New technology and equipment for patient care is on the way to local hospitals thanks to a group of nearly 100 area women dedicated to supporting the quality and availability of health care for all on the North Coast.
Women for Wellness (W4W) is a philanthropic group promoting education, advocacy, and volunteerism in support of Providence St. Joseph Hospital and Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital. W4W members are collectively donating $91,000 to provide enhanced care and equipment for new treatment methods for patients in intensive care, the Emergency Department, physical therapy, and cardiac care.
“We are so grateful to have the support of this generous group of women in our community,” said Providence in Humboldt chief executive, Roberta Luskin-Hawk, MD. “The equipment purchased through the donation of Women for Wellness will help save lives by providing our caregivers with new, innovative treatment tools.
“I am also proud of our staff members who took the initiative to research what could assist them in caring for their patients, then sought the funding to make it happen. In the world of modern health care, philanthropy makes such a difference in the level of care we are able to provide.”
To join W4W, each member donates $1,000 annually. At the end of the year, all funds are pooled together and the group votes on which hospital initiatives to support.
In 2020, Women for Wellness dedicated 100 percent of its funds to purchase additional ventilators for COVID patients.
“This year we have been able to focus on several different areas of need at our hospitals,” said W4W chair, Ginger Weber. “In only our second year in existence, our members are making a major difference for our community, providing local health care workers with significant support in their service to patients. Women for Wellness is about education, giving back, and recognizing the power we have to create change when we come together to help others.”
The group’s 2021 donations will fund four new hospital initiatives:
- Supplying our trained practitioners with the tools they need to begin offering Lymphedema Therapy—specialized services for chemotherapy patients who previously had to travel outside the area for this care
- The purchase of a Baxter Starling Monitor to help the Intensive Care Unit rapidly diagnose cases of sepsis—a potentially deadly blood infection
- Contribute toward the new ECMO program at the Heart Institute, helping stabilize the most critical patients before necessary transport to a larger medical facility
- The purchase of two LUCAS Chest Compression Systems, one for each emergency room, to assist in life-saving CPR measures
Brandon Klith, RN, a clinical nurse program specialist for the emergency department, says he and the other grant recipients are tremendously grateful to the members of W4W.
“I want to express how thankful I am and all the staff are for their support in funding a LUCAS Chest Compression System at both RMH and SJH. Not only will this system support and protect frontline caregivers during compressions, but it is proven to lead to better patient outcomes which will greatly benefit the community. Thank you!”
Local women wishing to join Women for Wellness can find more information by contacting Rebekah Harmon at the hospital foundation offices, 707-269-4201 or Rebekah.Harmon@stjoe.org. Members contribute $1,000 each in annual dues, which the group then votes to donate collectively in support of initiatives addressing healthcare needs in Humboldt County.
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