Emcees Jeremiah Rigsby and Rachel Prusak entertain the viewers who
livestreamed Housecall Providers’ first-ever virtual event.
Housecall Providers 25th anniversary event House Party for House Calls was held on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 – raising nearly $50,000 for home-based medicine and celebrating all that the nonprofit organization has been and continues to be for our community.
Due to COVID-19, staff began making preparations in early summer for the virtual celebration, taking cues from nonprofit organizations that have hosted hundreds of fundraisers and events since the onset of the pandemic last spring.
Almost 250 separate households tuned into the livestreamed event which featured CareOregon Chief of Staff Jeremiah Rigsby and Primary Care Provider Rachel Prusak as emcees of the night’s festivities. Regence, a long-time partner of Housecall Providers, was the event’s premier sponsor.
“We were thrilled at the turnout for our 25th anniversary celebration,” says CEO Rebecca Ramsay. “If COVID-19 has had a silver lining for us in terms of our event, it was that those who would not normally be able to attend – caregivers and our regional and national partners were able to join us that evening so it made it that much more special.”
The event featured a video from founder, Dr. Benneth Husted, who talked about the origins of the nonprofit and how it has managed to continue amid some pretty lean years. In addition to that video, guests heard from Ramsay and keynote speaker Dr. Tom Cornwell, a notable expert in home-based medicine and current senior medical director of Village Medical at Home.
Along with offering his congratulations, Dr. Cornwell spoke about the importance of house calls in our society, citing the nearly three million people in our country that could benefit from home-based primary and palliative care, while only 15% receive it. “What would we think if only 15% of cancer, heart failure, or COVID patients were served?” His remarks also focused on the impact Housecall Providers has had by training providers and practices locally and nationally through the Home Centered Care Institute, an organization centered on advancing home-based primary care for chronically ill and medically complex patients.
Attendees were also treated to a performance by the Prescriptions, a group of L.A. musicians who came together for one time only to perform Bringing that Health Care Home, a funky tune that will surely become Housecall Providers’ theme song.
With the help of some incredibly generous matching gift opportunities from two major donors, Housecall Providers brought in over $13,000 in gifts of $100 or more and over $5,000 from new donors.
“The support from our community was really inspiring to see,” says Ramsay. “The 13 sponsors who stepped up for us, all the auction donors and especially those who gave gifts to fund this important community asset.”
If you missed the event you can still access it at avstream.me/housecallproviders or visit the Housecall Providers YouTube channel to watch separate elements of the program.
