New Dental Services - Venice Family Clinic

The semi-annual newsletter of
Fall 2007
Encounters
New Dental
Services
Give Patients
Another Reason
to Smile
New Dental Services
Give Patients Another Reason to Smile
Mark Ebner, 48, understands health care. He’s the son of an
obstetrician/gynecologist and asks lots of questions of Venice
Family Clinic’s new staff dentist, Dr. Nicole Thompson-Marvel, as
she and her team work out of the UCLA Venice Dental Center one
Wednesday morning in September.
UniHealth Foundation
Makes A Dream Come True
But he’s not a physician. He’s a freelance journalist – and a Venice
Family Clinic patient.
Mark has been seeing Dr. Thompson-Marvel for several weeks
because he is uninsured and in need of root canals, fillings and
other dental work.
Dr. Thompson-Marvel and her team, left to right: Julia French, Dental Assistant, Patty Robles, Clinic Coordinator, and Maribel Rubio, Dental Assistant. The dental team sees patients at
Smiles ‘R Us in Culver City on Mondays and Tuesdays, and at the UCLA Venice Dental Center on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“Ideally, I’d be insured,” he explains. “But the itinerant nature of
my work sometimes leaves me with gaps in coverage.”
Beatrice Estrada at her one-month check-up with
Dr. Thompson Marvel. “There’s no bleeding now
when I brush,” she says.
Until recently, Venice Family Clinic was only able to refer patients
like Mark to UCLA Venice Dental Center, where UCLA dental
students, under faculty supervision, provided the care. The cost to
patients – although greatly reduced – often times was more than
many could afford, so some would continue to go without care.
But now, thanks to a generous grant from the UniHealth
Foundation, Venice Family Clinic provides dental care free of charge
to its patients at three off-site locations.
Why No One Should Go without Care
By the time they are referred to the Clinic’s dental program, many
patients have gone years without dental care and need extensive
restorative work. Dr. Thompson-Marvel and her team provide
exams, x-rays, cleanings, root canals, and fillings, as well as
referrals to UCLA residents for molar root canals and crowns.
Phillip Wilson had been in pain for the better
part of a year before having a cavity filled by
Dr. Thompson-Marvel.
Mark Ebner is all smiles after his exam.
[ ]
“One of our
patients hadn’t
seen a dentist in
six years,” Dr.
Thompson-Marvel
says. “Another
had been in pain
for ten years.
Ten years! I get
that a lot.”
“Just imagine not having seen
a dentist until you were adult.
Think of what it would have
done to your self-esteem,
your personal relationships,
your ability to find a job and,
of course, your health.”
Patient Idalia Quero has a cavity filled by Venice Family Clinic’s staff dentist,
Dr. Nicole Thompson-Marvel.
your self-esteem, your personal relationships, your ability to find a
job and, of course, your health.”
One patient, Idalia Quero, 27, from Mar Vista, first saw a dentist at
the age of 18.
“I didn’t go to the dentist as a kid, we couldn’t afford it,” she says.
Once she was seen by Dr. Thompson-Marvel, Idalia needed every
tooth on the top filled. She has had to come in every week for
more than a month.
Charting Progress
Going so long without dental care also frequently results in
periodontal disease – a chronic infection in the gums and bone
around the teeth that can lead to tooth loss. While periodontal
disease cannot be cured, Dr. Thompson-Marvel and her team can
halt its advance with a deep cleaning coupled with comprehensive
oral hygiene instructions to the patient. Monthly check-ups chart
the patient’s progress.
– Dr. Nicole Thompson-Marvel,
Still, Dr.
Staff Dentist
Thompson-Marvel
is up to the
challenge, having worked at a free clinic in Jackson, Mississippi,
every summer while in dental school at Ole Miss. After graduating,
she moved to Sicily Island, Louisiana, and helped another clinic
launch a dental program of its own.
After a follow-up periodontal exam on Beatrice Estrada, 55, a
Westwood building manager whose recent divorce left her
uninsured, Dr. Thompson-Marvel reviews the results.
“We who have had dental care all our lives take a lot for granted,”
Dr. Thompson-Marvel explains. “Just imagine not having seen a
dentist until you were adult. Think of what it would have done to
Beatrice smiles.
