Metro Health – University of Michigan Health will host Family Day Camp, an annual event for families coping with cancer, from 3-5 p.m. every Thursday afternoon, July 13 through Aug. 3. Camp will be held at The Cancer Center at Metro Health Village, 5950 Byron Center Ave. SW.
A free four-week program, Family Day Camp provides education and emotional support for families that have a loved one battling cancer.
“Family Day Camp is a fun, supportive environment that gives participants a chance to learn about cancer and its effect on the family,” says Metro Health – University of Michigan Health President and CEO Michael Faas. “It helps families form stronger bonds with each other, while also connecting with other families that understand what they’re going through.”
Each two-hour session will be packed with fun for all ages. The entire family is invited, from newborns to great-grandparents. Children may participate without an adult, though families are encouraged to attend together.
“We’ve gathered the best family fun activities from around Grand Rapids and brought them all to the Cancer Center at Metro Health,” says Laura Smith, Cancer Center director. “We want families to be able to have some fun together while someone they love is battling a disease.”
Activities and educational topics will vary depending on the day. Families can participate in one or all of the four sessions:
July 13: Someone I Love is Sick (about cancer)
July 20: Battling the Bad Guys (about cancer treatment)
July 27: I’m Still Me (about changes in loved ones and routines)
August 3: Happy or Sad, the Good and the Bad (how to express emotions and support each other)
Participants are invited to meet at the big tent beside the cancer center. There’s no charge and no need to register in advance.
Family Day Camp is hosted by Metro Health Child Life Services, a department that specializes in helping children cope with illness, injury and hospitalization. The annual camp is funded through donations to the Metro Health Hospital Foundation.
Metro Health Hospital has appointed Tom Heetderks as vice president of human resources, Thomas Mulder as vice president of practice administration for the Metro Health Medical Group, Penny DeVries as director of marketing and Laura Smith as director of its cancer center.
Heetderks brings more than 20 years of human resources leadership to his new role, which includes implementing strategic human resource initiatives and leading the day-to-day operations of the human resources team. He will lead the organization’s focus on employee relations, recruitment and retention, management and staff development, HR technology and innovation, and compensation and benefit programs.
Before joining Metro, Heetderks served as the vice president of human resources at ResCare in Louisville, Ky. Earlier, he was vice president, strategic accounts with Kenexa/IBM, where he was the lead human capital consultant on strategic HR/talent initiatives with several Fortune 100 companies. Also, Heetderks was a human resources executive with PepsiCo/Yum! Brands for 15 years.
Thomas Mulder
Heetderks holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Calvin College. He has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations and the Journal of Labor Research, in addition to co-authoring a book on compensation structures.
Mulder is also a healthcare veteran bringing more than 15 years of experience to his role. As vice president and practice administrator of the Metro Health Medical Group, Mulder is responsible for maintaining relationships with physicians, the hospital and ancillary providers. He is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Metro Health Medical Group, including quality improvement activities.
Most recently, Mulder served as the director of operations for the Emory Clinic in Atlanta, Ga. There he was the regional administrator and focused on business development, practice evaluation and acquisition, physician recruitment and organizational alignment with physicians, ancillary services, acute care and community stakeholders. Also, Mulder has held leadership positions with St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare and Humboldt Medical Specialists in Calif. and Centura Health in Denver, Colo.
He holds a Master of Business Administration in health administration from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and Spanish from Calvin College in Grand Rapids.
“We are very pleased to welcome both Tom Heetderks and Thomas Mulder home to their West Michigan roots,” said Mike Faas, president and CEO of Metro Health. “Their expertise and experience will be a great asset as we work to position Metro Health for an exciting and successful future.”
DeVries joins Metro Health as director of marketing after having owned and operated her own marketing agency and consulting firm for more than 20 years. With a client list that included a variety of Fortune 500 clients, DeVries is known for bringing both creative and business thinking to problem solving and strategy development.
In the marketing director role, DeVries will be responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring ongoing strategic marketing plans for key service lines and organizational initiatives. She will also be responsible for website development and physician marketing.
DeVries studied marketing, merchandising, film and video at Grand Valley State University and Ferris State University. She is a native of Wyoming and resides in West Olive with her daughter.
Smith will serve as the new director at the Cancer Center at Metro Health Village. In this role, she will manage the clinical and financial operations of the cancer center. She will also serve as a liaison between physicians, staff and Board of Managers of the West Michigan Radiation Oncology, LLC, a joint venture between Metro Health and University of Michigan Health System Division of Radiation Oncology.
Smith brings nearly 10 years of healthcare operations leadership and consulting experience with her. Most recently she managed two outpatient cancer centers that saw more than 100,000 patients per year at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Ill.
Smith holds a Master of Technology from Eastern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science from Ferris State University. She is originally from southern Michigan and resides in Grand Rapids.
“I am excited to welcome these dynamic professionals to the Metro Health team and to our community,” said Faas. “This is an exciting time to be part of Metro Health, and I am sure they will help lead us forward.”
By Jennifer Hoff
