Closing the gap: how the SMH Auxiliary’s contribution is supporting patient needs
With a mission “to provide comfort to and better the welfare of Sheridan Memorial Hospital (SMH) patients,” Auxiliary Board members voted during their spring meeting on their 2024 gift to SMH that best exemplified their purpose. Unanimously, the board voted to contribute $30,000.00 toward Respiratory Therapy Equipment and give $4,000.00 to the GAP Fund.
With this gift, the Auxiliary has given $758,000 to SMH since 1991, which does not come close to reflecting the actual difference they make at our community hospital, each and every day. There is only one value that can truly be placed on their volunteer efforts, leadership, and genuine care for Sheridan Memorial Hospital staff and patients – priceless.
In conjunction with hospital leadership, the Respiratory Therapy team identified the need to care for our community by replacing our current equipment with a more modern, upgraded Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) V-Max Body Box. This equipment helps measure the absolute lung volume to help identify the severity of pulmonary impairment. This plays a critical role in patient care by providing therapeutic and diagnostic results for patients with common diagnoses, including asthma, Pulmonary fibrosis, or Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Auxiliary’s gift for this equipment will pair with funding from The Foundation board, which expedited the purchase of this equipment to immediately care for our community.
The GAP fund supports patients’ literal gap between their healthcare visit and discharge home. With a new or unexpected diagnosis, patients don’t always have the resources to properly care for themselves in a new way. SMH teams coordinate for patients needing additional resources they could not otherwise afford but are required for a successful recovery and/or safe discharge. This fund helps close that gap immediately by providing resources such as medications immediately necessary upon discharge or funding for transportation to appointments. In other instances, patients have presented to the hospital’s emergency department with nothing in hand due to an accident. This fund helps them discharge with necessities to go home, even if home is across the country and requires a bus ride.
“Working with Sheridan Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Volunteers means having a team of dedicated, compassionate humans by your side, ready to make a difference in the lives of others. Time spent working alongside this generous board of volunteers gives Sheridan Memorial Hospital and The Foundation much to be grateful for,” shares Volunteer and Development Coordinator – Jasmine Slater. “This donation is part of a long Auxiliary tradition in continuing to support hospital & Foundation projects that will expand the healthcare available to everyone in our community. These women are inspiring in all that they do and continue to help enhance the patient experience throughout the entire organization. We are so fortunate to be able to collaborate with such an incredible group.
To learn more about getting involved in The Sheridan Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Board or Volunteering, please reach out to Development Coordinator Jasmine Slater at 307.675.2620 or by clicking HERE.