Story photography: Margaret Molloy except where indicated
2
Focus on Prevention
Beatrice, too, hadn’t seen a dentist at all as a child.
“A six to a four, a five to a four, a five to a four, a five to a three,”
she says, describing the depth of the gum pocket around each
tooth. She congratulates Beatrice on the turnaround. “This is great.
I see a big difference.”
“There’s no bleeding now when I brush,” she says.
“There were seven kids in my family, and our priorities were eye
glasses and other immediate needs,” she explains. “I know now that
your teeth determine your overall health – if you want to have
healthy organs, you have to have healthy teeth – but I didn’t know
that before. We need a mindset of prevention.”
That’s why, as part of the UniHealth Foundation grant, the Clinic
also recently partnered with the UCLA Pediatric Dental Residency
Program. Clinic staff physicians and UCLA dental residents screen
both children and their parents during their medical visits, and refer
patients appropriately.
They also provide fluoride varnishes for children – a simple
procedure that takes only about five minutes, lasts three months,
and can easily be performed on the spot by the physician. In
addition, they provide dental hygiene instructions and kits
containing toothbrushes and toothpaste.
self-employed appliance repairman from Santa Monica who had
suffered through pain in the upper right side of his mouth for the
last year. “If I had to pay for dental services, it would cost me
somewhere else…like food. I’ve gotten so broke that I was only able
to eat once a day.”
Fortunately, Phillip didn’t have to choose between pain and hunger.
Dr. Thompson-Marvel and her team performed a comprehensive
exam – including a cleaning, x-rays and oral hygiene instruction –
and filled his cavity in about an hour.
True to his journalism background, Mark Ebner easily synthesizes the
range of emotions that he, Idalia, Beatrice and Phillip all have
experienced, from fear and confusion to relief and gratitude.
“My health is a priority, so access to health care – or lack thereof –
is a serious concern,” he explains. “I haven’t always been lucky
enough to afford my own health care, but I’ve always been treated
with respect and dignity by the Clinic’s staff. They all deserve
plaques in the Health Care Hall of Fame.”
In July 2006, a long-standing dream
came true. Venice Family Clinic received
a three-year grant of $752,149 from
UniHealth Foundation to increase access
to dental care for uninsured patients and
to improve oral health through provider
and client education.
“The UCLA Venice Dental Center-Venice
Family Clinic Integrated Care Program is
an innovative safety-net partnership that
will increase access to dental care for
adults and children,” says Mary Odell,
president of UniHealth Foundation.“By
working together the two clinics will be
able to strengthen care options, decrease
obstacles to oral health care, and
develop collaborative funding to sustain
dental services for the Venice Family
Clinic patient population.”
UniHealth Foundation, a non-profit
philanthropic organization, supports
and facilitates activities that significantly
improve the health and well being of
individuals and communities within its
service area of Los Angeles and
Orange Counties.
“Believe it or not,” says Norma Rosales, staff pediatrician, “for many
of our patients, it’s their first toothbrush.”
Winning the Battle for Immediate Needs
It may be difficult to imagine families not being able to afford
toothbrushes and toothpaste, but the battle for immediate needs
is very real for
low-income and
uninsured patients in
“I haven’t always been lucky
Los Angeles County.
enough to afford my own
Some have felt that,
until now, they had
health care, but I’ve always
no choice but to live
been treated with respect and
with dental problems
dignity by the Clinic’s staff.
or go without some
They all deserve plaques in
necessity.
[ ]
the Health Care Hall of Fame.”
“Insurance just isn’t
affordable,” explains
Phillip Wilson, 44, a
– Mark Ebner, Patient
After administering a fluoride varnish to 10-month-old Natalia Flores, staff pediatrician
Norma Rosales, MD, instructs Natalia’s parents in how to use a dental hygiene kit.
Photo: Tim Smith
3
If You Haven’t Supported the Children’s
Holiday Movie, Here’s Why You Should
It’s the 2007 Children’s Holiday Movie...when
1,200 low-income and uninsured children from
the Venice Family Clinic community will enjoy
a private screening of Alvin and the Chipmunks,
as well as holiday carols, delicious treats, and
new toys from Santa Claus and more than a
hundred volunteer elves.
