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Dana and Mark Combs met through mutual friends and had a long friendship before they became a couple in 2009. They were married in 2011 in a private ceremony at a small Reno chapel, and a few months later had a big celebration with their family and friends.   Encouraging Others to Succeed  Over the years, the happy couple has spent much of their time volunteering and giving back to others in their community. Twenty-six years ago, Mark became a bilateral lower limb amputee. For the past 10 years, he has been a prosthetic consultant, helping other amputees learn how to cope with various challenges and encouraging them to keep living life to the fullest. “Mark is great with helping people,” said Dana.   Dana also does a lot of rewarding work through a Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O). She is an advocate for raising money to help women ages 18 and up gain an education. Dana also enjoys tutoring English as a second language.   Enjoying Quality Time, Hobbies & Travel When Dana and Mark aren’t helping others, they are spending time with their family and friends, their dog Mia (a 3-year-old Maltipoo) or enjoying one of their many hobbies. Some of Mark’s favorite things to do include playing Solitaire and strumming on his guitar.  “I love to garden and play crossword puzzles and word games,” said Dana. “I’m really looking forward to the springtime to spend more time in the garden.” She loves to work out and has a membership at the UFC gym in Reno through her Senior Care Plus gym benefit. Dana also has her own online Etsy store, where she sells homemade jam jars, candle holders and vintage dolls. “Last summer I sold my first edition Barbie that I got when I was 9 years old,” said Dana. “I made quite a profit on it.”

Read More About Sterling Silver Club Shining Stars: Mark & Dana Combs

Meet and get to know Patty Warren, our featured Sterling Silver Club member this fall. You may recognize her from the latest Senior Care Plus commercial on television, where she joins a coffee chat discussing the many benefits of being a Senior Care Plus member. She’s one of the kindest souls you’ll ever meet – and has a positive outlook on life that we should all strive for. Patty's Story Patty was born and raised in a small Kansas town called Baxter Springs, where she grew up with an older brother, an older sister and two younger sisters. She and her siblings all enjoyed playing sports like softball and basketball, in addition to playing instruments. Patty developed a love and passion for music at a young age that carried into her adulthood. “I wanted to be an opera singer,” said Patty. “I decided to go to college at Pittsburg State University in Kansas where I majored in vocal performance.” After college, Patty moved to Manhattan in New York City to audition to be an opera singer, but she soon realized it wasn’t what she wanted to do after all. She eventually decided to work in the brokerage industry.   After living and working in New York for three years, Patty moved back to Kansas where she later met the love of her life, Michael. “In 1992, I had put a dating ad in the local newspaper,” said Patty. “I received over 30 responses, and I went out on quite a few dates.” Then she had her first date with Michael, and the two of them quickly realized how much they liked each other. He asked her to marry him on Valentine’s Day in 1993, and they went on to get married in front of the Justice of the Peace on May 3, just a few months later. “We had a small wedding so that we could move into our first home together,” said Patty. A few years later in 1999, Patty and Michael moved to Arizona, where they lived for 22 years. Patty worked at Edward Jones Investments for 18 of those 22 years and loved her job and the people that she worked with. She retired in January 2021 during the pandemic, and three days later she and Michael moved to Sparks, Nevada.

Read More About Patty Warren A Woman of Strength and Resilience

Renown Health recently announced that it has contracted with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on a new program that offers enhanced Medicare benefits for Medicare beneficiaries. This new direct contracting Medicare program is designed specifically for patients with Original Medicare. Here are three things to know about Renown’s new program: The goal of the program is to help care providers work together to improve patients’ health by better coordinating patient care and reducing costs. Medicare beneficiaries who choose to sign up will have peace of mind knowing that they are in a program that ensures coordinated care along with potential cost-sharing assistance for chronic care management. Signing up for this program is easy – and it does not affect your existing Medicare benefits in any way. Simply click the button below, select either your current Renown Health or Geriatric Specialty Care provider from the drop down menu, complete the form and click “Submit Form.” It only takes a minute or two to fill out the form. You will be asked to provide the name of your primary care provider and be sure have your red, white, and blue Medicare card handy. Sign Up for Renown’s Enhanced Medicare Benefit Program Voluntary Alignment Sign Up Note: Participation in this program is voluntary. If you choose to sign up, your benefits will NOT change, and you can visit any doctor, other health care professional, or hospital. Learn more about Renown’s Direct Contracting Entity for Medicare Beneficiaries here. The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this document.

Read More About Three Things to Know About the Enhanced Benefits of Renown’s New Medicare Program

Award given to Truckee Meadows Health Communities, Renown Health & Washoe County Health District. Truckee Meadows Healthy Communities (TMHC), Renown Health and the Washoe County Health District received the BUILD Health Challenge® award, a $250,000 grant to support Caring For Reno’s Elders (C.A.R.E.) program. The award comes as a collaborative result of more than 30 local organizations submitting a proposal for the funding. Renown Health announced that the organization is matching the grant alongside other pledged funding from the community, bringing the current C.A.R.E. support to $580,000. Together the entities will focus on senior loneliness and the health issues it creates. The partners are honored that Truckee Meadows was selected as one of 18 communities to receive funding from BUILD in the 2019-2021 term. “C.A.R.E will be a community approach to enhance life quality for elders by reducing social isolation and loneliness, issues that seriously impact senior health,” said co-team leader Kindle Craig, Sr. Director Renown Institutes. “Loneliness is the root cause of many issues including suicide1 , chronic disease2 and a reduction in lifespan3 . Washoe County senior suicide rates are two and four times the national rate for those aged 65 and 85 years, respectively4 . That is unacceptable.” Sharon Zadra, TMHC executive director and co-team leader, said this project will tackle barriers to socialization such as access to affordable housing, transportation and healthcare.  “We’ll bring the entire community on-board, long-term, to increase social connectedness and reduce health and mortality issues associated with loneliness by starting a cross generational ‘Kindness Epidemic,’” Zadra said. The BUILD Health Challenge is a national program focused on bold, upstream, integrated, local and data driven projects that can improve community health. The award provides funding, capacity building support and access to a national peer-learning network to enhance collaborative partnerships locally to address our community’s most pressing health challenges. The C.A.R.E team expresses special thanks to the BUILD Health Challenge for its support of this initiative. “Loneliness and isolation in our senior population leads to declines in both mental and physical health, and increased mortality,” said Kevin Dick, Washoe County District Health Officer. “We are incredibly honored to join the BUILD cohort, teaming with TMHC and Renown Health to bring long-term solutions by building a cohesive social network to improve the health of our elders.”  The BUILD Health Challenge® is made possible with the support of: BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, de Beaumont Foundation, Episcopal Health Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., New Jersey Health Initiatives, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. TMHC, Renown Health and WCHD have worked united for the last five years, rallying diverse partners and community leaders to influence and advocate for the region’s capacity to ensure a healthy community.

Read More About Local Organization Receive $250K Build Health Challenge Award