Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals announces Medallion winners; event has Cirque du Soleil theme

The Medallion: Macomb’s Gala Event will be filled the grace and excitement of this year’s theme, Cirque du Soleil, or “Circus of the Sun.”

Cirque du Soleil performers delight audiences with feats of amazing acrobatics, dance and other movement set to music that celebrate the power and beauty of human physical performance.

Macomb County’s premiere social event will benefit the Henry Ford Macomb Patient Medical Needs Fund. It provides uninsured and underinsured patients in a crisis situation with health care services, medication, equipment, medical supplies and social services.

Approximately 1,000 guests are expected to attend the event set for March 2 at Penna’s of Sterling. In addition to raising funds, Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals will recognize staff and community supporters with the Medallion award. It is a celebration of the contributions of individuals who have enriched the work of Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals and the lives of people throughout the region.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Recognition of the Medallion winners, dinner and dancing will follow. Tickets are $250 each. For more information, call Tina Lavinio-Mattinen in the Office of Philanthropy at (586) 263-2968.

          This year’s Medallion honorees include:

• Tony Viviano Distinguished Achievement Award – Jim Rossmann of Shelby Township
• Physician – Raad Ausi, MD, of Shelby Township
• Leader – Jeanne Beck of Clinton Township
• Nurse – Linda Hoffman, RN, of Almont
• Staff – Balaji Pillai of Macomb
• Volunteer – Lorraine Eldred of Utica

Tony Viviano Distinguished Achievement Award

Jim Rossmann

Jim has spent the past dozen years dedicated to the service of others. The foundation of his generosity came from his own family.

Jim grew up in Washington Township. He was one of four children. However, the family ranged in size from six to 14 because his mother and father often took in abused children who needed homes until they were adopted. Jim joined the U.S Navy while in high school and did two tours in Vietnam before completing his education in Florida and Michigan. He was President of Rossmann-Williams Group, Inc., an accounting company located in Troy.

When his late wife, Pat Rossmann, became ill with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Jim became acquainted with internal medicine physician Ben Fajardo, MD. Dr. Fajardo assisted in Pat’s care. After Pat passed away in 1999, Jim sold his accounting business and was looking for a way to give back.

“I asked Ben if there was something I could do for what was then St. Joe’s and he talked to Philanthropy,” Jim said.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Jim is a past member of the hospital Board of Trustees and continues to serve with the Foundation in a variety of ways. He was instrumental in starting the Dino Ciccarelli Pro-Am Golf Tournament. The golf outing raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Pat Rossmann Fund, which provided funding for the addition of equipment for the Cancer Institute.

He has been a member of the Medallion Steering Committee for many years and in 2001 won the Medallion in the Citizen category. He plays a key role in several philanthropy endeavors that benefit Henry Ford Macomb such as the Macomb Golf Classic; the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association Golf Outing that benefits the Heart and Vascular Institute; and a Texas Hold’em poker tournament that benefits the Heart Walk. He is currently a member of the Ambassador Club.

It was through his involvement with the hospital that he met then Chief Operating Officer Barbara Moore. Jim and Barbara Rossmann married in 2001. She became President and CEO in 2004.

         A tireless volunteer, Jim’s efforts at Henry Ford Macomb just scratch the surface of his charitable activities. He donates time and resources to a range of causes from the March of Dimes and the Red Cross to the Kiwanis, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids, the Ted Lindsay Autism Foundation, and Random Acts of Kindness, along with countless others. Next on his list is volunteering at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, and a medical mission trip to India. Jim also was part of a group of business leaders that represented Macomb County in Shanghai and Beijing, China in trying to bring jobs back to our area.

         “Once I got started, it just went on and on,” Jim said. “I met Tony Viviano and he got me involved with the March of Dimes and now I am on their board. You name it and I do it. People ask me and I don’t want to say ‘no.’ I’m blessed. My wife Barb asked me after a couple of years into our marriage how I would like to be remembered. I really never thought about it until now and I guess my best and most humble response would be that I made a positive difference in someone’s life.”

Physician

Raad Ausi, MD

         Dr. Ausi has been delivering excellent care to patients at the Henry Ford Macomb Health Center – Fraser since 2001. Before that he spent a year as medical director at the Henry Ford Macomb Urgent Care Center and Business Health in Bruce Township. He is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and says he loves to be able to care for patients of all ages.

         “He is not only an expert in his medical knowledge and patient care, but also expert in providing individualized care,” wrote one of his nominators. “He works to improve customer service and he respects diversity in all its forms. He acts as a resource for other physicians and staff.”

         Dr. Ausi said he thinks listening comes naturally to him and that it is imperative to providing good patient care.

         “I treat patients. I don’t treat numbers or labs.”

         His interest in medicine started early in his native Iraq. His father was a “bone setter.” He was not a doctor, but set broken bones for people.

         He left Iraq in 1979 at age 17 to avoid joining the army of then dictator Saddam Hussein. After a stop in Jordan, he came to the United States. He is a graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed residencies at Henry Ford Hospital and St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital.

         Added his nominator, “He is a wonderful care provider. He is very professional and eager to listen to patients’ concerns.”

