During the annual donor celebration dinner hosted by the North Lincoln Hospital Foundation on Feb. 21, attendees were told how their donations of time and money, given in the spirit of kindness and generosity, make a tangible and positive impact on the health and wellness of their neighbors, friends and family.
“We are here tonight to celebrate you, our donors,” said Lesley Ogden, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (SNLH). “I recently read a quotation that said we should hem our blessings with gratitude lest they unravel. So, this evening is our way of putting a hem around your kindness and generosity… our blessings. It is only with your help that we continue to move forward with all our hopes and aspirations for the hospital.”
Ogden spoke about how the hospital is building upon its decades of success by mindfully working to improve processes, customer service and the patient experience while looking toward the future of a new hospital that will be built in 2018 and opened in 2019. “We have unity of thought and spirit around the new hospital. Not only does our community support our current pathway with our new hospital project, our staff, providers, volunteers and others have rallied to continue to improve our hospital from the inside out,” Ogden said.
Some of these “inside out” successes include: maximizing patient satisfaction in the Emergency Department through improvements such as direct bedding and standardized discharge; decreasing inpatient falls; inpatient nurses hand-writing thank you notes to each patient; implementing new safety and security features in the Family Birthing Center; installation of new equipment and new procedures in the operating room; streamlining inventory to improve efficiency and tracking, to name a few.
“And, this is just the beginning as all departments are participating in process improvements in an effort to be at their peak when the new hospital is completed,” Ogden said. “Our little hospital just gets better and better and more united in our efforts with every day that goes by!”
Volunteers of the Year
One highlight of the evening was when the “dynamic duo” of Marguerite Cooper and Jackie Watson were announced as the 2016 Foundation Volunteers of the Year for their outstanding volunteer service to the foundation.
“We call them the ‘dynamic duo’ because they volunteer together on many of our projects,” said North Lincoln Hospital Foundation Executive Director Mark Bauer. “Wherever you see Jackie, Marguerite is not far behind and vice versa. When one speaks, the other finishes the sentence with quick wit and humor. They brighten the room with their smiles and enthusiasm. For a number of years, they have worked tirelessly alongside paid staff to help the foundation meet its mission.”
Watson began volunteering at the hospital in 2006, totaling more than 3,300 hours of service to date. She has been trained in many service areas throughout the hospital and she currently serves as SNLH Auxiliary secretary and newsletter editor. A more recent endeavor, she and her husband, Pat, deliver food from the hospital to the Food Pantry, as part of a food recovery project that has contributed more than 2,000 pounds of food to those in need.
Cooper has volunteered at SNLH since 2008, for a total of more than 2,400 hours. First assigned to ambulatory infusion, she has trained in new service areas throughout the hospital, including the surgery assistance desk. Her care and compassion recently were recognized by a patient’s wife, who wrote on the hospital Facebook page: “Our auxiliary volunteer Marguerite was a wonderful woman! Glad we came to SNLH to have the surgery done. Thanks!” Cooper’s next task will be phone coordinator for the No One Dies Alone program.
About NLHF
Since its inception, the North Lincoln Hospital Foundation has focused on the health care needs of Lincoln City and north Lincoln County as the fundraising arm of Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. As executive director, Mark Bauer works closely with two paid staff members: development specialist Leslie James and department assistant Elaine Lynch. These three work closely with a 16-member Board of Directors, including President T.C. Evans, Vice President William Koehn, Secretary Cecelia Buggenhagen, Treasurer Mark Nicholson and Immediate Past President Ann Butler.
Some highlights of the foundation’s philanthropic giving during the past year are:
- Prescription assistance: $2,200 provided to 87 patients
- Employee emergency assistance: $9,900 provided to seven employees
- Cancer fund: $15,800 in assistance awarded to 21 patients
- Medical equipment purchases: $175,000 for cardiac ultrasound machine and $19,000 for video laryngoscope glidescope for use in emergency department, surgical services and ICU
- Quality of life donations for hospice patients, including funds for non-medical, life-enhancing support such as travel for family members, massages and music
- Mary Decker Scholarships: Three $1,000 scholarships awarded to students pursuing a health care career
For more information about the North Lincoln Hospital Foundation, visit samhealth.org/NLHF.
Information and photo provided by SNLH
