It takes 10 years before people will come in for a hearing loss evaluation.

Media Contact
Anne Steffens
314-525-4005

Release Date: 10/10/2012

Physician, Volunteer Nurse receive Spirit of St. Anthony award

An area physician who founded an organization that provides medical care to the underserved and a retired nurse who volunteers her time caring for cancer patients are the recipients of this year’s Spirit of St. Anthony Awards.

The Physician Ambassadors of St. Anthony’s Charitable Foundation honored David Campbell, M.D., and Clarette Harnish, R.N., with the awards at their recent annual fundraising dinner at the Top of the Met. This year’s dinner raised $107,000.

Campbell, who received the Spirit of St. Anthony Award for medical care, is the founder, president and CEO of the Institute for Family Medicine, an organization of medical professionals who have, in lieu of other practice opportunities, chosen to dedicate their careers to providing medical care to the poor, disadvantaged and medically underserved. The focus of the organization is to improve access to quality medical care by reducing barriers to health care.

Harnish, who received the Spirit of St. Anthony Award for volunteerism, retired from nursing in 1996, but volunteers her services alongside the nursing staff of St. Anthony’s Oncology department, caring for and providing a helpful hand to cancer patients. Harnish also volunteers with St. Anthony’s Pastoral Care staff, serving as a Eucharistic minister.

“These two individuals truly embody the spirit of St. Anthony and their generosity in sharing their medical expertise with others is remarkable,” said Joseph Forand, M.D., chairman of St. Anthony’s Charitable Foundation’s Physician Ambassadors. “We admire them for their contributions to our important mission of caring for others.”

A Spirit of St. Anthony Award for corporate partnership also was awarded to Regions Financial Corporation, which, since 2004, has pledged more than $93,000 in support to the Fern and Russell F. de Greeff Hospice House, St. Anthony’s Charitable Foundation and the annual Physician Ambassadors dinner.

“Embracing the philosophy that community partnerships help build financially and physically healthy families, Regions is a rare philanthropic pioneer in the area,” Dr. Forand said.

Awardees received framed certificates and awards modeled after the cross sculpture on  St. Anthony’s campus, at the corner of Kennerly and Tesson Ferry roads.

The Spirit of St. Anthony Award was established to recognize outstanding individuals and groups that:

• perform philanthropic and/or humanitarian work in the community, the nation or the world, in partnership with St. Anthony’s Medical Center
• affirm the mission of St. Anthony’s by placing the patient first in everything they do
• sustain Christ’s healing ministry by aiding the sick, the poor, and the underserved
• serve the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of mankind in a manner that upholds the dignity of human life and the faith-based beliefs of the Catholic Church.

Members of the community may offer a tribute gift, in the awardees’ honor, online at www.sacf-giving.org or by calling 314-525-7330. Half of the funds raised from the dinner are distributed to area charities through the Physician Ambassadors’ health outreach grants; a fourth of the funds raised go to support St. Anthony’s Hospice program; and the other fourth of the money raised goes to St. Anthony’s Cancer Care Fund.

Back to top

For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit find a physician online.

At St. Anthony's, our vision is to be the area's premier health care organization
— and your first choice for health care services.