Corewell Health West Annual Fund

Now in its second year, the Trauma Survivorship program has continued to expand. New for 2025, the program introduced “Snack & Chat” gatherings for families of hospitalized patients. These informal sessions offered resources, emotional support, and opportunities to connect with other families who are navigating similar challenges. The program also hosted its second annual Trauma Survivors’ Celebration at Frederik Meijer Gardens. Over 320 attendees, including patients, families, team members and community care members gathered to honor the resilience and recovery of trauma survivors and their loved ones, fostering connection and hope.  

Thanks to philanthropic support, our programs offer a wide variety of professional opportunities for our next generation of caregivers. In 2025, the Hospice and Palliative Fellowship Program expanded to include a 2nd adult-track position. Dr. Kaladevi (“Kala”) Nadarajan began her Fellowship in July 2025. Additionally, 2 resident physicians, Dr. Natenael Nesibu, internal medicine, and Dr. Jason Gilmore, pediatrics, were selected as the 2025 Health Equity and Leadership (HEAL) Scholars. During their three-year residences, they will pursue a project centered around leadership, advocacy, and/or community engagement.  

When a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Screening is completed within Corewell Health West, care teams are notified of unique non-medical factors impacting their patients’ health, such as food/housing insecurity, financial hardship, or transportation difficulties. Philanthropy allows our teams to quickly address those needs with creative solutions that improve health outcomes. Below are just a few examples of how philanthropy has helped our patients this year. 

In Spring 2025, a patient visited the emergency department (ED) and was diagnosed with rhinitis. Just a few days later, she returned to the ED with acute bronchitis. When her care team learned she couldn’t afford the medications prescribed to manage her condition, the SDOH Fund was used to cover the cost of her medications. With this support in place, the patient was able to begin treatment and she hasn’t returned to the ED since! 

The SDOH Fund supported a patient who endured four separate hospitalizations over a 3-month period. Recognizing the impact of environmental factors — especially heat — on his condition, it was recommended he reduce his exposure to extreme weather. The SDOH Fund helped him purchase a window air conditioning unit, just in time for the height of intense summer heat. With the unit in place, the patient was able to remain safely at home and successfully avoided further hospitalizations throughout the summer. 

A diabetic patient came to us in a critical state: his blood glucose was dangerously high; he had recently lost his Medicaid coverage and was still in the probationary period before qualifying for employer-sponsored benefits. With no active health insurance, limited financial resources, and uncontrolled diabetes, he was facing a serious health crisis. Thanks to the Patient Care Fund, we were able to provide him with enough diabetic supplies to stabilize his condition and carry him through the month until his benefits kicked in.