LGH volunteer program a boon for hospital and volunteers alike

by Eileen O. Daday from the Daily Herald:
Tuesdays are special for Owen Laatsch, 22, of Arlington Heights. That's when he shows up to volunteer at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in the kitchen prep area alongside his mentor, Joe Zajac.
Last week, when Laatsch set out on his shift, he gave Zajac a high-five and declared to his mother, "He's the man!"
Laatsch has Down syndrome and is a patient at the hospital's Adult Down Syndrome Center, where increasingly its staff is promoting volunteering as part of its holistic approach to treatment.
"When he gets up on Tuesdays, he's just giddy," says Laatsch's mother, Cathy Laatsch. "He loves coming here and the teamwork involved."
Over the last year, 12 adults with Down syndrome have begun volunteering at the hospital, in the food and nutrition area, pediatric therapy department and gift shop — even the childbirth education department and the Adult Down Syndrome Center itself, greeting and escorting patients.
The center has treated 5,500 patients with Down syndrome over the last 20 years. An expansion last year allowed it to bring more healthy lifestyle programs to its patients, enhancing its holistic approach.
"We meet the medical needs of our patients but we also want to meet their life needs," says Dr. Brian Chicoine, an Arlington Heights resident and center director. "We work with them, their families and social agencies to promote health."

Adult Down syndrome center a passion, and ‘a blessing’

by Eileen Daday from the Daily Herald:

Dr. Brian Chicoine of Arlington Heights was among the more than 10,000 runners who ran the Chicago Marathon for charity. But he was the only one to run it for the Adult Down Syndrome Center in Park Ridge.

It was the sixth time Chicoine ran the marathon for the center and over the years he has raised more than $300,000 for its programs. This year alone, he raised $20,000 and money continues to come in.

The Adult Down Syndrome Center is the only one of its kind in the Midwest and is a program offered by Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and its medical group.

Last week, Chicoine and his staff hosted an open house at their newly completed facility, located just west of the hospital.

While the facility has been open since late April, they waited until October, known nationally as Down syndrome awareness month, to open its doors to the public.

What started 20 years ago with Chicoine seeing patients two mornings a week has evolved into a full time center that offers a holistic approach to meeting the medical and psychosocial needs of its clients.

Since its inception, more than 5,000 patients have been served and it now treats 2,000 individuals per year.

adult Down syndrome center hosts new construction ceremony

from Trib Local Glenview:

Advocate Medical Group recently hosted a beam-signing celebration to mark the construction of a one-story medical office building on the southwest corner of the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital campus in Park Ridge, Ill. By hosting this ceremony, AMG honored the construction team for their quality work, the architects for their vision, and all of our associates, nurses, physicians, volunteers and patients who helped in the planning process and will occupy the building.

The building will be the new home of Advocate Medical Group’s Adult Down Syndrome Center (ADSC). It will include more exam rooms, a community center area and a number of special features to better accommodate the needs of individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Building completion is planned for the end of first quarter 2012.

Pictured at the event signing the beam that will become a permanent part of the building are (from left to right): Advocate Medical Group vice president of operations Cynthia Job, Advocate Medical Group president James Dan, M.D., and Advocate Medical Group’s chief medical officer Kevin McCune, M.D. Also in attendance were: physician leaders; patients; donors; staff; Mike Daly, chief of staff for Senator Dick Durbin; Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski; and Illinois State Representative Elaine Nekritz.

Advocate Medical Group’s Adult Down Syndrome Center is the oldest and largest clinic of its kind in the nation. It provides a full range of services including primary medical care, nutrition counseling and psychosocial services to adolescents and adults with Down syndrome.

Advocate Medical Group is a physician-led medical group providing primary care, specialty services, medical imaging, outpatient services and community-based medical practices throughout Chicagoland and Central Illinois. One of the state’s largest medical groups with more than 800 primary and specialty care physicians in 90 locations, Advocate Medical Group is part of Advocate Health Care, one of the leading, integrated health care systems in the nation.

More information can be found at http://www.advocatehealth.com/ or by calling 1.800.3.ADVOCATE (1.800.323.8622).

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