Dr. Gregory Chrostowski, M.D. will be the featured speaker at the fall kickoff meeting of Kare Bears.
What’s Up, Doc? How to prepare for your next appointment
Stu Burge
Kare Bears is pleased to introduce Dr. Gregory Chrostowski, M.D. as the featured speaker at the fall kickoff meeting of Kare Bears Presents, scheduled for 11:00 a.m., September 27 in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom.
Dr. Chrostowski advises patients that, “Communication and a bit of planning are the keys to a successful visit to your health care provider. To get the results we all want, it’s essential for patients to help their doctors help them,” he says.
Here are a few of the topics Dr. Chrostowski will discuss on September 27:
* What to bring to your appointment. (A written list of your most important concerns plus medication updates and symptom changes since your last visit.
* What to expect from your provider. (How long should I expect to be with my doctor? What should I talk about; what should I hold back?)
* Keep an open mind. Your doctor’s treatment plan may be different from what you expect.
* Take a few notes before you leave. Jot down important points you need to remember from your visit.
Dr. Chrostowski and his wife, Dr. Agnieszka Chrostowski, are a unique medical duo. They are both board certified Family Medicine physicians and have been working in private practice in the Phoenix area since 2003. They operate two offices; one in Goodyear and one in west Phoenix. She was born in Poland and grew up in California where she graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiological Science. He was born in Brooklyn, attended the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Science. Both doctors graduated from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and returned to the United States to complete their Family Medicine Residencies at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. Both are fluent in English, Polish and Spanish. In the office they are known simply as “Dr. G” and “Dr. A.”
They have named their medical practice Good Years Family Medicine and specialize in the treatment of children and adults with medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, COPD, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Minor office procedures including biopsies and joint injections. Preventive exams such as well women exams and sports physicals are performed including vaccinations.
A Big thank you to our donors
Stu Burge
Kare Bears’ many services would cease to exist without the generous support of PebbleCreek residents. As a nonprofit charitable organization, we rely solely on the generosity of our friends and neighbors for everything we do. That’s why donations – both financial and in the form of durable medical equipment – are so important and we thank every single donor throughout the year for their ongoing support.
In July we received financial donations from Ann McKenna and Richard Whittier.
One of the most-used services offered by Kare Bears is our program that lends medical equipment to residents on a short-term basis. Most items in our inventory of walkers, canes, crutches, wheelchairs and knee-scooters at the Kare Bear House are available to residents at no charge thanks to the generosity of friends and supporters. In July, we received equipment donations from George Law and Bill Hodgden. In addition, Rodney Suttles donated his time and materials to repair the damaged Share Bears storage cabinet in the Eagle’s Nest Clubhouse. And the Knimble Needles Club donated a supply of crocheted and knitted “chemo caps” for use by cancer patients who experience hair loss as a result of chemotherapy.
Your gifts are deeply appreciated.
Kare Bears to honor PebbleCreek’s outstanding volunteers
Stu Burge
Kare Bears has launched its annual nomination process to identify and honor PebbleCreek’s most active and deserving volunteer. The person who is selected will be awarded the Kare Bears prestigious Founder’s Award at the organization’s November 8 Awards Luncheon.
The Founder’s Award was established in 2001 to honor Kare Bears founder, Rayma Scalzo. Each year the award is presented to the resident/volunteer who has demonstrated distinctive leadership and service qualities for any PebbleCreek organization(s) and/or in the surrounding communities. Candidates need not be a Kare Bears volunteer to be eligible for nomination.
Here are the qualifications required of nominees:
1. The individual must be a PebbleCreek resident.
2. The person must have engaged in volunteer services that benefited residents of PebbleCreek or nearby communities in the current year, with additional consideration given for past years of volunteer service.
3. The award may not be presented to the same person more than once.
The nomination process is as follows:
1. Blank nomination forms are available at both Eagle’s Nest and Tuscany Falls front desks, the Activities Office, the Kare Bears House and on the Kare Bears website: www.KareBears.org.
2. Completed forms may be dropped off at the Kare Bears House or mailed directly to Awards Committee Chair Thelma Lindhorn at 14989 W. Catalina Drive, Goodyear, Arizona 85395. In addition, completed form can be emailed to Thelma at [email protected].
3. Deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, September 15. Nominators, nominees and all PebbleCreek residents are invited to attend the November 8 Awards Luncheon in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom. Tickets for the luncheon will be available for purchase only at the Eagle’s Nest kiosk from 10:00 a.m. to noon October 11, 12 and 13.
Annual luncheon tickets on sale
Stu Burge
All PebbleCreek residents are invited to attend the 2017 Kare Bears gala Awards Luncheon scheduled for Wednesday, November 8 in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom. The event honors the hundreds of PebbleCreek volunteers who give generously of their time and talent throughout the year.
Tickets for the highly anticipated event will be sold on a first-come basis only at the Eagle’s Nest information kiosk between 10:00 a.m. and noon on October 11, 12 and 13. There will be no pre-sales.
Tickets are $30 each, payable by check or cash. For those who like to enjoy the event with a group of friends, one individual may purchase up to 10 seats (one table) for their group.
Note: if you plan to purchase tickets for a number of guests, please come to the kiosk with a written list of each individual’s name and their choice of menu item. The entrée selections include: (1) roasted pork loin, (2) citrus-herb chicken, or (3) spinach artichoke crêpes.
Beginning at 10:30 a.m. on the day of the luncheon there will be a cash bar and preview of an amazing selection of raffle items in the Chianti Room. The ballroom doors open at 11:00 a.m. for socializing, seating and previewing live auction items. Lunch and the awards program begin at 11:30 a.m.
Abrazo West’s tours begin this month
Janis Korba
Kare Bears has scheduled three tours of the Abrazo West Campus Hospital and Level 1 Trauma Center in the upcoming months. Each tour includes lunch in the board room with Chief Executive Officer Stan Holm.
The first tour is scheduled for September 21. Participation is limited to the first 16 people who sign up. Please call the Kare Bear House at 623-536-1200 to make your reservation. Your name must be on the registration list to attend. If the September tour is full, please sign up for one of the subsequent tours October 19 or November 16.
We know you’ll enjoy this informative tour and lunch. On the day of the tour we will be meeting just before 10:00 a.m. in the lobby of the hospital’s Main Entrance located at 13677 W. McDowell Road.