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Ohio Valley Health Center announces honorees for gala

By JANICE KIASKI 5 min read

STEUBENVILLE -- Recognition is a major part of the Ohio Valley Health Center's annual gala with this year's event testimony to that yet again.

Honorees to be applauded at the May 15 fundraiser to be held at St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville have been announced by Ann Quillen, executive director of the health center located at 423 South St., Steubenville.

The mission of the health center -- to provide high-quality health care for the medically uninsured and underinsured individuals and families of the Ohio Valley, regardless of their ability to pay -- is one that the honorees help carry out, according to Quillen.

The award recipients fall in three categories and include Diann Schmitt, Medical Provider of the Year; Dr. Janet Bischof, Volunteer of the Year; and the Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Foundation, the OVHC Community Partner of the Year represented by trustees Tom Timmons, H. Lee Kinney and William W. McElwain.

Schmitt, a certified nurse practitioner, was the original executive director of the Jefferson County Fourth Street Health Center when its doors opened in 2006. For the past several years, Schmitt has been faithfully volunteering as a medical provider as well as preparing new nurse practitioner students at the center, according to Quillen.

"Diann has come full circle by serving in various roles over the years with compassion, expertise and genuine concern for every one of her patients," Quillen commented.

"We are so blessed to honor her with this award, as she has been such a blessing to so many of our patients," she said.

"Diann also sets a wonderful example as her legacy of caring for those in need will continue to live on through the many new nursing students she is helping to train for their service of caring in the future," Quillen added.

Since the center's opening in 2006, the Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Foundation has provided more than $100,000 in funds to center to help it fulfill its mission.

"Their funds were instrumental in the capital campaign and renovation of the state-of-the-art medical clinic," Quillen explained. "Recently, funds were donated to purchase a commercial-grade refrigerator, that at any time can store more than $20,000 worth of insulin that is a life-saving medication for its diabetic patients," she said, adding that OVHC "is so grateful for the faithful support of the Pugliese foundation."

Beginning with her volunteer efforts in 2014, Bischof has enabled the Ohio Valley Health Center to provide excellent care for all of its patients, especially for those battling diabetes and hypertension, Quillen noted.

"Dr. Bischof has been instrumental with the very successful Free to Be Healthy Diabetic and Hypertension program through her assistance with grant-writing, as well as tracking all patients' statistics and vital information," Quillen commented.

"Without Dr. Bischof's dedicated effort, our Free to Be Healthy program would not be the success that it is for so many of our patients in improving their health and their lives," she said.

"Besides that, Bischof personally contacted hundreds of patients following the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage and enable them to renew their participation at the health center. So many lives have been impacted for good because of her devoted volunteer service," Quillen added.

"Where Hope Grows" is the theme of the gala being co-chaired by Tony Mougianis and Tara Dzvonick. The gala kicks off at 5 p.m. with a champagne reception, followed by dinner and a program at 6 p.m. that includes the acknowledgment of three honorees for their contributions to the center and their dedication to the community.

Tickets are $50 per person, and sponsorships remain available. For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.ovhealthcenter.org or call (740) 283-2856. May 6 is the RSVP deadline. The fundraiser is open to anyone in the community, according to Quillen.

"We encourage people to come and share in the festivities," Quillen said. "We definitely are looking for sponsors for the event. There's no doubt about that, that this is a fundraiser and the money that's raised through the sponsorships and in the mystery boxes and in the auction go to support the mission of the health center, so it's open to the community."

The gala is a semi-formal black-tie affair for those who choose.

"You can wear your cocktail dress, you can wear your long gown, you can wear your tuxedo, your good suit. It's just a nice event," Quillen said.

Back by popular demand are mystery boxes where attendees can purchase one with a number that correlates to a prize they'll receive.

"We have more than $10,000 worth of prizes for mystery boxes and the live auction," Quillen said. "That's a lot of gifts in donated items that are going to be given away."

A live auction that evening will feature a variety of big-ticket items.

"We have wonderful things donated. We have Steelers tickets and a limo ride to that game," she said, in addition to a framed painting by Richmond artist Gina Judy that serves as the backdrop for the gala booklet, invitations and decorations. There's also a Dave Barnhouse print.

"We're creating a spa package for women and a tailgating and another package for men so those will be really nice items for people to bid on."

The gala is returning to an in-person event for the first time since 2019, having been interrupted by the pandemic.

The goal is that the gala will raise about $90,000. The event is the health center's No. 1 fundraiser, she emphasized.

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