Loeb Leaves Legacy of Caring in Buffalo Grove

The giving spirit of Jerod Loeb — and those who loved him — continues to benefit the Buffalo Grove community. 

Loeb, who lost his battle with cancer in October, served for eight years on the village’s Police and Fire Commission. He was a graduate of the Buffalo Grove Citizens Fire Academy, assisted with the fire department’s MDA Boot Drive and was a founding member of the Buffalo Grove CERT team. 

Professionally, he was the executive vice president for healthcare quality evaluation at the Joint Commission, where he was involved in national and international initiatives associated with performance measurement and patient safety.

“Jerod focused most of his professional career on making the patient experience in the hospital safe and rewarding. His personal life was merely an extension of that focus,” Fire Chief Terry Vavra said.

“As a final act of service, he asked that donations be made to the fire department in lieu of flowers. So we began to ponder how we could honor his memory and his legacy. We decided that the best way to continue to serve in an effective and efficient manner was to center around the patient first,” Vavra said.

The department received more than $16,000 in memorial contributions, including $10,000 from the Joint Commission. The money will be used to purchase five tablets that will allow paramedics to create reports while treating patients on the way to the hospital, Vavra said.

The technology will improve the department’s efficiency while also allowing first responders to talk to patients. 

“Ninety percent of care is just caring. It’s what Jerod would have wanted us to do, to center on patient care. And I hope he’s looking down on us smiling,” Vavra said. 

Each of the department’s four ambulances will be equipped with the new technology, with the fifth tablet as a backup, he said.

Loeb’s wife, Sherri, thanked village officials and Joint Commission staff members who attended Monday night’s Village Board meeting, where Vavra spoke of Loeb’s legacy.

“I know he is looking down,” Sherri Loeb said. “It meant a lot to him, and I know we made the right decision.”

She also spoke of the joy her husband received from serving others and urged those in the room to continue their own efforts to help others.

“I just want to thank everyone associated with the village and with the Joint Commission for making him happy the past 24 years we’ve lived here,” she said. “Just continue, everyone, to make people happy. Continue your community service, because without it, we’re just a place to live, we’re not a home.”