Bob Anderson is not from Clarkston, but he feels like he knows a lot of people from Clarkston.
As executive director of the North Oakland Foundation, Anderson points to several things at North Oakland Medical Centers made possible by the generosity of Clarkston area residents.
For example, friends of Dr. John Naz, who practiced in Clarkston for many years, helped fund a new five-bed unit which serves as the first step into the Pontiac-based hospital’s birth center. The unit is called ‘the Naz room? by staff and patients.
The room is important for mothers who may not fully qualify for admission to the birth center, Anderson said. Rather than make them wait in a hall or go back home, the Naz room serves as a place where mothers-to-be can rest and receive needed monitoring services.
‘This allows an extra measure of comfort and safety during the process,? Anderson said. ‘The love for Dr. Naz in the Clarkston community was terrific. It’s one of the reasons we have a strong donor base out there.?
Clarkston residents have also supplied much of the money needed to finish an upgraded neo-natal intensive care unit at North Oakland’s Pontiac campus. The hospital was a pioneer in NICU services, and a Clarkston family recently prepared a videotape testimonial after their newborn needed special care there.
‘It made a world of difference,? Anderson said, and upgrading the unit will help solve what he called a ‘horrendous? infant mortality rate in Oakland County. ‘It’s making a difference for the community.?
The goal is to add a ‘training room? to the NICU to allow new mothers to stay overnight in a home-like setting to learn care procedures for special need infants.
The foundation is about $100,000 short of the goal on that project.
Clarkston area families have helped with donations toward the nation’s only hospital-based Euro-Peds treatment center (and a Clarkston child recently completed the program), where physical therapy, family involvement and fun are combined. The unit, established in the second year of the six-year-old foundation’s work, has an 80 percent success rate in treating children with cerebral palsy.
The work of the foundation is accomplished a 15-member board of directors, two of whom are Clarkston area residents.
In addition to handling general board duties, former state representative and county commissioner David Galloway established a special fund to help those who cannot afford the Euro-Peds program.
Local insurance agent Dave Smith helped persuade the State Farm Foundation to donate $3,000 for child safety seats for low-income families, and secured liability underwriting for the not-for-profit foundation’s work.
‘I get a real sense of enjoyment from it,? said Smith, whose son was born at NOMC. ‘It’s one of the ways I can give back. It’s a good organization.?
Smith joined the board two years ago after being recruited by other board members. Both he and Anderson said the foundation’s work is not easy, and a long list of worthwhile projects leads to some debate.
‘We’re not always on the same page, but we’re at least in the same notebook,? Smith said.
‘Their job is to help us spread the word and help us raise money. That’s not something everybody can do,? Anderson said. Then, ‘our board has to really choose and decide. The overriding factor is, ‘What provides the best health experience and treatment for our patients?? We’ve really focused on that.?
The foundation raises between $500,000 and $1 million each year, and Clarkston area residents have donated more than $250,000 in recent years.
NOMC attracts a good number of patients from the Clarkston area, as well. Anderson said the Pontiac campus is first in vascular surgery among Clarkston residents, second in general surgery and in the top three for the birth center.
Anderson believes families are drawn to the hospital ? and the foundation ? because doctors listen to ideas from the outside. The old model was for hospitals to dictate a foundation’s fund-raising priorities. But NOMC has a history of listening to people. From day one the hospital was largely donor-driven. Founded as Oakland General Hospital about 100 years ago by a group of eight ladies, it is the county’s first hospital.
‘Oakland County wouldn’t have had its first hospital [without donations],? Anderson said, noting many improvements in the 1980s thanks to donations from many individuals and businesses, including General Motors.
‘The customer, the patient, the families’they do know what helps a patient get better. It’s just taken medicine a longer time to listen,? he said.
Anderson was recruited from the business world to become the foundation’s first executive director six years ago.
‘It was a new challenge; I had never worked in a hospital before,? he said. ‘But this is a place that captures your imagination. I’ve never had a job I’ve enjoyed more.?
While there is an annual golf outing and a black tie affair to raise funds, most of the work is done quietly by the board of directors.
‘We try not to be an event-driven organization, because events cost too much money,? Anderson said. On the other hand, word of mouth from satisfied patients and their families has been encouraging.
That doesn’t mean there is no outreach. The foundation offers occasional seminars entitled ‘Your Health is Our Foundation,? not as much for fund-raising as for education. Anderson is willing to visit civic groups to present the seminar.
Meanwhile, the foundation also welcomes volunteers, both in the foundation office and in the hospital proper.
‘We could not survive without volunteers,? he said. ‘Every hour they give is a donation.?
For more information on the work of the North Oakland Foundation, call 248-857-7086 or visit www.northoaklandfoundation.org.