Tag Archives: Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System

2021 Northeast Ohio Heroes honored for courage displayed during COVID

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The Haslam family and the Cleveland Browns also honored with Community Leader Award

The American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio is proud to announce the individuals and organizations who have been honored as the 2021 Northeast Ohio Hero Award winners.

This year the winners were honored for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentation was hosted by veteran journalist Leon Bibb of WKYC News 3. You can view the video here.

The 2021 Greater Cleveland Hero Awards honorees include:

  • Biomedical Heroes: The Cuyahoga County Library System and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse were honored for hosting blood drives throughout the pandemic. Bill Kelly and Theresa Brightman represented the County Libraries, and Jeff Kadlup and Brooke Bockleman represented Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Top photo: Jeff Kadlup and Brooke Bockleman of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Bottom photo Bill Kelly and Theresa Brightman of the Cuyahoga County Library System

  • Essential Services Heroes: Employees of supermarkets, pharmacies and other retail establishments who risked their health and continued to go to work during the shutdown.
  • Nonprofit Partner Heroes: The Greater Cleveland Foodbank, represented by President and CEO Kristin Warzocha for their ongoing efforts to feed families throughout the pandemic. Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute for continuing to serve recently incarcerated men and women, under the leadership of founder Brandon Chrostowski.

Kristin Warzocha, left, and Brandon Chrostowski

Dr. Joanne McKell and Nurse Anita White

  • Frontline Heroes: Medical professionals like Dr. Joanne McKell and Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Anita White of the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, who worked tirelessly to care for and protect patients throughout the pandemic.
Jackie Otte, American Red Cross Volunteer
  • Volunteer Heroes: Red Cross workers like Jackie Otte who led efforts to provide compassion, comfort and access to resources for people suffering from the physical and emotional effects of COVID-19.
  • First Responder Heroes: Allen Morinec and Michael Kuznik of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood who, forced to return home from college during the lockdown, responded to a fire at a neighbor’s home.

Allen Morinec and Michael Kuznik

In addition to honoring local residents who have shown courage during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross also honored the Haslam family and the Cleveland Browns with the Community Leader Award, for serving the northeast Ohio community with outstanding leadership, vision and a commitment to the health and well-being of our region.

Jimmy and Dee Haslam

Please watch this video for a list of the generous sponsors who supported the 2021 Northeast Ohio Hero Awards. Special thanks to event chair Vic DiGeronimo of the DiGeronimo companies for his tremendous support.

Psychologist Deploys to California to Assist Wildfire Victims

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His expertise with PTSD counselling helped residents cope with losses

edgardo photo (2)

Disaster Mental Health volunteer Edgardo Padin

Edgardo Padin is a clinical psychologist who helps treat veterans in the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System. This experience made him a valuable member of the volunteer team that responded to the wildfires in California this summer.

This was Ed’s first deployment as an American Red Cross disaster mental health worker. He wasn’t quite sure what his role would be, as he explained in an interview recorded shortly before he left for California.

Shortly after arriving, Ed found himself in a Red Cross shelter, counseling people who had just lost their homes and all of their belongings.

“I did a lot of talking to people,” he said. “I calmed them down and gave them some idea of what was happening by showing them how the fire was going on my iPad. Information was really important to them.”

Ed said that while he did provide a lot of mental health services, it wasn’t the only thing he did during his 10-day deployment.

“We had a Norovirus outbreak that we just had to work at and maintain so that it wouldn’t spread throughout the entire shelter,” he explained. “We collaborated with the University of Santa Cruz, which sent EMTs to help us. They worked 24-hour shifts just like we did.”

Emily Probst, the Regional Workforce Engagement Manager of the Red Cross Northeast Ohio Region, said Ed’s skills made him a very valuable volunteer.

“We are so thankful that Ed offered his immense expertise to help people affected by this crisis,” she said. “I have no doubt his work in California made a difference in the lives of the people he touched.”

Volunteers are needed every day to respond to local disasters like home fires and to deploy to wildfires, hurricanes and other national disasters. Visit redcross.org/neo and click on Volunteers at the top of the page to volunteer to help people in need.

In an interview upon his return, Ed said his first deployment as a Red Cross volunteer was a gratifying experience. “In the end, I felt like I did something that was wonderful. I did something that was helpful. It was a great adventure, and I certainly would do it again.”