’Tis the Season to
Order Artist Cards –
More than a Greeting,
a Gift of Health
Choose from new images including
Polyvitro Chandelier by Dale Chihuly
(pictured), as well as more than
20 favorites from Venice Art Walk
studio artists including Daniel
Samakow, Jean Edelstein, and
Fortune Sitole.
Blank cards and envelopes $2.00
each. Custom printing and mailing
services available for minimum
orders of 100 cards or $250. Visit
store.venicefamilyclinic.org or call
310.392.9255. (Order by November
16th, 2007, and receive 10% off!)
Venice Family Clinic’s Artist Cards
Program is underwritten by a generous
grant from the Frederick R. Weisman
Philanthropic Foundation. Additional
sponsorship courtesy of Jacobs, Jacobs &
Eisfelder, LLP; and Law Offices of Lisa L. Maki.
Volunteers created the Children’s Holiday Movie to raise funds for the Clinic because low-income
and uninsured children are particularly vulnerable to physical and mental health problems due to
unhealthy living conditions, poor nutrition, and a lack of access to primary health care.
The Children’s Holiday Movie raises more than
$130,000 each year to help Venice Family Clinic
provide a complete range of free pediatric
services, including immunizations and other
well-child care, acute care, chronic care, vision
care, health education and nutrition counseling,
parenting classes, individual and family
counseling, family violence intervention and
treatment, phone-based advice, pediatric literacy,
even health insurance enrollment.
“Public funding for children’s health care is
extremely tenuous,” says Children’s Holiday
Movie Chair and Clinic Board Member Laurie
MacDonald, an independent film producer.
“The Children’s Holiday Movie gives supporters
an opportunity to make sure vulnerable kids in
our community are happy around the holidays
and healthy the rest of the year.”
To sponsor a child, please visit
store.venicefamilyclinic.org or contact
Nicki Pincus, Special Events Coordinator, at
310.664.7921 or [email protected].
Special thanks to Twentieth Century Fox and AMC Loews
Marina 6 Theaters.
$500,000+
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
Membership in the Clinic’s Legacy
Society continues to grow as supporters
– recognizing the abiding need for
accessible, quality health care for all
Angelenos – include Venice Family
Clinic in their wills or other planned
giving arrangements.
The thoughtful generosity of Legacy
Society members ensures the sustainability
of the Clinic’s essential services for tens
of thousands of low-income and
uninsured individuals. Planned giving
also provides numerous financial
benefits to donors, such as reduced
taxable income, options for distributing
estates to heirs, reduced capital gains,
even income for one’s retirement.
For more information about how to
include the Clinic in your will or
establish a life-income gift, please
contact Chrystal Walsh at 310.664.7925
or [email protected].
Recently Realized Bequests
Photo: Cheryl Himmelstein
Estate of Peter Francis & Marianne C. Einik
Legacy Society Members
Did you know?
In 2007, Venice Family Clinic reached
a 92% up-to-date immunization rate for
two-year-olds, beating Los Angeles
County’s 2020 goal of 90% by 13 years.
Kaiser Permanente Grants $500,000 to Venice Family Clinic
to Help Renovate and Expand Three Sites
A $500,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente of Southern California is helping to complete renovations at
three of the Clinic’s seven locations – the Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center, the Irma Colen
Administration Building (formerly the Weisman Family Center), and the Robert Levine Family Health Center.
“This grant will help put roofs on our buildings, paint our facilities and provide services more comfortably
and efficiently,” said Elizabeth Benson Forer, MSW/MPH, Venice Family Clinic’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Kaiser Permanente has made a remarkable gift and understands what it takes to provide quality health
care, which sometimes means simply bricks and mortar.”
Venice Family Clinic’s Simms/Mann Health
and Wellness Center. Photo: Margaret Molloy
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California has partnered with Venice Family Clinic to provide free, quality
health care to people in need since 1971. In that time, Kaiser Permanente has awarded more than $1 million to the Clinic, helping it expand
and improve programs in primary care, diabetes, weight management, and health insurance enrollment. The Clinic also benefits from a 20-year
association with Kaiser Permanente’s Family Medicine Residency Program.
