By Heidi White, MD, MHS, Med, CMD
Chair, Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
As I write this, I reflect on the generosity and conversations I had with new and seasoned annual donors at our annual conference last month in San Antonio, TX. These annual donors talked about connecting with our mission and how these acts resonate with them in building a brighter, better path for our PALTC practitioners and, ultimately, for the patients we serve. Many new donors start small and a $25 gift can be as meaningful as a $25,000 gift, when pooled with others, to have a major impact on our work. I am grateful to all those who engage and support our work, especially those who are making a point of giving year after year.
With that, and on behalf of the Foundation for PALTC Medicine, our board of directors, committee volunteers, staff, and MANY donors, I am pleased to provide this report of your Foundation’s 2023 impact on PALTC. This past year, we have seen the generosity of the members of AMDA and so many other donors committed to PALTC, and I’m in awe of what has been accomplished. Our Foundation remains the only philanthropic entity dedicated exclusively to supporting and enabling clinicians working in the PALTC medical service area. Our mission is to support workforce development initiatives while providing education and clinical resources and funding research supporting excellence in practice and care.
This past year, we awarded two nationally competitive research grants totaling $75,000; the first, Certified Medical Directors in Nursing Homes: An Evaluation of the Current Landscape, their Association with Quality, and Early Impacts of California Law AB749 to Drs. Brian McGarry and David Grabowski; and the second, Post-Acute Care Utilization Patterns and Outcomes for Frail Older Adults, led by Dr. Charles Semelka. Additionally, we supported two AMDA programs with funding in support of Phase 3 of the Drive 2 Deprescribe program and the portion of AMDA’s new website called the Community Platform for members to connect, share best practices, and network. The Foundation’s 2024 Research Grant Cycle accepted research letters of inquiry through April 3, and we look forward to reviewing proposals for funding awards in July.
The Foundation funds workforce development through AMDA’s Futures Program and in 2023 supported the largest class of Futures participants in the program’s 20+ year history. In 2024, we supported 79 Futures participants, bringing our investment in this workforce development initiative to $1.4 million to date, funding more than 1,400 participants.
The Foundation continues to host the annual Excellence Awards in PALTC Medicine and this year, with a host of generous volunteers, we reviewed many qualified nominations to award the 2024 Medical Director of the Year Award to Dr. Dallas Nelson, MD, FACP, CMD; the 2024 Clinician of the Year to Dr. Lisa Lind, PhD; the 2024 James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education to Dr. Charles Crecelius, MD, PhD, FACP, CMD; and the 2024 William Dodd Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service to Alice Bonner, PhD, RN, FAAN.
The Foundation is currently accepting nominations through September 15, 2024, for 2025 awardees, so don’t miss the opportunity to nominate a leader who exemplifies excellence in these categories. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more.
While supporting these worthy endeavors, we have further developed our capability to establish donor-endowed funds that allow donors to gift in a manner that will preserve their gift in perpetuity while supporting the Foundation annually through their generous philanthropic investment.
Many donors contributed last year to establish the Chris Laxton Excellence in Leadership fund honoring AMDA’s former executive director and supporting his passion for our state chapters, with funds and guidance for strategic planning and governance. We will extend invitations to apply for funding in support of our state chapters this year for a 2025 award.
With the recent passing of Drs. Steven Levenson and Robert Kaplan, the Foundation Board also established two individual funds to honor and memorialize the significant contributions made by these two legends to our field of practice, which will resonate for generations to come through the Dr. Robert Kaplan Futures Scholarship and the Dr. Steven Levenson Medical Direction Lectureship. As you consider the impact these individuals may have had on you, AMDA, ABPLM, and in Maryland and Florida, please consider a donation so that next year we will see the fruit of this investment.
Finally, I would like to share two unique major gifts received that we hope will be commonplace in the future. The first was from a grateful patient of Dr. Jonathan Musher, who made a $25,000 donation to honor his compassionate, skilled care. Jonathan selected our Foundation as his charity of choice. We appreciate this and hope others consider connecting grateful patients to our Foundation. The second gift came from PointClickCare, a valued industry partner in post-acute and long-term care, who made a $25,000 donation and pledged the same in 2025 and 2026. We are grateful for PointClickCare’s generous corporate commitment and aspire to engage more industry partners in supporting our mission with major investments like this.
Of course, we are exceptionally grateful to our Industry Advisory Board members who annually invest and partner with us to collaborate on shared interests in the field of post-acute and long-term medicine. These partners include Acadia, Sanofi, LTC ACO, Otsuka, Merck, Moderna, and Neurocrine, and we look forward to welcoming new members this year.
In closing, I hope you will be inspired as we continue to grow and strengthen our stance in raising funds to increase our impact in research, workforce development, and education for the ultimate benefit of you and the people you serve. We can accomplish much more together, and your continued trust in these endeavors and ongoing philanthropic support will ensure we reach our shared vision. We look forward to doing even more together in 2024.