 

Baby Shower Planned for Women Veterans

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Anyone Can Contribute a Gift for the Babies of NEO Veterans

By Jim McIntyre/American Red Cross

The Tiffany Circle is helping veterans from Northeast Ohio start the circle of life for their yet-to-be-born babies.

Laurie L

Laurie Laidlaw Deacon, Chair of the Tiffany Circle in Northeast Ohio, speaking in a suite at Quicken Loans Arena

The Tiffany Circle, a community of women leaders and philanthropists who advance the  Red Cross mission through a focused investment of time, talent and treasure, is hosting a baby shower for female veterans who are currently being served by the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System.  Some 50 veteran moms-to-be will receive the gifts purchased through a special account on Amazon.

“We are proud to provide this service to brave women veterans in our area,” said Laurie Laidlaw Deacon, Chair of the Tiffany Circle in the Northeast Ohio Region.  “And we appreciate our partnership with the Veteran’s Administration Healthcare System, for helping us identify the women who served our country, and who will soon be caring for a newborn.”

Sue Fuehrer

Sue Fuehrer, CEO of the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System, and Mike Parks, Regional CEO of the Red Cross

Sue Fuehrer, CEO, Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System, said “We at VA are grateful to the Red Cross, Northeast Ohio Region, for hosting the Tiffany Circle Baby Shower to support our women veterans and their newborns.  Our local Red Cross is always there for our veterans and their families in so many ways, and VA is thankful for their strong support on behalf of our nation’s heroes.”

The baby shower will take place at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center on May 19th.  Tiffany Circle member Donna Rae Smith, a member of the Greater Cleveland Board of Directors, and veteran Danielle Krakora of the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System promoted the baby shower on WKYC’s Lakeside Today broadcast on Thursday, May 9.   

Members of the Northeast Ohio Tiffany Circle kicked-off the event at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday, March 19, when they gathered to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers play the Milwaukee Bucks.

Group Shot

Northeast Ohio Region Tiffany Circle members Laurie Laidlaw Deacon, Rosemarie Hoover, Kathy Coleman, Donna Rae Smith, and Luci Schey Spring.  Photo credit: Jessica Tischler/American Red Cross

The Cavs won, 124-117.

Tiffany Circle members pledged to help local veterans win, too, by supporting the baby shower. If you’d like to buy a gift for the baby shower for expecting veterans, shop here.

Partnership with VA, Vets Groups Makes 100+ Homes Safer

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The heat couldn’t keep the Red Cross and some of its partners from installing smoke alarms throughout Northeast Ohio on Saturday, June 17, 2017.

The high temperature topped out at 93 degrees, as volunteers from the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System and members of several veterans groups helped install nearly 300 smoke alarms in homes in four separate cities simultaneously.  The Operation Save-A-Life event was scheduled to occur during the same week as Flag Day, an observance that is held with reverence among many members of the military and veterans.

“Our Northeast Ohio VA employees are dedicated to serving those who serve day in and day out.  Their dedication carries over to their time away from work as we join forces with the Red Cross to make our Veterans homes and those of their neighbors safer,” said Susan M. Fuehrer, Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System Director.

Homeowners in Akron, Canton, Mansfield and Parma received home fire safety information as well as smoke alarms, installed at no cost to them.

“It was an extremely hot day, but through your hard work and commitment to your communities, we were able to make 103 homes in Northeast Ohio safer by installing 297 smoke alarms,” wrote Jessica Tischler, Director of Service to the Armed Forces for the Red Cross of Northeast Ohio, in a message to the volunteers.

“I can’t get over it, this is such a nice thing you all are doing,” said Sara Janasik of Parma, as smoke alarms were being installed in her Monmouth Road home.

The Flag Day event preceded another big push to prevent home fire deaths this fall. Sound the Alarm, a home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event will take place across the country, including Northeast Ohio during the weekends of September 23, September 30, October 7 and October 14, 2017.  If you’d like to help us make homes safer, become a Red Cross volunteer.  Call 216-431-3328 for more information about Sound the Alarm and all of the volunteer opportunities the Red Cross offers.

You can also help people affected by disasters like home fires by making a donation to support Red Cross disaster relief online.  Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.  Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the words RED CROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.