EvenMORE For You

Medical Director Dr. Mostafa Mirhaidari

He Cares with Compassion

Dr. Mostafa Mirhaidari has a singular goal in end-of-life care to help patients be comfortable and to minimize suffering.

He has been the full-time Medical Director at Crossroads in Northeast Ohio since 2021, but his working relationship with Crossroads began more than 10 years earlier when he began working for Crossroads part-time in 2009.

In those days, caring for Crossroads patients was part of his busy primary care medical practice where he cared for local patients of all ages and saw patients both those receiving Crossroads end-of-life care and general patients at 12 different long-term care facilities.

Dr. Mirhaidari’s interest in end-of-life care began to grow, especially as he observed how much better nursing home patients were cared for and how more positive their end-of-life care experience was if they were receiving hospice services. 

When both his dear mother and father received end-of-life care from Crossroads, Dr. Mirhaidari also gained personal hospice experience.

After Dr. Mirhaidari closed his practice, he had many options. So why did he decide to dedicate his medical career to hospice and palliative care and rejoin Crossroads this time in a full-time capacity?

Nurses are the Reason!

“Crossroads’ nurses,” was his answer."  This is definitely the reason,” Dr. Mirhaidari said,  “Crossroads’ nurses are really compassionate. They aren’t just 9 to 5. They go beyond working hard to meet all the patients’ needs. It’s their duty and their calling.” 

Dr. Mirhaidari knows this because he personally goes on patient visits every week to check on patients, meet families and observe their care teams in action. 

Beyond his busy professional life, Dr. Mirhaidari is proud that his two daughters have chosen psychology as a field of interest with his older daughter in a graduate program and his younger daughter earning an undergraduate degree. 

Dr. Mirhaidari knows he has set a good example for them by working hard and being a fierce advocate for patients.

Mind-Body-Soul & Work

We are exponentially busier than our ancestors, yet our bodies, minds, and souls are far lazier. To some extent, it’s not entirely our fault that life in many ways has become frictionless. We are so successful as a species that we’ve created an environment filled with endless objects that remove the need for effort, attention, imagination, and work.

We don’t usually sleep on the ground, hunt for our meals, or gather around a central campfire in the evenings to commune. We no longer endure starvation due to famine.

Today, our campfires and communal experiences are replaced with handheld and wall-hung screens and chat bubbles. We have roofs over our heads, electricity, and comfortable couches, as opposed to logs or rocks. And most of us sleep on some form of mattress. As a species, we’ve addressed almost every aspect of our existence, yet many still feel discontent. 

Why? Could it be that we are so busy managing our comforts that we rarely ever give our minds, bodies and souls much needed work? No, I’m not talking about clocking in and putting in the hours on the job. The type of work I am talking about includes and excludes our daily jobs—the vehicle we have to sustain food and shelter (and provide more creature comforts). The work we need pertains to self-care, being your own patient.

If the most recent research and general awareness around our way of life is showing us anything it’s that we are better off when we make minds, bodies and souls WORK! We are learning that fasting is good for us, attuning our bodies to work for and work off stored calories. Also, consuming enough fiber through plants and whole foods has a host of benefits by making our digestive systems work. A healthy gut-microbiome has massive effects on our moods and mental acuity. We also know that engaging in continuous learning to stretch our minds are crucial to staving off cognitive decline.

But for all we know about the body, we’ve also learned that, while diet and exercise have a massive impact on our health, they pale in comparison to the psycho-spiritual exercises of nurturing and stretching our spiritual and our relationship journeys.

Yes, we modern humans have an infinite number of tools and creature comforts, which are beneficial and awesome. However, to really live, to experience the freedom of truly being yourself, and fulfilling your purpose it helps to “work” the beautiful being that you are, inside and out!

Introducing Assist Health Group

The Way to No Cost Labs, Imaging & Colonoscopy

“Legendary concierge scheduling.” That’s what Crossroads team members can expect if they use Crossroads’ newest benefit provided by Assist Health Group. 

Top-tier providers and a helpful concierge corps that schedules appointments at no cost to the patient are what make this benefit so appealing, and Crossroads is delighted to provide it to all team members beginning this year.

Founded by healthcare delivery entrepreneur Ali Poonawala, who will be presenting August’s Webinar, Assist Health Group’s vision is to “democratize healthcare access across America.” 

How to register as an Assist Health Group member and how to access the benefit through mycrossroadsbenefits.com are the focus of Ali’s 30-minute webinar. A concierge from Assist Health Group will also be introduced during the webinar.

Ali has dedicated his career to making high-quality medical services accessible via innovative programs designed for employers and health plans.

Under his leadership, Assist Health Group has developed solutions tailored for employers, ensuring that team members have easy access to the best healthcare providers. His focus on customer service and ease of use has set new standards in the industry.

Ali holds a deep passion for improving healthcare accessibility and works tirelessly to ensure that Assist Health Group is reliable for patients nationwide. 

Team members will appreciate Ali’s knowledgeable and enthusiastic presentation while learning about an excellent new benefit that’s readily available.

To attend Ali Poonawala’s Assist Health Group Webinar, join a TEAMS meeting on Tuesday, August 6th:

9:30 A.M. CT/10:30 A.M. ET
4:00 P.M. CT/5:00 P.M. ET

Missed a webinar?

Click on a link to watch a recorded webinar.
April: Nomi Health Benefits
May: My Benefits Work

Webinar Check-In

In an effort to help you better understand the health benefits available to you, we’ve partnered with our benefits vendors to have them share how the offerings work and the best way to use them. We hope you’ve enjoyed and benefited from the webinars presented so far. There are more to come! 

We want to hear from you!

We’ve noticed a lower-than-anticipated participation with the webinars and want to check in with you to see what we can do to help. Consider the following and choose the one that applies to you:

1. Tuesdays and Thursdays are hard. A different day/time would work better for me.
2. Webinars are boring. I’d rather talk to my HR representative about my benefits.
3. I’d prefer to get an email about my benefits. I don’t have time to attend webinars.
4. I love getting benefits information through the Crossroads newsletter.
5. I use the Internet for everything. Visiting the mycrossroadsbenefits.com website is the best place for me to review my benefits.
6. I totally understand the benefit offerings available to me. I don’t need any help.  
7. I have not enjoyed or benefited much from the webinars presented so far.
8. I love attending webinars and learning about the amazing benefits available to me. Keep them coming!

Please record you answer in the Vital Signs section.

Crossroads is committed to providing the best care for all of our employees. We’re listening. Let us know how we can best serve you.