4
March 10, 2007 – September 25, 2007
More Supporters Making
Venice Family Clinic
Part of Their Legacy
Funds raised from the event provide pediatric care for the 6,000 children who visit Venice Family
Clinic annually. That’s because all the goods and services for the Children’s Holiday Movie are
donated—even the movie and the theater.
Image used with permission from
Chihuly Studio.
Major Gifts
Anonymous (3)
Robert C. Aronoff
Katherine Bard
Louis Colen
Mayer B. Davidson, MD, & Roseann
Herman, Esq.
Sylvia & Mose Firestone, PhD
Patricia & William Flumenbaum
Elizabeth & Daniel Forer
Elaine Hoffman
Joanne Jubelier, PhD
Marilyn H. Karsten
Amita & Viren Mehta
Charlotte Neumann, MD, & Alfred
Neumann, MD
Janet Papkin
Maida & Stanley Richards
Fern & Robert Seizer
Jeffrey Sinaiko
Leonard Stone
Ina Tillman
Beatrice Zeiger
If you have already named Venice Family
Clinic as a beneficiary in your estate plan,
please contact us at 310.664.7925 so that we
may appropriately recognize your generosity.
$100,000 - $499,999
The Atlas Family Foundation
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation
Shawn & Larry King
Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System
Mission Fund
Saint John's Health Center
UniHealth Foundation
$50,000 - $99,999
The Dharma Grace Foundation
Chuck Lorre
Joseph Drown Foundation
Peter Francis & Marianna C. Einik Revocable Trust
Dolores & William Detrixhe
George Hoag Family Foundation
The Mark Hughes Foundation
International Creative Management
Wilbur May Foundation
Anita May Rosenstein & Arnold Rosenstein
The Barry and Wendy Meyer Foundation
$25,000 - $49,000
Anonymous
The Karl Kirchgessner Foundation
State of California Attorney General
Twentieth Century Fox
$10,000 - $24,999
Anonymous
Lucy & Isadore B. Adelman Foundation
Susan Adelman & Claudio Llanos
Blue Cross of California
The David Bohnett Foundation
David Bohnett
California Community Foundation
Comerica Bank
Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation
The Richard F. & Eleanor W. Dwyer Fund
Robert L. Feldman
Gelson's Market
Judy & Bernard Briskin
Toni & David Klein
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
L.A. Care Health Plan
Remy Levy & Catherine Kehr
The Harold McAlister Charitable Foundation
Mary L. Naff
Peter Norton Family Foundation
Rebecca Pollack Parker & Hutch Parker
Pfaffinger Foundation
QueensCare
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic & Art Foundation
Billie Milam Weisman
Witherbee Foundation
Ziering Family Foundation
Marilyn Ziering
Diane & Michael L. Ziering
Permanent Endowments
Irma and Lou Colen Physician Endowment
Mose and Sylvia Firestone Social Work Endowment
Karsten Family Domestic Violence Endowment
Sadie and Norman Lee Teen Clinic Physician
Endowment
Milken Family Physician Endowment
Jack H. Skirball Medical Director Endowment
Gail and Irv Weintraub Endowment
Frederick R. Weisman Psychological Services
Endowment
Every donor is important to us. If your name is not
listed within the appropriate category or is listed
improperly, please accept our apologies and notify
us at 310.664.7925 so the correction can be made.
Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw, Billie Milam
Weisman and Gelson’s Markets/Arden Group
to Be Honored at 2008 Silver Circle Gala
Dr. Phil McGraw (left) and Robin McGraw (not pictured), Billie Milam Weisman (center), and Gelson’s Markets/Arden Group,
the 2008 Silver Circle honorees. Dr. Phil Photo: Randee St. Nicholas, courtesy CBS Television Distribution.
Co-Chairs Dorothy Breininger, Dr. Harley Liker and Julie Liker are pleased to announce that Silver
Circle, Venice Family Clinic’s premier annual support group, will hold its 2008 Thank You Gala on
February 7th at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Clinic hosts the gala each year to thank and
recognize Silver Circle members, who collectively contribute more than $1,000,000 per year, as
well as to honor the efforts of outstanding individual supporters and community partners.
Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw will receive the 2008 Humanitarian Award. Together on the Dr. Phil
daytime talk show, they shed light on silent health epidemics, such as domestic violence,
depression and substance abuse. In addition, they created the Dr. Phil Foundation, a charity
committed to helping children and families at risk.
Clinic Philanthropy Board member Billie Milam Weisman will receive the 2008 Irma Colen
Leadership Award. Billie served on the Clinic’s Board of Directors from 1997 to 1999 and, with
her late husband, Frederick R. Weisman, helped create the Clinic’s Mental Health program.
Individually and as President of the Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic Foundation, Billie has
helped to direct more than $1.5 million in cash and in-kind support to the Clinic since 1989.
Venice Family Clinic
Receives Coveted
United Way Grant
Venice Family
Clinic recently
received a
three-year
grant totaling $150,000 from United
Way of Greater Los Angeles to provide
comprehensive medical visits for lowincome, uninsured and homeless men,
women and children on the Westside
of Los Angeles County.
As one of many pre-selected core
agencies, Venice Family Clinic had
received steady support from United
Way since 1985. In early 2007,
however, United Way switched to a
competitive funding model focused on
three key areas: basic needs, educational
achievement and financial stability.
Under this new strategy, United Way
seeks to demonstrate the impact its
support is having on the LA community,
and thereby raise more funds and
increase the size of its campaign.
The $50,000-per-year commitment is
the largest the Clinic has ever received
from United Way.
Gelson’s Markets and its parent company, Arden Group, will be honored with the 2008
Community Service Award. In addition to having fed tens of thousands of Clinic event attendees
and volunteers through generous donations of scrip, Gelson’s has contributed more than
$250,000 to the Clinic over the last 20 years.
For more information about Silver Circle, please visit www.venicefamilyclinic.org or contact
Chrystal Walsh, Director of Annual Giving, at 310.664.7925 or [email protected].
Committee Members
Dorothy Breininger, Co-Chair
Harley Liker, MD, Co-Chair
Julie Liker, Co-Chair
Andrea Bacon
Vicki Baker
Kathy Barrett
Cynthia Garvey Truhan
Chris Griffiths
Ashley Johnson
Deb Love
Frank Matricardi, Dr PH
Rebecca Pollack Parker
Shirley Stone
We Have a Winner!
Venice Family Clinic’s
Photo: Margaret Molloy
Artists and Art Lovers Unite to Make the Venice
Art Walk & Auctions a Huge Success
s
May 19 & 20 2007
In April and May, thousands from around Southern California came together to bid on art, tour
artists’ studios, view spectacular homes and collections, sample great food and, most
importantly, raise funds for Venice Family Clinic. And did they ever. The 28th annual Venice Art
Walk & Auctions netted more than $550,000 to help provide free, quality health care to people
in need. On behalf of the 22,000 patients who call Venice Family Clinic their medical home,
thank you to everyone who participated. We hope to see you again on May 18, 2008.
Congratulations to Dr. Claire Bloom,
winner of a two-year lease of a 2007
Mercedes-Benz courtesy of W.I.
Simonson, Inc., Mercedes-Benz in
Santa Monica, and Lou Colen.
Dr. Bloom’s name was drawn at the
Venice Art Walk & Auctions on
Sunday, May 20. Thank you to
everyone who purchased tickets for
the car drawing, and special thanks to
W.I. Simonson, Inc., Mercedes-Benz
for its generous sponsorship of the
drawing for the seventh consecutive
year. Visit W.I. Simonson at 1626
Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, or
www.wisimonson.com.
W.I. Simonson, Inc.
5
Encounters
Message
from the Chair
It is a privilege and a pleasure to Chair the
Board of Directors of the largest free clinic
in the country at a time when the subject
of health care – and the need to reform the health care system – is
in the public consciousness perhaps more than ever before.
As of this writing, the State Legislature is in a special session, and
leaders of the Assembly and Senate are meeting to try to resolve
outstanding issues related to a solution for expanded coverage of
the uninsured. There seems to be consensus that the financial
details of the legislative bill will be presented to the voters by a
ballot initiative in 2008. It is quite rewarding to see such a change
in the complexion of the health care crisis.
