History: 1992-2003

Since its official beginning in 1993 Church Health Services has experienced consistent growth in terms of patient visits, volunteers, monthly clinic sessions, paid staff, budget and additional services. Such growth has enabled our staff and volunteers to be involved in relationships with patients who have often been suffering alone with terrible and at times overwhelming illness. They have seen first hand the value in being part of a process that restores the health of the whole person. CHS remains thankful to the generous contributions and dedicated efforts of many, many people and organizations. CHS is an example of what the local community can do when it pulls together for a particular cause. It is an example of faith in action. CHS hopes that this chronological listing of major events and accomplishments will not only be of interest to people in our own area communities but also to others seeking to make meaningful improvements in the health of people in their own communities.

1992

Due to the increased awareness of the uninsured and the potential contribution the church could make on behalf of this important issue, Dr. Michael Augustson initiates conversations with his pastor, Rev. Steve Polster about starting a church based-clinic for the poor and uninsured.

Augustson and Polster bring this idea to the leadership council of their church, Trinity Church-United Methodist of Beaver Dam. While the idea is favorably received, it is recommended to pursue further development through an ecumenical, community-wide effort.

A task force of fourteen members representing many churches and organizations meets on several occasions. It carefully studies the appointed task and ultimately recommends proceeding with the formation of a 501c3 non-profit organization through the legal assistance of attorney Maryann Schacht.

1993

Church Health Services is the name selected for the newly formed organization. Rev. Steve Poster serves as the first president of the board of directors and Dr. Augustson serves as the medical director to oversee clinic development and operations. Nurse Practitioner Marie Berry serves as the clinic coordinator, and Diane Kok as office manager. All of these people serve in a volunteer capacity. The educational wing of Trinity Church is selected as the site for the portable medical clinic.

The first clinic was held on February 17th, with two clinic sessions (each lasting four hours) seeing a total of four patients with a staff of one doctor, one pastor, two nurses and two receptionists. The first patient seen expressed some anxiety of what to expect - "Coming to the doctor in a church?" At the conclusion of her visit she states, "This is one of the best things I have ever done in my life."

With clinic growth in terms of patients and volunteers, Lois Augustson, a registered nurse with a master's degree in community health nursing is hired in a part-time position as the clinic coordinator and executive director.

A third clinic session is offered with the monthly commitment of Dr. Craig Griebel.

One hundred and thirty patient visits occurred for the year. Two physicians, 8 nurses, 3 clergy, and 4 receptionists volunteer 774 hours of service, with a budget of $10,000.

1994

A one-year anniversary celebration dinner is held in the cafeteria of Beaver Dam Community Hospital. Members of the Rotary Club serve eighty people. Anne Solari Twadell, the director of the International Parish Nurse Center in Park Ridge, Illinois speaks on the topic - "Congregations as a Health Place".

CHS is successful in playing a significant role in recruiting a new family physician - Dr. Brad Allen - to the community and to the volunteer physician staff of CHS. A fourth clinic session begins with his monthly commitment.

Students from the University Of Wisconsin Medical School start rotating through CHS clinics.

CHS prepares and submits a lengthy $300,000 grant application with the Robert Wood Foundation. Unfortunately the grant is not awarded but much was learned and a vision for the future is placed on paper.

A fifth clinic session is added as a women's clinic through the Women's Cancer Control Program sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and the State of Wisconsin Public Health Division. While whole person care is provided in this monthly clinic there is a focus on the early detection of cervical and breast cancer. Nurse practitioner Marie Berry leads this clinic and is later joined by another nurse practitioner, Jean Roedl.

Two hundred thirty-five patient visits occurred for the year. Volunteer physicians, nurses, clergy, and receptionists contribute 1032 hours of service. The annual budget totals $12,000.

1995

A community newsletter - The Person - is now designed and distributed to supporters of CHS. Diane Fashun serves as the editor. The goal of the newsletter is to inform the community at large about our activities and our unique approach to care.

With the need for more functional space, a large wall unit is constructed in the staff room that also serves as a large meeting room for Trinity Church. The wall unit that is secured by full size doors contains workstations, medical records, library and additional storage space. The projected is cost shared with Trinity Church but is also funded by Beaver Dam Community Hospitals and Medical Staff.

