Washington Square Health Foundation

About Us

Board of Directors

Combining a site visit with its May 2005 Board Meeting, the Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors conducts its business at the Alivio Medical Center’s Conference Room.

(Seated Left to Right)
Director James M. Snyder, Treasurer John C. York, Director Bill Wiley, Executive Director Howard Nochumson, President Angelo P. Creticos, M.D., Vice President *Sunny A. Wirtz, Secretary William B. Friedeman, Director Richard B. Patterson, D.P.M., M.S.P.H., and Grant Committee Chairman William N. Werner, M.D., M.P.H.

* It is with deep sorrow that the Board of Directors learned of the death this past Saturday evening (February 27, 2010) of Board Member, Sunny Wirtz. Sunny was a founding member of the Board of Directors and, until her recent illness, served as Vice President of the Board.

Sunny was known for her tireless advocating for the availability of health care services for the medically indigent. She also was one of the strongest proponents of cutting edge medical research, as exemplified in her support of the Foundation's funding for the Chicago Diabetes Project (www.chicagodiabetesproject.org).

Realizing the healthcare crisis in our country, the Board of Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. recognizes that no one foundation can meet all the challenges of the healthcare environment. However, the Foundation has developed a program of grant making which is designed to be both a catalyst and guide for other foundations and grant making organizations in meeting the various needs of the Chicagoland healthcare community.

The Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. grants funds in order to promote and maintain access to adequate healthcare for all people in the Chicagoland area regardless of race, sex, creed or financial need. The Foundation meets this goal through its grants for medical and nursing education, medical research and direct healthcare services.

As a guide to other foundations and other service providers and as a part of the Board's stewardship of charitable funds, the Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. has developed a grant evaluation system to ensure that the objectives of various projects are carried out in the manner prescribed by the approved grant.

The Foundation wishes to impress on the philanthropic community that the careful evaluation of the outcomes of grant projects is as important as the appropriate selection of grant recipients.