But being a Board member is also challenging – especially with the
stakes so high – and I must thank the dozens of Board of
Directors, Advisory Board and Philanthropy Board members who
have answered this call along with me. Their sacrifice is nothing
short of remarkable.
First, it takes time. Board of Directors members, for example, must
not only attend quarterly meetings, but also sit on at least one of
the 17 committees and sub-committees, attend and host special
events, make introductions, and generally be available on short or
no notice when Venice Family Clinic needs their help.
It also takes generosity. Members of the Clinic’s three Boards
collectively contribute more than $1.2 million per year, and help
raise millions more in cash and donated goods and services.
Finally, it takes expertise. Venice Family Clinic is supremely
fortunate to have such a competent cast of professionals, patients
and former staff members – people who know health care, finance,
law and fund raising, people who know other people.
With that, I gratefully introduce you to seven new members of
Venice Family Clinic’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board. As
you will see, each brings a unique set of skills and interests to the
job, as well as a passion for the Clinic’s mission of providing free,
quality health care to people in need.
Frank Matricardi, Dr PH
Chair, Board of Directors
Raymond Eden
Raymond was CEO of several chapters of the American Heart Association for more than 20 years before
serving as Dean of Administration at the UCLA School of Medicine. He has been a volunteer for Venice
Family Clinic since 1995, and was recently honored with the Sheila Goldberg Award for more than ten years
of volunteer service.
“I feel very strongly that quality health care should be available to all Americans
without regard to their financial situation,” Tracey says. “I look forward to working with
the Board to identify new ways of furthering the Clinic’s mission.”
“I had known about the Clinic’s high standard of care since joining UCLA in 1986, so it was an honor to be
asked to join the Board in 1995,” Raymond says. “I’m excited to help the Advisory Board find innovative
ways of supporting the Board of Directors.”
David Rubenson
David comes to the Board of Directors with more than 30 years’ experience in strategic
planning, currently as Director of Special Projects at City of Hope National Medical
Center, and previously for the Stanford Medical School, UCLA Brain Research Institute,
and RAND Corporation.
Julie Liker
Julie is a mother of three, the wife of Clinic Board member Harley Liker, MD, and Co-Chair of the 2008 Silver
Circle Committee. She helped create the Clinic’s Mental Health and Child Development Subcommittee, and
has since worked to recruit mental health professionals and raise funds for the Mental Health department.
Baldeep Singh, MD
Dr. Singh is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA in the Department of General
Internal Medicine, and an Associate Program Director for the UCLA Department of
Medicine. He has been a Clinic volunteer for 17 years, and currently oversees the UCLA
Internal Medicine residency rotation at the Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center.
“Having worked at so many clinics, I can say that few run as well as this one,” Dr.
Singh explains. “My greatest interest is providing oversight of medical practice, but I
hope to also get more people to volunteer. Physicians are busy people, but once they
see the personal rewards and the positive outcomes of volunteering, it will be hard for
them to say no to Venice Family Clinic.”
Leisa Wu
Leisa is Senior Vice President and Assistant Controller for Warner Bros. Entertainment
Inc., responsible for financial aspects of the company’s operations in corporate and
across numerous business units. She is a CPA and serves on the audit committees of
the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Providence St. Joseph Foundation.
“I got involved because I was concerned by emergency room closures in LA County
and appreciated the Clinic’s emphasis on preventive care and health education,” Leisa
says. “My goal is to leverage my business experience to support the Clinic’s strategic
goals and help increase awareness of the Clinic in the community.”
Frank Matricardi holds a doctorate in public health (health services administration) from UCLA, served in the U.S. Peace Corps, and was Vice President of a
large publicly-traded health plan. Frank is a Principal in Executive Healthcare
Consulting, LLC, and is married to Dr. Diana M. Bonta, Vice President, Public
Affairs, for Kaiser Permanente of Southern California. Frank and Diana have
three children and two grandchildren.
C. Victor Wylie, MD
Dr. Wylie has been a volunteer family physician at the Clinic for the past ten years.