Two hundred and sixty seven patient visits occurred for the year. 1120 volunteer hours are logged for this year, with a budget of $18,460.

1996

A workshop entitled "Church-Based Clinics for the Medically Underserved" is presented in Wisconsin Dells at a conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church.

A 3rd year celebration dinner is held. Dr. Richard Swensen spoke on the topic of "Being Available for the Purposes of God". Dr. Swensen is author of the book Margin.

With the addition of Dr. Dan Dries, dental services are now offered to our patients.

Two hundred and ninety patient visits occur this year, with 1142 volunteer hours and a budget of $20,545.

1997

CHS holds an over night retreat at the Byron Center in Brownsville. Bill Stelzer serves as a group facilitator. He leads 20 board members and volunteers as they seek to vision for the future through the examination and ultimate rewriting of the CHS mission statement.

In May of 1997, Diane Kok begins producing and editing a monthly newsletter for clinic staff and volunteers.

Additional clinic sessions are added with the monthly commitments of Dr. Ken Kuehnl, an internist and then Dr. Eric Miller, a family physician.

Prayer Cards are added to our clinic process. The intent of this initiative is to have a specific mechanism by which our patients become the recipients of consistent prayer.

Rev. Ray Bloomquist is elected as the second president of the board of directors.

LPN students from Moraine Park Technical College begin rotating through the clinics as part of their clinical experience.

In 1997, 1528 volunteer hours of service were donated by physicians, clergy, nurses and support staff. Three hundred and thirty two patients are seen in the clinics this year, with a budget of $22,250.

1998

Diane Kok becomes the second part-time employee and fulfills a variety of roles in her position as office manager.

The first annual community wide fund raiser is conducted. Jim Flynn leads this effort and $22,000 is raised.

"CHS 2003" is adopted. This document details some our five year plans for growth.

A 5th year celebration dinner is held with departing board president and co-founder Pastor Steve Polster the featured speaker.

A Prayer Team is started with board member Jane Scholten coordinating the process. Each day of the month has a person who actively prays for the ministry on that day.

Toni Wyman leads the preparation and submission of a $10,000 Agnesian Caring through Sharing Grant from the Sisters of St. Agnes in Fond du Lac. The purpose of the grant is to fund the positions that will develop and oversee a special parish nurse project called the Clinic and Parish (CAP) Nursing Project. Lois Augustson, Linda Joeckel and Roxi Tillema are hired for this effort. The grant is successfully received for two consecutive years.

CHS is successful again in playing a role in recruiting another family physician to the area. Dr. David Crouch joins the volunteer physician staff and a seventh clinic session is offered.

Kay Crouch becomes the second editor of the community newsletter - The Person. One thousands copies are sent to area homes.

Dr. Augustson and Dr. Allen conduct a workshop entitled "Caring for the Whole Person - A Call to Health Professionals in the Faith Community" at the 13th Annual Granger Westberg Symposium of the International Parish Nurse Center in Itasca, Illinios. Granger Westberg, the founder of parish nursing, attended the workshop. At the conclusion of the workshop he said, "This is the best time I've had in years! Where were you 25 years ago?" It was great to have Granger know that his original idea of a doctor, nurse and pastor caring for a patient as an outreach mission of the church was still alive and well. This was the last symposium he attended before his death on February 16, 1999.

A Corporate Fundraising effort is designed and led by Mike Goodson and later by Dr. Paul Youngdale. The medical staff of Beaver Dam Community Hospital and Water Technologies of Beaver Dam become the first corporate donors at the Cornerstone Level.

6 physicians, 1 nurse practitioner, 22 nurses, 9 clergy, and 12 receptionists logged 1529 volunteer hours in 1998. 366 clinic visits occurred. The budget for the year was $30,166.

1999

Jim Flynn leads the third annual call-a-thon community fundraiser - "Called to Care" Call-a-Thon and $22,000 are raised.

Luke's Lessons in Healing, an evening Bible study to learn more about the healing stories of Jesus and the early disciples, is launched and led by Rev. Eileen Kuehnl.

A wonderful four-minute video on the ministry of CHS is produced in the series "Through the Window" by the Wisconsin Methodist Conference.

A logo is created by Rochelle Stibb and the staff at Design Advertising. The stained glass windows are representative of the institution of the church and the medical cross is representative of contemporary health care institutions.

