GETTING OUT THE VOTE WHEN YOU CAN’T GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL:
Civista Helps Patients Vote from their Hospital Beds

Waldorf native Richard “Dean” Evans, Jr. was more than eager to vote on November 4th. Not only was this a historical election by all accounts, but it would be his first time to vote as he just turned 18 years old last January. Mr. Evans had followed the campaigns closely for many months and knew with certainty which candidate would receive his support.

For a brief time, however, it seemed he would not be able to cast that important vote. On Monday night, Mr. Evans was admitted to Civista Medical Center with severe and sharp abdominal pain, and on Tuesday morning he underwent surgery to remove his appendix.

Jan Black, Civista’s Patient Care Supervisor, understood how significant voting in this election had become to so many voters and to our patients. Early Tuesday morning, with permission to act as the patients’ agent, she went to the local Board of Elections office, picked up absentee ballots, brought them to the patients to cast their confidential vote, and then returned the sealed ballots. Nineteen grateful patients voted from their hospital beds on November 4.

Mr. Evans, clearly a young man who knows what he wants, is majoring in business administration at the College of Southern Maryland and has plans to become a police officer. Later asked if he minded revealing who he voted for last Tuesday, he responded without hesitation, “Barack Obama, of course—and you can put that in capital letters.”

At Civista, we’re very proud to help our patients not only to recover but also to continue their lives outside the hospital. We congratulate our new President and our patients for their contribution to the democratic process.

Best Wishes for a Healthy Autumn!

Christine Stefanides, FACHE
President & Chief Executive Officer
Civista Health, Inc