Giving Back

On the surface, Kenny Spitler and Marcy Sasso would seem to be from two different mindsets, let alone two different parts of the country. But each has a passion for giving back to their communities — in two distinct ways — that can be infectious. And both stress the importance for ASCs to get involved in their local communities.

“We’re in the healthcare industry and in particular, in economic times that are tough as what we’ve been going through, the healthcare industry has still been strong,” says Spitler, senior vice president of development for HealthMark Partners in Nashville, Tenn. “So giving back to the community is essential, in my mind.”

Sasso, director of operations at the ASC of Union County, in Union Township, N.J., explains that giving back is paramount for ASCs, and not just to serve the community, either. “We as surgery centers, are often thought of as ‘cherry pickers,’ that we take the best cases from the hospitals. But we can provide exemplary service to everyone involved, physicians as well as patients.”

ASCs 2009

Spitler was given the task of organizing a volunteer project as part of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s 2009 annual meeting held in Nashville last April. Previous projects had volunteers planting sunflower seeds in New Orleans to remove lead that had seeped into the soil around the city after Hurricane Katrina, and cleaning up the grounds at the Fisher House in the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. But he wanted to do something that would give some tangible results to the volunteers participating.

“My biggest goal was I wanted to do something that’s going to endure,” notes Spitler. “I wanted something that would have a little more lasting effect for the Association.”

So he took 20 to 25 volunteers apiece in two shifts and went over to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee in nearby Antioch, to help decorate and landscape an outdoor play area for the 105 children who utilize their afterschool program. The groups built and stained benches and picnic tables, installed bird feeders and a bird bath, planted shrubs and flowers, and prepared a vegetable garden for the children to grow their own vegetables.”

“What they did was a fantastic beautification process,” states John Hamilton, Club director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, “one (that) the kids really love and the community sees it, too.”

And the impact on the children was almost immediate, says Hamilton. “I have heard the children say a few times since then, ‘This is our Club now. This is our home now because it looks like a Boys & Girls Club.’”

“Doing the work was great, but seeing the kids’ faces after it was all done, was really what it was all about,” Spitler declares. “Just complete joy.”

Hamilton also notes the enthusiasm of the volunteers was a key in making the project a success. “They really took the project, and were gung ho (about it.) They began work from the time they got off the bus, until the time they had to leave.”

“We probably wouldn’t have gotten this project done if it wasn’t for them, based on the economy and funding,” says Bob Jacobs, vice president of resource development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee. He also points out that so much of this type of service relies on volunteers, which translates into these same children becoming more involved in these types of projects in the future.

Health Fair

When Sasso learned that Union Township, N.J., no longer had its annual community health fair due to the local hospital closing 18 months ago, she saw an opportunity for her ASC to get involved.

“Within three days, I had a unanimous vote from the owners to green light hosting the health fair,” says Sasso. The success of the health fair was due to the participation of physicians, staff members, family members and the Gateway Chamber of Commerce. “It turned a marketing event into an opportunity for saving lives and providing education for the community. The health fair was organized within a two month time frame, although she feels that six months preparation is optimal.

Sasso’s infectious attitude was able to rub off on to the community, where many of the medical and healthcare-related organizations contributed to the event. Twenty booths displayed health screenings, visual demonstrations for surgeries, fingerprinting and bike safety information for children, and most importantly, the chance for her ASC physicians to interact with the community.

“I had a woman tell me afterward that she was so grateful to talk with one of our surgeons for 15 minutes,” Sasso articulates. “Most people don’t get that amount of time, even in a consultation.”

In the end, hundreds of attendees paid a visit to the health fair over an afternoon that gave Sasso plenty of ideas on how to make next year’s event an even greater success.

“If anything, I think if I had six months to prepare, it will make a tremendous difference. I can attract more groups that weren’t able to participate this year,” she reveals. “We just have to communicate to various agencies to attract a broader audience, which of course we will. “This will definitely become an annual event for the ASC Give Back! I know it changed people’s lives. The staff feels very proud of the interaction and positive response from the community.”

Getting Involved

Spitler feels there needs to be a continued effort nationally from the ASC industry to participate in volunteering events like his. “If asked, most of the people in the industry are willing to give back. If there were an ongoing effort to perpetually do something from a charitable standpoint from the industry as a whole, I think it would be well received.”

He points to an event at this year’s annual meeting as an example. A couple of volunteers from the project were given the chance to speak to the general audience, asking for donations for the Boys & Girls Clubs. “There was $2,800 collected that day for the Boys & Girls Clubs,” says Spitler. “Another group bought toys and other items for the club.”

For local ASCs, Sasso suggests to start small. “You always have a little bit to give. Even if you don’t think you have the time, once you start this, hopefully you’ll have the same feelings that my staff and I have.” To go along with the health fair, the ASC of Union County has participated in such things as holiday toy drives, walks for autism and breast cancer patients, a bike ride for multiple sclerosis.

“Giving is such a contagious thing,” Sasso says.

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