Metro Health Hospital Foundation to Host Feelin' Grand Sept. 17 to Support the Metro Health Community Clinic

WYOMING, MI, August 31, 2011 (Press-News.org) The Metro Health Hospital Foundation will host Feelin' Grand on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Proceeds from the annual black-tie fundraiser will benefit the Metro Health Community Clinic, which provides health services to West Michigan residents who are uninsured or underinsured. Metro Health Community Clinic provides more than 25,000 patients visits annually, with nearly 60 percent of those patients having little or no insurance.

The Community Clinic provides a full range of medical services, including family practice, internal medicine, ob-gyn, general surgery, and others. It serves as the ambulatory academic teaching center for the residency training programs with more than 40 residents and students working at the 1925 Breton Ave. SE facility each year.

"Patients at the Community Clinic are often struggling with health and financial issues," said Laura Staskiewicz, chief development officer of the Metro Health Hospital Foundation. "Such dual hardships can often be devastating, leaving families feeling hopeless and helpless.

"Support of Feelin' Grand this year will insure that these families have a place they can turn, a place they can count on to receive life-saving medical services delivered with compassion and dignity."

Feelin' Grand will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception and social hour at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. Dinner will follow at 7 p.m. Comedian Jeff Allen will provide entertainment for the event, which will also feature music from the four-piece band, Bomb Squad, for dancing.

Feelin' Grand, is Metro Health's annual black-tie event that has been held since 1993 with a special beneficiary for each year. In 2010, the Foundation raised more than $386,000 to support the hospital's Amputation Prevention Program, which has an excellent track record in preventing the loss of legs and feet to complications from diabetes and peripheral artery disease.

Tickets are $200 per person and are now available. Fifty percent of the ticket price is tax-deductible. To purchase tickets or to receive information regarding sponsorship opportunities, call the Metro Health Hospital Foundation at 616.252.5000 or visit http://www.feelingrand.com.

About Metro Health Hospital Foundation
The Metro Health Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of the West Michigan community through philanthropy. The Foundation's support of Metro Health Hospital, which earned status as a 100 Top Hospital for three consecutive years, allows individuals, organizations and businesses to contribute funds that prevent catastrophic illnesses, provide life-saving education and screenings, improve overall patient care and fund a wide variety of programs and services. For more information, visit http://www.metrohealth.net/foundation.

About Metro Health Hospital
Metro Health Hospital is a 208-bed general acute-care osteopathic teaching hospital that serves more than 130,000 patients in Kent and surrounding counties. Metro Health, which earned status as a Top 100 Hospital for the three consecutive years, offers a broad range of services, including inpatient and outpatient services, emergency, surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation, wellness and community education. Metro's work is supported by the Metro Health Hospital Foundation, which is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of the West Michigan community through philanthropy. For more information, visit http://www.metrohealth.net.

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