Mike Goodson offers the idea of a Web site. Churchclinic.org is established as the domain name.

Rev. Phil Airhart is elected as the third president of the board of directors.

With the continued growth of the entire organization to include the clinic and the parish nurse project, CHS undergoes a re-structuring. A clinic services team, a congregational health team and then an administrative support team are created.

Teresa Ptaschinski, who has volunteered as a nurse for CHS the past several years, is hired in a part-time capacity as the Director of Clinic Services. Janeen Hayes is hired as the part-time Office Coordinator.

A fall retreat entitled "Spiritual Health for Ourselves and Our Patients" is held at the Byron Center in Brownsville, WI. Twenty-five staff and volunteers attend. A new process for promoting the spiritual health of our patients is presented and lots of fun is had by all.

Beaver Dam Community Hospital offers to play a major role in the funding of the Clinic and Parish Nurse Project. First Lutheran Church becomes the first congregation with a Clinic and Parish (CAP) Nurse and Linda Joeckel fills this position. Trinity Church becomes the second congregation with that position filled by Lois Augustson and Roxi Tillema.

7 physicians, 1 nurse practitioner, 20 nurses, 7 clergy, and 8 receptionists logged 1582 volunteer hours in the year 1999. 390 patient visits occurred. The budget for the year was $51,113.

Total value of clinic services (pharmaceuticals, x-rays, stress tests, therapies, lab chemistries, off-site physician consultations, mental health counseling, dental, and clinic visits) calculated for the year was $132,000.

2000

Jim Flynn again leads the annual call-a-thon, with great community response including a single $10,000 contribution.

"My Building Blocks for Health" poster is created and presented to the community. Funding for the effort is received from several pharmaceutical companies as well as Beaver Dam Community Hospitals and Medical Staff. Design Advertising provided the graphic design and MasterPrint printed 1500 posters.

The Catholic Parishes become the third congregation to participate in the Clinic and Parish Nurse Project. Phoebe Weiss is the CAP nurse.

An eighth clinic session is added with the monthly commitment of physician assistant Rene Gellings.

Mike Augustson presents "The Physician's Role in the Practice of Whole Person Health with the Congregation, the Medically Underserved and the Community at Large" at the 25th Annual National Wellness Conference on the campus of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

Lois Augustson, Mike Augustson and Rev. Dave Bitler are slated presenters at the 15th Annual Granger Westberg Symposium of the International Parish Nurse Center in Itasca, Illinios. The title of their paper presentation is "Connected in Caring - Congregations and Community".

With the professional assistance of Mark Gutknecht of Powercom significant progress is made in redesigning the CHS Web site.

5 physicians, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 physician assistant, 19 nurses, 7 clergy, and 8 receptionists logged 1613 volunteer hours in 2000. 468 clinic visits occurred. The budget (including clinic and parish nursing activities) for the year is set at $110,000.

The value of clinic services (pharmaceuticals, x-rays, stress tests, therapies, lab chemistries, off-site physician consultations, mental health counseling, dental, and clinic visits) is calculated at $185,000.

2001

Wheat Ridge Ministries of Itasca, Illinois awards a 2 year, $30,000 "Seeds of Hope" grant to CHS for the development and implementation of the "Personal Health Plan Project", dedicated to improving whole personal health care services. The authors of the grant application to this Lutheran based foundation were Toni Wyman, Lois Augustson and Mike Augustson. A core team of Mike Augustson, Teresa Ptaschinski, June Rose Beale, Eileen Kuehnl and Diane Kok is chosen to develop this process.

Christian Community Health Fellowship of Chicago, Illinois recognizes CHS as a "Best Practice" for Clinic and Parish Nurse Project.

1377 Clinic and Parish nursing services were provided to 4 participating congregations in collaboration with Beaver Dam Community Hospitals.

$134,118 is received in revenues by area businesses, corporations, churches, foundations, grants, organizations, service clubs, patients, the Beaver Dam Community Hospital and anonymous donors.

Pat Coe is hired as the Financial Resource Administrator to oversee the fund raising efforts for CHS. Sharon Kempen is hired as bookkeeper.

