Health Partnership Celebrates 30 years at Benefit Luncheon
By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach
Health Partnership Celebrates 30 years at Benefit Luncheon
Raises funds for uninsured children and adults
Health Partnership Clinic marked 30 years of improving health, impacting lives together at our annual Opening Doors benefit luncheon on April 28. Thanks to generous sponsors and donors, the clinic raised more than $67,000 which will help provide medical, dental and behavioral health care to uninsured children and adults in Johnson, Franklin and Miami counties. The clinic provides more than $3 million of uncompensated care annually.
Christel Bell with FOX4 Kansas City served as the MC. Earlier in the month, Bell visited the clinic and learned about the clinic’s mission. In addition, Jim Terrones, board member, provided an inspirational moment. Tierney Grasser, the clinic’s Board Chair, and Amy Falk, CEO, presented two annual awards. AdventHealth MidAmerica Region received the Founders Award, and Shelby Rebeck, MSN, BSN, RN, Director of Health Services at Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD), received the Leadership Impact Award.
AdventHealth MidAmerica Region – Robin Harrold
As one of the founding partners of Health Partnership in 1992, AdventHealth has continued to support the clinic’s mission of serving the most vulnerable in our community. Through their ongoing support of discounted or free services for the uninsured, hospital and medical staff donations and board volunteerism, AdventHealth has made an indelible mark on the clinic’s operations and mission. We are grateful for their pioneering leadership, vision and collaborative spirit in supporting us and embracing the mission of providing quality, affordable and accessible health care for 30 years.
Shelby Rebeck, MSN, BSN, RN
Shelby has been a nurse in our community for 30+ years working in hospitals, clinics and home health. Seventeen of those years have been in school health and since January of 2011 she has served as the Director of Health Services for SMSD. She oversees a staff of 65 school nurses and aides and is responsible for student health and well-being in the SMSD. Over the last two years of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Shelby has played a leading role in providing guidance on COVID-19 prevention including vaccination promotions, COVID testing and mask use in our schools.
From 2015 to 2021, she served as an active member of Health Partnership’s Board of Directors and helped spearhead school-based health clinics, pediatric health days and promotion of clinic services to staff, parents and students. We appreciate Shelby’s steady leadership and strong commitment to increase accessibility to quality and affordable health care to Johnson County’s youth. Her collaboration and shared vision made it possible to offer the first School-Based Clinic to Shawnee Mission School District students and their siblings. As an active board member, Shelby played a key role in guiding the clinic forward.
In addition, guests viewed a Birthday Shoutout video from our community partners and an educational video about the clinic as well as enjoyed a testimonial from Carolyn Tortorici, Overland Park, Kan. Carolyn is a foster parent who has utilized the clinic since 2013. She and her husband, Joe, have brought nine foster children to the clinic through the years. She shared that she liked taking children to the clinic because their foster kids see children there like themselves, and that would not be true in a private dental or medical office. She adds, “It is great to not always stand out as ‘different’.” She also noted the exceptional services the clinic provides and the genuine care and professionalism of all the staff.
Carolyn Tortorici, her husband and Christel Bell
As part of its 30-year celebration, the clinic and its partners sponsored a video and coloring contest. The winning videos of Shawnee Mission West High School students were premiered. The winning artwork of third grade students in the Olathe School District was displayed for guests to view. To view the videos and coloring artwork, visit https://hpcks.org/hpc30/#hpc30videos. Contest sponsors included UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Davidson Promotional and Sunflower Health Plan.
A huge thank you to our event sponsors:
The clinic also is recognizing the Olathe Fire Department with the Leadership Impact Award. This award recognizes efforts of an individual or organization that has advanced the mission and philosophy of Health Partnership and has contributed leadership expertise in the promotion of HPC, health care and wellness in the communities served by the clinic.