Prior to retiring, he was in private practice in Santa Monica specializing in family
medicine and geriatrics, on staff at St. John’s and Santa Monica Hospitals, and an
assistant professor at UCLA.
Our condolences to the families and friends of
our departed supporters:
“It’s a blessing to help the less fortunate,” Dr. Wylie says. “The human contact, the
gratitude, the dedication of the staff and high standards for clinical care…it’s a labor of
love. I hope to use my perspective as a volunteer physician in Board deliberations and I
am committed to recruiting new volunteers.”
Stacy Winawer Beale, A.J. Carothers, William J. Dignam, MD, Wini Dignam,
Rose Dortort, Edwin S. Friendly, Jack E. Gindi, Elaine Smith Irell, Dr. Michael McGrail,
Sherwin Memel, Tom Poston, Leo Rossman, Dr. S. Alan Savitz, Dr. Walter M. Tasem,
Dr. Milton Wexler, Irving “Irv” Zeiger
6
Advisory Board
Tracey Loeb
Tracey is an architect, known to many as the designer and builder of the Brentwood
home of Cindy Miscikowski and Doug Ring. She is also a long-time Venice Art Walk &
Auctions volunteer, having served as Co-Chair in 2005 and 2006, and Co-Chair of the
Silent Art Auction from 2002 to 2006 and the Live Auction in 2007.
“The Clinic serves a vital function in our community and is a national model for how
health care can be provided to the underserved,” David says. “But it is a complex
enterprise with many competing priorities and financial constraints. I hope I can help
the Clinic sort through those issues and optimize its resources for the benefit of people
in need.”
OUR MISSION
To provide free, quality health care to people in need.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Meet the Clinic’s New Board Members
Board of Directors
Published semi-annually by Venice Family Clinic
“One day, as I looked around my children's doctor’s office,” Julie explains, “it dawned on me what it must
be like for parents to raise children today without the time, education and resources that I have been so
blessed to have. I made it my goal to help these parents and children, and Venice Family Clinic is clearly the
place to do that.”
Volunteers Honored for 10+ Years of Service
At the March meeting of the Clinic’s Board of Directors, volunteer providers Jerry Dalrymple, MD, Brian Kan, MD, and Gwen Bauman
were honored with the Rossman/Davidson Award for providing superb care to Venice Family Clinic’s patients. The Rossman/Davidson
Award is the Clinic’s most prestigious honor for medical volunteers.
Former Board member Raymond Eden and current Board member Dave Daniels were presented the Sheila Goldberg Award at the June
and September Board meetings, respectively.
Raymond has been a volunteer since 1995 and
recently joined the Clinic’s Advisory Board. (Read
his profile above.) Dave has volunteered since
1992 and has served on the Board of Directors
for the last 12 years. The Sheila Goldberg Award
is the Clinic’s most prestigious honor for
volunteers in the areas of development,
Board member and volunteer
Clinic CEO Liz Forer with Board
Harvey Newman, PharmD, with
operations and leadership.
physician Brian Kan, MD,
member Dave Daniels, recipient
staff pharmacist Sharon Ng at the
receives the Rossman/Davidson
Award from Board member Marsha
Temple for caring for the Clinic’s
patients over the last 12 years.
of the Sheila Goldberg Award for
his 12 years of volunteer service.
ceremony honoring Harvey for his
25 years of volunteer service in
the Clinic’s dispensary.
The Clinic also recently honored Harvey
Newman, PharmD, who retired after 25 years of
volunteer service in the Clinic’s dispensary.
OFFICERS
Frank Matricardi, Dr PH, Chair
Jimmy H. Hara, MD, Chair-Elect
Neal Baer, MD, Secretary
Jeffrey E. Sinaiko, Treasurer
MEMBERS
Susan Adelman
Carol L. Archie, MD
Vicki Baker
Lowell C. Brown, Esq.
Dave Daniels
Mayer B. Davidson, MD
Mose J. Firestone, PhD, LCSW
Susan Fleischman, MD
William Flumenbaum
Chester F. Griffiths, MD, FACS
Ashley Johnson
Joanne Jubelier, PhD
Brian D. Kan, MD
Deborah Laub
Lou Lazatin
Barbara A. Levey, MD, FACP
Remy Levy
Harley Liker, MD, MBA
Tracey Loeb
Laurie MacDonald
Gail Margolis, Esq.