A retreat entitled "Pursuing Health and Wholeness" is held for staff and volunteers at the Byron Center in Brownsville. The Wheat Ridge grant team organize the event.

Lois Augustson serves on the faculty of Marion College in Fon du Lac for parish nurse education.

5 physicians, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 physician assistant, 16 nurses, 5 clergy, and 8 receptionists logged 2600 volunteer hours in 2001. 389 clinic visits occurred.

The annual budget (including clinic and parish nursing activities) was set at $129,000.

The value of clinic services (pharmaceuticals, x-rays, stress tests, therapies, lab chemistries, off-site physician consultations, mental health counseling, dental, and clinic visits) is calculated at $210,000 for the year.

2002

Phase 2 of the two year "Seeds of Hope" grant awarded through Wheat Ridge Ministries of Itasca, Illinois, entitled the "Personal Health Plan Project" is completed. Several of the clinic teams are trained in this unique approach to whole-person health care.

CHS was a guest presenter for the Christian Community Health Fellowship "Best Practice" Clinic and Parish Nurse Project at the National Symposium on Faith and Health sponsored by the Bureau of primary Health Care in Leesburg, Virginia in May. Presenters were Lois Augustson, RN, and Linda Joeckel, RN.

CHS was awarded a grant by the AVON Breast Health Fund in collaboration with Beaver Dam Community Hospital and Dodge County Human Services and Health Department. These funds will facilitate new programming to promote breast health in Dodge County through increased education and availability of screening services, including clinical breast exams and mammography. The target population is the underserved and Medicare-age women.

A grant written with the help of Rene Gellings, PA volunteer is received for $1500 from the Physician Assistant Foundation.

1535 Clinic and Parish nursing services were provided to four participating congregations in collaboration with Beaver Dam Community Hospital, as well as 159 CHS clinic nursing visits.

Six physicians, one nurse practitioner, one physician assistant, 12 nurses, 6 clergy and 7 receptionists logged over 2600 volunteer hours. 456 clinic visits occurred.

Mike Augustson accepts the position of President of the Board of Directors.

Carol Wetzel is hired as our new bookkeeper.

The annual budget was set at $149,950, which includes clinic and parish nursing activities.

The value of services including pharmaceuticals, hospital services, labs, off-site physician consultations, mental health counseling, dental and on-site clinic visits is calculated at $258,055.08 for the year.

2003

The year 2003 marks the ten year anniversary of Church Health Services and in September an open house and a celebration service is held with Dr. John Patrick of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations as our guest speaker.

Over 1500 Clinic and Parish nursing services were provided to four participating congregations in collaboration with Beaver Dam Community Hospital, as well as 150 CHS clinic nursing visits by the CAP nurses.

The AVON Breast Health Care Fund grant is continued through the year 2003, and renewed for 2004.

The Wheat Ridge grant team's "Personal Health Plan Project" is concluded. Mike Augustson, Teresa Ptaschinski, June Rose Beale, Diane Kok and Don Bader present on the project at the Christian Community Health Fellowship Conference in Chicago, Illinois in May. Mike Augustson, Lois Augustson, Mark Swanson, Lila Frank and Diane Kok also gave a presentation on the project at the "Nuts and Bolts" conference for Christian Community Health Fellowship in Chicago, Illinois in October.

Two new annual fund raising events began. The first was a night golf event - "A Shot In The Dark" led by the efforts of Ken Serchen and Pat Coe. The second event was a "Festival of Trees" held at Wayland Academy, with Barb Schreiner of Dodge Central Credit Union leading this effort. Both events brought many community members together for a time of fun and fellowship, as well as the support of Church Health Services. The annual January call-a-thon, led by Jim Flynn, raised over $30,000.

Six physicians, one nurse practitioner, one physician assistant, 14 nurses, 8 clergy and 8 receptionists logged over 3100 volunteer hours. 540 clinic visits occurred.

Kathy Stippich is hired to fill the position of office coordinator and Jayne Swanson is hired as an office nurse and assistant clinic coordinator.

Sue Williams accepts the position of President of the Board of Directors.

The annual budget was set at $163.499, which includes clinic and parish nursing activities.

The value of services including pharmaceuticals, hospital services, labs, off-site physician consultations, mental health counseling, dental and on-site clinic visits is calculated at $324,455.83 for the year.