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Cancer Can Strike at Any Age
Late last spring, in the midst of preparing for her wedding, 24-year-old Emily Nelson was diagnosed with cancer. At a time when she and her fiancé, Bobby, should have been planning their honeymoon, they were suddenly faced with the overwhelming prospect of working with oncologists to plan Emily’s cancer treatment. Emily and Bobby went forward with their June wedding, and spent their honeymoon cycling in the San Juans. When they returned, Emily began her chemotherapy treatments.
Fortunately for Emily and the 1,200 other cancer patients who will be treated at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center this year, our cancer outcomes are equal or superior to national survival rates for the four leading cancers in Whatcom County. Emily’s prognosis is excellent, and she is already looking forward to pursuing a Masters in Teacher Education when she is cancer-free. We are inspired by Emily’s spirit, and proud to be able to provide her with the medical expertise and cutting-edge treatment that will help follow her dreams.
We invite you to join us in helping patients like Emily through a donation to the PeaceHealth Comprehensive Cancer Center. To make a contribution, click on Donate Now or call the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation at 360-788-6866.
New Tax Law Extends IRA Charitable Rollovers
The compromise tax bill, which has just been passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, extends until December 31, 2011 a provision allowing taxpayers age 70½ or older to use certain types of IRAs to make tax-free transfers of up to $100,000 per year to charities.
The law, which was originally enacted in 2006, expired at the end of last year, but it has now been renewed for two years, retroactive to January 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 2011.
Transfers within the allowable limit from a standard IRA or Roth IRA to one or more charities will not be included in the taxpayer’s taxable income, and they will count toward his or her required minimum distribution.
If you have not yet requested your required minimum distribution for 2010, and you would like to make a charitable gift with IRA funds, you should immediately take these actions:
• Reduce your required minimum distribution by the amount you would like to contribute to charity. (The non-charitable portion still must be taken by the end of this month.)
• No later than January 31, 2011 instruct the administrator of your IRA to transfer funds to the charities you choose (total transfers limited to $100,000), and advise the administrator that you intend to treat these transfers as if they were made in 2010. Because so little time remains here in 2010 after enactment of the law, taxpayers are given an additional month to make these transfers.
If you have already received your required minimum distribution for 2010, and you do not wish to make any further withdrawals from your IRA at this time, keep in mind that you can make a charitable transfer from your IRA at any point next year and have it count towards your 2011 required distributions.
You can authorize these transfers to any public charity, such as PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation, but they may not be made to a private foundation, a donor advised fund, or a 509(a)(3) supporting organization.
*The full name of the new law is “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Authorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.”
Healthcare Navigators: Volunteers from and for the Circle of Care
Volunteer members of the new St. Joseph Hospital Foundation Circle of Care program are available on-call to other Circle of Care members 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each of these Healthcare “Navigators” is trained to assist you and yours during a visit or stay.
Navigators may answer questions or steer inquiries to appropriate sources within the Hospital system; they may facilitate contacts, schedule visits, or arrange solutions for a host of other issues. Does a family doctor need notice? Should a neighbor walk the dog? Would you like the Navigator to be with you in the waiting room? Would you appreciate company, a cup of coffee, or help with a restless child?
Healthcare Navigators are not PeaceHealth staff, but Circle of Care volunteers familiar with Hospital layout and protocol. Each has signed a confidentiality agreement and has passed a test addressing issues of confidentiality. The Navigators volunteer their time for the same reasons they are supporting the Hospital financially:
“Because it feels best when you’re giving back”
Lynette Jensen
“I wanted to be part of this important Circle of Care program.”
Mo West
“I’ve hoped for this to happen from Day One. I’m so appreciative it’s happening now…I think this service will make lives easier for patients and staff, that it will make friends for the Hospital, and let people know the importance of belonging to the Circle of Care.”
Joanne Robinson
For information about Healthcare Navigator services, the Circle of Care, or special Circle of Care briefings by physicians, please contact the Hospital Foundation at (360) 788 6866.