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NorthShore Auxiliary fundraiser benefits mental health

The Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem celebrated the 35th anniversary of its signature fundraiser, the American Craft Exposition, by raising more than $570,000 during this year's event.

This amount will be combined with last year's total, providing a cumulative $1.13 million benefiting increased access to mental health services at NorthShore through the new Psychiatric Urgent Care Program and Collaborative Care Model.

These programs aim to reduce wait times for those in need of urgent psychiatric care and to increase access to these services by making them more readily available through primary care physicians.

"The goal of the Psychiatric Urgent Care Program is to efficiently manage patient care and support lower wait times for patients with mental health needs," said Frederick Miller, MD, Ph.D., chairman of psychiatry, NorthShore University HealthSystem.

"It is crucial that those members of our community get the care they need within the appropriate window of time."

"The number of NorthShore area hospital patients with depression and other mental health issues has skyrocketed in recent years," said ACE co-chair and former Chief Nursing Officer at NorthShore Nancy Semerdjian of Wilmette.

"The generous support from those who attended the American Craft Exposition exceeded our expectations. The donation from the Auxiliary will help meet a significant need for those in our community seeking access to urgent and coordinated psychiatric care."

More than 6,000 guests attended ACE in September at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Attendees shopped for unique pieces and luxury collections created by 150 craft artists. The weekend kicked off with the Benefit Preview Party, where 1,000 guests had a sneak peek at the museum-quality artwork.

ACE is a highly competitive juried show and features handcrafted work in 12 different media. Though NorthShore does not receive proceeds from artist sales, many artists choose to support NorthShore by participating in the voluntary "Craft for a Cause" program, whereby artists make a contribution to ACE's funding cause.

This year's exposition was organized by ACE 2019 Co-Chairs Buggie O'Grady and Nancy Semerdjian and their volunteer ACE Planning Committee. Next year's ACE will be Oct. 2-4, 2020, with a Benefit Preview Party Oct. 1 at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

For more information, visit americancraftexpo.org.

NorthShore University HealthSystem is an integrated health care delivery system consistently ranked as a Top 15 teaching hospital in the U.S. The NorthShore system, headquartered in Evanston, includes four hospitals: Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park and Skokie.

NorthShore also includes a 900-physician multispecialty group practice, NorthShore Medical Group, located in more than 100 locations in the Chicagoland area. NorthShore is a Magnet recognized organization, the first in Illinois to receive this prestigious honor as an entire system that demonstrates excellence in nursing and high standards in patient care.

The system also supports the NorthShore Research Institute; the NorthShore Foundation; and the NorthShore Home & Hospice Services.

In addition to launching Be Well Lake County, a community health initiative committed to providing greater access to comprehensive care, NorthShore contributes more than $210 million in charitable care and services to the communities it serves.

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