Docs donate $1 million to Northside

By William k. Alcorn

YOUNGSTOWN — Forum Health Northside Medical Center has received a $1 million cash gift from the physicians’ Internal Medicine Equipment and Development Fund.

“We’re hoping to bring in new medical equipment and upgrade this old but glorious building,” said Dr. Larry Goldstein, chief of internal medicine at Northside, who presented the ceremonial $1 million check Friday to Walter P. Pishkur, Forum Health president and chief executive officer.

Dr. Goldstein, head of the fund, said the doctors have donated money for smaller things over the years, primarily related to the residents’ program, such as sending them to training sessions and buying training simulators.

He said the physicians felt, with the financial struggles of the Forum health system, this was the right time to make a bold statement.

“We’re here. We’re bringing cutting-edge technology to the Mahoning Valley. We’re going to invest in ourselves,” Dr. Goldstein said.

Money for the doctors’s fund started in the 1970s when physicians began donating the fees they received for reading/interpreting electrocardiograms. The practice ended in the 1990s, Dr. Goldstein said, but the fund still had a balance of about $1.7 million before Friday’s gift was made.

The first things Northside plans to buy with the money are 18 regular hospital beds, worth about $175,000, and some 30 emergency room beds, which cost $4,000 to $5,000 each, said Michael Seelman, the hospital’s chief operating officer.

“This is a monumental moment for us, and we are very grateful,” Pishkur said.

“The gift will not solve our financial problems, but it is an important step that will make a difference at Northside. It also sends a message to the community that the doctors here are putting money behind their belief in the abilities and expertise of the Northside staff,” Pishkur said.

He said the money will be conservatively invested to protect the principal, and will be used for equipment and to help with major renovations that will positively impact physicians, staff and patient care.

alcorn@vindy.com