Leader

Jeanne Beck

         Jeanne is an ultrasound supervisor at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital. One of Jeanne’s nominators described her as “hard working, honest, a true leader with a heart of gold.”

         “She is an inspiration to all that work with her…every day I see her treat staff and patients with respect and compassion. She trusts her employees to make the right decisions. She is a hard worker and does not ask her staff to do any job she is not willing to do herself. When they are short staffed of just busy she is working side by side with us,” wrote another.

         Jeanne had other jobs before becoming an ultrasound tech in 1995. She was encouraged to try it by her sister, who is a genetic counselor.

         “I can’t believe I am so fortunate to do what I do,” Jeanne said. “I have the best of both worlds. I am a supervisor, but I also get to provide patient care. I can help patients. Even when it is bad news, I can still be there for them. And of course the obstetrics patients are always exciting.”

         She said she remembers when doctors did “exploratory surgery” when they could not see what was wrong.

         “Every time I put a transducer down, I think, ‘this is a miracle.’ I can see in a living body without doing any harm. We can help people figure out what’s wrong, why they are hurting. It’s so exciting. Each patient is something new…we have to remember, even if it is the millionth ultrasound we have done, for them it might the first or only one they ever have.”

         Jeanne also has been on the board of the Michigan Sonographer’s Society since 1995 and has been active with the VFW over the years.

Nurse

Linda Hoffman, RN

          When Linda was in high school, her ambition was to become an engineer. Then she took a registration clerk job in an Emergency Department.

          “I decided I wanted to be on the other side of that wall taking care of patients,” she said.

          So, she went to nursing school, where her favorite rotation was psychiatry. She has worked in the field of psychiatric nursing since 1984 and has worked in Emergency Psychiatric Evaluation Center (EPE) at Henry Ford Macomb – Mt. Clemens Campus since 1995.

          “You do get to interact with families. You see people who are in crisis and when that happens pretty much everyone in the household is in crisis. We also see the people who fall through the cracks and we help them,” she said. “The other thing I love about my job is the incredible team we have here. The physicians work side by side with us just like in any ER”

          Linda said she has worked as a case manager in the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Emergency Department and that experience has given her great perspective.

          “Whether a person walks in as homeless, convict, psychotic with a substance abuse problem or a person with a college degree requiring help for acute depression, Linda looks for ways to connect with them, offering the same caring compassion and healing comfort,” wrote one nominator. “Through her skills in case management, she consistently looks for ways to help them get connected to resources to help prevent relapse, finding ways to give them a hand up to help themselves.”

          Linda also uses her leadership skills to help manage the EPE, mentor new employees and institute protocols to continually improve patient safety and patient satisfaction.

Staff

Balaji Pillai

          Balaji, a physical therapist, says he is in the perfect line of work.

          “I love working with patients, with people. That was my ambition since childhood. I wanted to work with people, not machines or in an office. As a physical therapist, I have more time with patients than most other medical professionals.”

          He said he likes to see how, with his help, people regain independence.

          “If a patient can’t walk, we help them and then they can walk. It is very fulfilling to see my patients’ progress.”

          Balaji works in the Center for Joint Replacement at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital and is certified as an orthopedic specialist by the American Physical Therapy Association. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1992 and his doctor of physical therapy degree in 2007. He has worked as a physical therapist for 20 years, 12 of those at Henry Ford Macomb.

          “Balaji always puts the needs of his patients first,” wrote one nominator. “He will re-arrange his schedule or stay over to ensure the patients have received the physical therapy they need. He works extremely well with the nursing staff and will collaborate to arrange the best time for therapy, ensuring the patients are pre-medicated so they can participate better. He exemplifies what is means to be a team member.”

          In addition, his nominators commend Balaji’s dedication to education and implementing evidence-based practices, as well as participating in hospital community outreach activities such as the Heart Walk and Rely for Life.

          “This nominee promotes our mission and vision…he treats each patient as if they were a family member.”

Volunteer

Lorraine Eldred

          Lorraine has transferred her years of customer service experience in the retail setting to her work as a volunteer.

          Lorraine was a manager at Hudson’s – and its later incarnations – for many years. When she retired, she and her husband decided to volunteer.

          “We did it as a team,” she said. “It gets you out the house and you meet so many nice people. Everyone is so grateful for the help.”

          One family she remembers especially well. Two daughters had brought their elderly mother, who was also blind, in for a series of tests. They had to go to several places in the hospital and were worried about finding everything.

          “She was on edge every minute she was here,” Lorraine recalls. “The daughters were, too. I stayed with them the whole time. It turned out to be so much fun. By the end, we were laughing and carrying on. At the end, the woman said, ‘I’m taking my daughters to lunch, do you want to come?’ That’s the kind of thing that happens.”

Sadly, Lorraine’s husband passed away, but Lorraine continues helping direct patients and has logged more than 2,000 hours volunteering in the Main Lobby and Admitting Department over the past 11 years.

          “This couple made wonderful volunteers as they each brought very different traits to the hospital,” one nominator wrote. “Her husband was very quiet and serious. She is very extroverted and energetic.”