The Conneaut Foundation Gifts $50,000 to UH Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals Conneaut Medical Center

ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio — The Conneaut Foundation has generously donated $50,000 to University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at UH Conneaut Medical Center. The gift will be utilized to upgrade and expand cancer treatment services to better serve patients close to home.

“The Conneaut Foundation's contribution is not just a pledge to UH, it is a pledge to our community that the health and safety of our citizens is the bedrock to providing the best quality of life for residents,” said Kathy Zappitello, Board Chair of The Conneaut Foundation and Executive Director of the Conneaut Public Library. “It is our Board's hope that our gift will inspire others to look through the same lens and join us in creating positive change.”

UH Conneaut has a rich history of compassionate care in the community, providing the highest level comprehensive medical and surgical services, emergency medical care, in-patient hospital services and outpatient testing and services for residents in Ashtabula County and surrounding areas.

Basic cancer treatment services have been available at UH Conneaut for decades, but more recently enhanced services have been provided. Additional renovations are now needed in order to:

• Create new infusion suites within the outpatient specialty care unit.
• Build private exam rooms and an ADA accessible bathroom.
• Construct a physician’s office for private consultations with patients/families.
• Enhance aesthetics to ensure privacy and a healing environment that reflects the expert care, compassion and skill provided by the physicians, nurses and staff.

“We are extremely grateful to The Conneaut Foundation for their contribution and partnership. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Ashtabula County, and many patients who were previously diagnosed had to travel out of the county for treatment,” said Jason Glowczewski, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, Chief Operating Officer of UH Conneaut and Geneva Medical Centers. “We’ve embarked on an ambitious journey and are successfully addressing these issues by establishing and expanding UH Seidman Cancer Centers at both of our hospitals in Ashtabula County. Now patients will receive even more advanced care in a comfortable, healing environment close to home.”

Mike Joslin is a local businessman who has been on The Conneaut Foundation Board for nearly ten years. His wife, Linda, was diagnosed with a rare cancer called mediastinal diffuse lymphoma and passed away 15 years ago. He remembers continuously traveling to downtown Cleveland, more than an hour away, for care. UH Conneaut was only five minutes from their home, so receiving treatments there when possible helped to relieve some of the stress caused by a cancer diagnosis.

“I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy,” Mike explained. “As horrific as it was for my wife, it was equally horrific for my family to watch her go through this. It taught me to appreciate time, especially time you have with your family. We were an hour away from downtown on a good driving day – an hour and half by the time you park and get to your hospital room. So there alone was three hours of our day just in travel time, while we had three sons at home and I was trying to manage a business.”

The cost to expand cancer services at UH Conneaut is $400,000. To date, $333,630 (83%) has been received in cash and multi-year pledges. However, with the pandemic straining UH capital funding, cash is critical for starting and completing the project as quickly as possible. Roughly $160,000 more in cash is needed to initiate construction before construction costs increase.

Ashtabula Fundraising Cabinet Co-Chairs Lori McLaughlin and Laura Jones are leading the charge and looking to the community to be a part of the expansion. “Our families have both been affected by cancer,” they said. “We are thrilled to be part of this initiative to ensure state of-the-art care for everyone in our community.”

For more information or for questions about the project, contact Campaign Co-Chair Lori McLaughlin at Lori.Mclaughlin123@gmail.com or 440-812-2501.

Local residents who are considering a contribution to the effort may want to take advantage of the increased tax incentives made possible by the CARES Act for charitable giving in 2020. These incentives are set to expire on December 31, 2020.

For details on the tax incentives or to make a gift to Conneaut’s UH Seidman Cancer project, please contact UH Development Officer Emilie Gottsegen at Emilie.Gottsegen@UHhospitals.org or 330-998-3343.