About Us
Expanding equitable health care and healthy living in Cook County
Closing Care Gaps
The North Shore Health Care Foundation works to address health care gaps and needs in Cook County. We believe in the possibilities of people, organizations, businesses, and governments working together to create healthy communities for all in Cook County.
We believe health is not just the absence of illness, but that a healthy community is reflected in the health of individuals which is embodied in prevention and education regarding health; a community that maintains health through its systems of food, housing, employment, clean water, clean air, healthy exercise and social norms; and access to quality, affordable health care for all.
Our primary contributions for creating a healthy Cook County lie in our ability to provide and leverage funding, provide educational opportunities including convening community partners to address critical health issues facing the community, and by advocating with others to help us achieve a healthy community. Where gaps exist, the Foundation also develops and incubates programs to address critical needs.
Board of Directors & Staff
Our Board of Directors is dedicated to making positive change and being a bright light for local health care providers, emergency services, and community groups implementing equitable health-focused programming. Directors serve three-year terms and are appointed through an application process. The Foundation also has opportunities to serve on committees, in the office or for special events. If you might be interested in joining our team, contact our Executive Director for more information.
Anna Cariad-BarrettPresident & Interim Executive Director
In her work, Anna explores how the human-nature relationship creates wellbeing and wholeness. She is the author of two books, Shamanic Wisdom for Pregnancy and Parenthood, and Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider. Anna has worked with children, families, and individuals as a counselor and minister, and has a Doctorate of Ministry, Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family, and Bachelor’s Degree in Family Social Science.
Anna teaches and volunteers as a Master Gardener in Cook County, and you can often find her working in her pollinator garden. Indoors, Anna loves to knit, do crosswords, and tend her orchid collection. She loves connecting with nature in every season: cross-country skiing, hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, and spending time along the shores of Lake Superior. She is the mother of two awesome elementary-aged kids, and also a devoted dog-mom.
Sandra Sedo Vice President
Deborah Van ValkenburghSecretary
Scott GislasonTreasurer
Mike BoomerBoard Member
Mike Boomer lives in Grand Portage MN with his wife of 31 years Lori, “Sam”. Mike and Lori own and operate Ryden’s Border Store & Duty Free. This is a 3rd generation business actively involved in the Grand Portage community. Mike and Lori have two children, Brea and Kale both growing up in Cook County attending Grand Portage schools and graduating from I.S.D. 166. Brea and Kale went on to get college degrees and are now pursuing life dreams and challenges.
Mike was an assistant Football coach for the Cook County Vikings for over 23 years coaching under Lyle Anderson, Mitch Dorr and Mike Prom. He continues to have positive interactions with many of the young men he coached and holds those relationships in very high regard. Boomer was also part of the leadership team that built the Mt Rose Community Church (Maamawiitawin) in Grand Portage. Mike also developed a course for dads who attended Early Childhood Development classes offered by Adult Community Education called F.A.N. (Fathers Are Needed) and taught this for several years.
I have always been on the other side of non-profits (Okontoe and Coldwater) either via financial support or volunteering in some form. I am looking forward to being more involved in nuts and bolts of the North Shore Health Care Foundation. I am also interested in helping bridge the east end of the county with Grand Marais. We can be isolated out here, and I look forward to positive, results-orientated resolutions to issues effecting all families in our community.
Barb Bernardy-RoseBoard Member
Following a 40+ year career as an RN in a variety of settings, Barb identifies as a community nurse most recently providing direct care, education and support to individuals and families at St Paul’s Health Care for the Homeless, the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center, and Woodland Hills in Duluth.
Her interest in patient education led her to become a licensed parent educator with the South Washington County School district Outreach program, where she enjoyed “filling the gaps”. Barb’s responsibilities included facilitating groups, home visiting, writing curriculum for teen parents and childbirth education classes, teaching GED and ABE, developing a comprehensive program for new parents, supervising the School Age Family Education program, and collaborating with the medical, school and business communities.
A former Lutsenite and frequent visitor to Cook County, she is delighted to have been able to retire and move permanently to the Shore. With her daughter, son-in-law, and three of her seven grandchildren, she is enjoying life on the east end of the county, in Hovland. An avid reader, crafter, and back roads explorer, she looks forward to putting her energy into serving her neighbors as a North Shore Health Care Foundation Board member.
Michael HeroBoard Member
Mike Hero has been a year-round resident of Cook County since 2006. He has been a practicing Attorney for 40 years. He previously served for 24 years as a President and Trustee of Laura Baker Services Association, an organization dedicated to the care of persons with developmental disabilities, and served from 2006 to 2020 as Corporate Secretary and Director of Heywood Bancshares Inc., a national bank holding company.
Coralyn KoschinskaBoard Member
Coralyn was born and raised on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota. She and husband Greg have been their married life living in Minneapolis and the suburbs raising three children and volunteering in numerous capacities.
The Koschinskas then built their home and moved to the North Shore in 1996, where Coralyn has been involved in several non-profit organizations, including:
- West End Garden Club, Treasurer
- Schroeder Area Historical Society President during the renovation of the Cross River Heritage Center and the first several years of operation.
- We Connect, Chair of the Board. WE Connect is a community organization in the West End serving elders and families.
“Helping to further the health and well-being of citizens and visitors to Cook County through community programs is supremely important to all of us and is deserving of our best efforts to make changes that will improve the quality of life for all people. The North Shore Health Care Foundation is doing its best to help realize this goal and I am proud to be a part of this.”
Sam UsemBoard Member
Georgene DaubantonExecutive Assistant
Values In All We Do
We believe in the possibilities of people, organizations, businesses and governments working together to create a healthy community for all in Cook County. Our values represent what we believe in, what we stand for and how we approach everything we do at the North Shore Health Care Foundation. They provide a guideline for making decisions at all levels of our organization and include:
- Responsible stewardship
- Collaboration and partnerships
- Efficient and effective governance
- Compassion
- Inherent dignity
- Inclusion
- Integrity
- Being nimble
A Little Goes a Long Way
By giving to the Foundation, you can support a variety of valuable programs and services dedicated to health care, emergency services, education and healthy living in a single donation. Be a partner in your own health system.
Have an initiative that helps work towards our vision of a healthy community for all in Cook County? You could be eligible for a NSHCF grant.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
The North Shore Health Care Foundation (NSHCF) strives to act inclusively in all that it does. The NSHCF recognizes the diversity of human differences, and values the inherent worth of all people. NSHCF does its work with compassion and inclusivity by creating healthy communities with partners and in the conduct of its business internally. The NSHCF recognizes that health and well-being are directly connected to honoring the truth and wholeness of each person. Toward that end it strives to respect and support diverse identities in the communities it serves. The NSHCF endeavors to be nimble and open to teachings from those communities so that it can serve as an ally and partner in creating greater equity and inclusion for all in Cook County. The NSHCF ask all partners and grantees to honor these values in our work together.