Page 17 - SilverLinings Issue 5

Extending a Lifeline
The Cheryl Leavitt Endowed Patient Financial Aid Fund Helps Those in Need to Get Quality Care
Cheryl Leavitt (photo courtesy of the Leavitt family)
Remi strolls across the wooden gymnasium floor at the Martin Center and heads straight for Daniella Tartakovsky, Silver Hill Hospital’s new recreational therapist.
Daniella stops what she’s doing and tussles the fur standing up on Remi’s head, which is impossibly soft, hypoallergenic, and impeccably manicured. Remi is a 65-pound standard poodle and a popular therapy dog at Silver Hill.
“Dogs are good for staff too. There is no stress in that moment,” says Trish Leavitt, who has been volunteering
at Silver Hill for about five years. Trish and her husband, Bruce, own Remi and Brodie, a collie who has also served as a therapy dog at Silver Hill.
Staff love Remi, but it’s the patients who benefit the most from the canine visits. Patients will pet, hug and cuddle with Remi, who fully believes it is his job to make people feel better.
“It’s his job and he takes it very seriously,” Trish says. “He’s very calm and businesslike. If anyone comes into the room, he goes to greet them. He doesn’t miss anybody. He can be wild at home, but as soon as the vest is on, he’s all business. Therapy dogs really make a difference.”
Trish enjoys volunteering with Remi or Brodie and giving back in that way. The Leavitts have now committed to helping Silver Hill Hospital in other ways as well. They recently made a major gift to the hospital to create a patient financial aid
endowment fund.
The Cheryl Leavitt Endowed Patient Financial Aid Fund is named after Bruce’s
sister who
died three
years ago.
Cheryl lived
with bipolar
disorder and
an alcohol
use disorder. She did not find the proper treatment until it was too late as alcohol had damaged her liver. Cheryl was a social worker and devoted her life to helping others, Bruce says.
Bruce and Trish Leavitt with Remi and Brodie
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SILVER LININGS MAGAZINE | ISSUE FIVE | 2022