging until the appointment/follow-up after lab work for a few days; where to affordably eat while in town; and how to afford a co-payment if a prescription is needed. Those are the main worries, but certainly not all. The decision to make a difference was made and supported by the Manager of Social Work Chaplain Elisheva witnessed the dilemma facing Social Workers, who were often desperate to secure these particular patients, when no hospital agency or charity was available for immediate temporary assistance. Along with her husband and a close friend, working solely as volunteers, the charity was formed in 2008 and received IRS status in 2009. Beginning with the objective of making sure that no more children would be burdened with sleeping in cars with a hungry family, lodging became the first priority. Since then, other categories evolved which needed immediate attention. They were the development of a meal packet program for access by all Social Workers, assistance with food in UVA Hospitality House, late night and emergency need for prescriptions and/or co-pays, periodic bus tickets in town and long distance, and four years ago the need for infant car seats for indigent parents who could not leave the hospital without this safety device for all infants. Of unique importance was the fact that the charity, known as Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (or IHS) operates 24/7 to answer Social Work inquiries. No one is charged for these services, and no staff member is paid. The charity is dependent on private donations, and a few grants for specific needs. Many of you who follow the e-mails and/or blog postings over the years know the stories There are many, and they tend to be repeated monthly. Different days, different people. Early on ...there was the young mother whose husband was in critical care with broken hips from a fall at a construction site. She was with an infant and small boy, sleeping in the Hospital garage until a Social Worker learned of the situation and asked Chaplain Clegg to see if she could locate lodging for them. They were placed in a hotel personally before the charity was formed. There were and are constant caregivers in waiting rooms, and especially the ER waiting room, sometimes elderly who were there for days who had not eaten simply because they could not afford to continue eating in the cafeteria. With the beginning of the full-day meal packet program a Social Worker could call aside someone and ask if they needed something to eat. There were and are late released patients, sometimes nursing injuries, with no one to take them home for great distances and nowhere to sleep except in a chair in the Emergency Room area. A night was provided in a hotel for such cases. This allowed for arrangements the next day for someone to arrive and take the patient home. There were and are patients who needed immediate medications following release, and the charity paid by phone and the Social Worker would call ahead to a pharmacy and confirm the need. Many patients simply do not have three dollars for a co-pay and would have by-passed a necessary medication without IHS assistance. Thanks for your quick review and why we remain committed to this charity. The least able among us don't require much on most occasions ... but when they do ... that need is NOW. Your donation keeps us in rapid response mode! Please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.    A Sincere Appeal ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam                                                              IHS Founding Officers

Thanks to Fluvanna County Rotary Club

Breakfast Meeting at Lake Monticello This wonderful fellowship of men and women gather for a breakfast meeting each Wednesday at 7:30 AM at the Lake Monticello Community Clubhouse, located just off route 616 in northwestern Fluvanna County, Virginia. On June 3rd, Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS) was asked to acquaint the membership with the humanitarian work we are providing for the underfunded patients and caregivers who must come to the UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville for treatment.  Elisheva Clegg, Vice President of IHS,  showed a short video of the many activities of IHS, which was followed by many questions by Club members. An Enthusiastic Group of community-minded individuals encourages your contact A Special thanks to Rudy Garcia, President of the Fluvanna County Rotary Club; Club Programs Chairman Eric Hess; and to member Debra Kurre, who encouraged our participation for the breakfast meeting.  And thanks to the generous donation by club members following the meeting. The Fluvanna County Rotary Club is having a significant effect on the quality of life in the Fluvanna community. Take a moment and read their website at http://www.fluvannarotary.org. Visit  the "contact us" page on the website. An Officer of the Club will call you with an invitation to attend one of their meetings.   Please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.   A Sincere Appeal ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam                                                              IHS Founding Officers

May 2015 Support Provided Big Boost!

Special thanks again to J&E Berkley Foundation of Crozet, Virginia On May 5 at a meeting of the Foundation, Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS) was awarded a grant of $5,000.  The grant is dedicated to the following categories of indigent and underfunded patient and caregiver support by the charity, namely for lodging, prescriptions and pediatric items, such as infant car seats. IHS is indeed appreciative of the consistent support shown by J&E Berkley Foundation and its Executive Director, Chris Pasmore.  Thank you! Special Offering from Martin Luther King Day Celebration arrived in May IHS was invited to receive the 2015 offering which was collected by the congregation at the 30th Annual ML King Day Celebration at the Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Virginia back on January 18, 2015.  A check for $1,750 arrived on May 11th . IHS was recognized for exceptional community service, and Rev. Elisheva Clegg, Vice President of the charity, addressed the gathering.   Distribution from Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) began in April The CVC is not known to all friends of the charity, especially beyond the UVA Medical Center; however, CVC is the payroll deduction program for the Commonwealth of Virginia employees. The University of Virginia Medical Center is a state hospital, and state worker support is vital to the future for funding this totally independent nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity, which is devoted to the indigent and underfunded patients and caregivers for immediate temporary needs when no other resource is available to UVA Social Worker staff. Although all identified contributors to the program received direct thank you notes in May, a general description has not been provided to other friends to date. Please know that a total of fifty (50) donors have pledged $3,537.52 to be distributed to this charity over the next eight months for the 2014/2015 campaign.  The initial check deposited in May was $1,273.78. For those who did not wish to be identified as a contributor, this charity is gratified by all hospital employee support for 2015.   Please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.   A Sincere Appeal ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam                                                              IHS Founding Officers

Attention University of Virginia Health System Employees ... It's National Volunteer Week!

IHS will be present for the Employee Volunteer Fair on Tuesday, April 14,, 2015 from 11 AM - 1 PM.   Location:   UVA Hospital Dining Conference Rooms, found on the first floor behind the Information Desk and beside the West Elevators.  Share this with friends throughout the Hospital. Exposure of this silent public charity's role in support of the underfunded and indigent patients and caregivers through the UVA Medical Center's Office of Social Work is vital for meeting unmet needs. A Note from Robert C. Larsen Strategic Relations and Marketing, UVA Health System "We are inviting five charities/associations/foundations in the community that depend upon volunteers to deliver their mission. The focus is on volunteer of time and talent. National Volunteer Week April 12 - 18th and the UVA Health System will be featuring several employees as examples by what they do for our community and beyond our four walls.  Given the caring nature of the employees, a volunteer exhibit on Tuesday, April 14th and I5th will have 16 local non-profits who can use additional volunteers in meeting their mission.  Each will be attending for a two hour time period over the two days and a schedule of which charity and their hours will be posted on the UVA Connect intranet for employees as well as noted in a Helpdesk message leading up to and the two days of the exhibits.  A table for literature for volunteering from each non-profit will be available both days in case you're unable to attend. Since you're the first charity to secure a time slot on April 14th, please know that the 11 AM - 1 PM covers the lunch time and second, if we don't fill the next time slot and you wish to stay we could accommodate that quite well.  We are doing the advance publicity and signage at the door. This space is used very heavily for events of this type so that's in our favor. This is the first time we've done a volunteer opportunity fair so attendance is questionable. It could take two or three times for this to be successful.  Part of the success will be employees commenting on how they would like to see this repeated. Nothing says it has to be only this one week a year so we could perhaps look at another round in September prior to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) kick-off in early October.   Bob" ;