Luz Medina
Viren Mehta
Wendy Smith Meyer, PhD, LCSW
William D. Parente
Neil H. Parker, MD
David Rubenson
Paul Saben
Fern Seizer
Alan Sieroty
Victoria Simms, PhD
Baldeep Singh, MD
Marsha Temple, Esq.
Cynthia Garvey Truhan
Russel Tyner, AIA
Michael S. Wilkes, MD, PhD
Leisa Wu
C. Victor Wylie, MD
BOARD EMERITUS
Ruth Bloom
Daniel Hillman, MD
Karl A. Keener, Esq.
Ruth Moss
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER
Elizabeth Benson Forer,
MSW/MPH
310.664.7901
MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Karen Lamp, MD
310.664.7648
Ten Venice Family Clinic Volunteers Receive
President’s Volunteer Service Award
Congratulations to Joanne Berlin, Thomas J. Early, MD,
Susan Goodman, Jacqueline Heller, MD, Beverly Karpman, MD,
Kelly McFerren, William Resnick, MD, Marjorie Roberts, PhD,
Nicole Rosendale, and C. Victor Wylie, MD, for receiving the
President’s Volunteer Service Award for having given 100+ hours
of their time to the Clinic in one year. It is the most prestigious
volunteer award given by the White House.
Did you know?
From an annual budget of just $250,000, Venice
Family Clinic procures more than $8 million in
donated pharmaceuticals. It is the largest recipient of
donated drugs from Pfizer and dispenses over 100,000
prescriptions per year.
DIRECTOR OF
COMMUNICATIONS
Tim Smith
310.664.7910
GRAPHIC DESIGN
SPECIALIST
Courtney Gero
310.664.7918
PHILANTHROPY BOARD
Kathleen Aikenhead
Lou Colen
Marjorie Fasman
Ruth Flinkman
Hilary & Robert Nelson Jacobs
Glorya Kaufman
Susanne & Paul Kester
Shawn & Larry King
Deborah Laub
Susan Adelman & Claudio Llanos
Chuck Lorre
Denise Richards
Anita May Rosenstein
Charlie Sheen
Victoria & Ronald Simms
Harriet & Richard Squire
Eva Vollmer
Billie Milam Weisman
Sylvia Weisz
Ruth Ziegler
Marilyn Ziering
Diane & Michael Ziering
Janet & Jerry Zucker
ADVISORY BOARD
Martin Anderson, MD, MPH
Neal Axelrod
Bernard Briskin
Saul Brown, MD
David Buell
Henry G. Cisneros
Lou Colen
Hon. Kathleen Connell
Lucia Diaz
Laddie John Dill
Raymond Eden
Sylvia Firestone, MSW
Suzanne Futterman
Luis Galvez
Lila Garrett
Naomi Goldman
Allan Gordon
Karen Gunn, PhD
Daniel Helberg
Roseann Herman, Esq.
Marilyn Hersh
Elaine Hoffman
Dan Keatinge, MD
Diedre Kelly-Gordon
Julie Liker
Connie Linn
Al Markovitz, MD, FACP
Kelly Chapman Meyer
Robert Moverley
Charlotte Neumann, MD, MPH
Harvey Newman, PharmD
Kenneth Ramberg
Helen Reid, LCSW
Joyce Rey
Andrea Rich, PhD
Monica Salinas, PhD
Miguel Sandoval
Jeffrey A. Seymour
Arthur Stickgold
Leonard Stone
Kate Summers
Rebecca Tafoya, CSAC
Jill E. Thomas
Matthew A. Toledo
Carl Weissburg
7
In this issue…
604 Rose Avenue • Venice, CA 90291
310.664.7910 • FAX 310.396.8279
www.venicefamilyclinic.org
PHONE
New Dental Services
Give Patients Another
Reason to Smile
Address service requested
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PA I D
See page 4 for more information.
’Tis the Season to Order Artist Cards
…like Dale Chihuly’s Polyvitro Chandelier (above).
Image used with permission from Chihuly Studio.
Mercury Mailing Service, Inc.