CLH Foundation

members hold

event to share plans

with local leaders

for hospital’s future

by Teresa Eubanks, CLJNews.com

BLOUNTSTOWN, FL – Construction should be finished soon as the new Calhoun Liberty Hospital gets ready for its Thursday, July 31 ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. CT, but work is just beginning for volunteers who are establishing a supportive network to ensure the continued growth of the facility.

Community leaders, business owners and interested citizens gathered at the W.T. Neal Civic Center Friday evening to meet hospital administrators from its affiliate partner hospital, Tallahassee Memorial, to hear about plans for the new Calhoun Liberty Hospital Foundation.

The Foundation’s purpose is to raise funds to ensure critical upgrades can be made along with the purchase of state-of-the-art medical equipment to keep pace with the community’s needs.  For now, the organization’s focus is on enhancing the front of the new facility with landscaping.  There are also plans to use monogrammed bricks to create an outdoor seating area.

Foundation members were introduced on stage, with some explaining their desire to help get the new hospital off to a good start by bringing together those who can contribute financially as well as other ways, such as giving their time to help with the many projects in the works at the new facility.

Chris Atkins, who is on the hospital’s landscaping committee, said Magnolia trees are on the way and will be placed at the entrance.  Some decorative urns will also be used in the landscaping plan. “It’s going to be a beautiful place,” he said, drawing a laugh when he pointed out that he’d been to the site earlier that day and pulled some weeds.

When Foundation Chairwoman Ava Plummer of Bristol was introduced, she quickly got to the point by reminding listeners of the importance of supporting health care close to home: “If you live far away from a major hospital, you better have something close by if you want to keep your child alive.”

 

WHAT A FOUNDATION CAN DO

Guest speaker Nigel Allen, president of the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation shared how TMH Foundation members there worked to raise funds for three ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machines, after the only one they had at that time saved the life of 18-year-old Josh, who, according to Allen, “literally drowned”  three years ago.

“I’m so glad my son’s life was saved by that piece of equipment but I was haunted by the fact of what would have happened if someone else had been on that machine when they brought him in,” said Josh’s father, Jim Lamar of Tallahassee.  He made it his mission to see that TMH got more of the life-saving ECMOs.

Lamar worked with the TMH HealthCare Foundation,  sharing their story and illuminating the need for additional ECMO machines.  “We now have four ECMO machines because of community support,” Allen said.

Josh, now 21, is fully recovered and hopes to one day be able to do for others what was done for him. Allen said Josh is now a first-year medical student. “He knows he’s been given some bonus time on this planet, and I think, in his heart, he wants to give some of that back by serving others in the medical field.”

Learn more about Josh’s journey by visiting this link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp0Zgw5Q6sU

 

 

FOUNDATION PRIORITIES

“I congratulate you as you begin the journey of having your own hospital foundation.  Every step down the path of building this Foundation is going to take you to a great place,” Allen told the new Foundation members.

“All of you are here because you care about Calhoun and Liberty County and you’ve invested in seeing the hospital grow,” he said.  “I want to congratulate you as you begin the journey to provide the best possible health care for your friends and loved ones.”

He added, “Don’t worry about what you’re doing – just keep on doing it.”

The Foundation’s priorities are:

__Funding critical facility upgrades and buying state-of-the-art medical equipment

__Becoming equipped to respond to emergencies and natural disasters

__Develop innovative programs and specialized services that would otherwise be unavailable in our rural community

Vicki Montford is serving as the Foundation’s secretary-treasurer and Bill Gaskin is taking on the duties of vice-chair.  Members include Olivia Johnson, Chris Atkins, Ava Plummer, Brandi Money, Johnette Wahlquist, Stacy Miller, Rachel Bryant, Melissa Durham and Sandra Waldorff. Ex-Officio Trustees are Mark Plummer, Tim Revell and Emily Brown.

“The establishment of the hospital Foundation marks a significant milestone for our community,” said hospital CEO Emily Brown. “This Foundation will play a crucial role in enabling us to provide the highest quality of care and expand our services, ensuring a healthier future for everyone in Calhoun and Liberty Counties.  We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and vision of this founding board.”

The Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization with a mission of working with the hospital to meet the needs of the community.

 

‘BE  PROUD OF WHERE YOU ARE GOING’

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Chief Operating Officer Ryan Smith addressed the group and assured Foundation members that his hospital’s goal was to invest resources in this community.

“Our philosophy is different than other health care systems,” he said.  We’re not trying to pull patients from this area.  We want this area to stay healthy. Our relationship with Calhoun Liberty Hospital is vastly important to us.”

Many medical cases require transport to TMH after initial treatment in Blountstown and Smith noted the importance of maintaining a good working relationship between the physicians of both facilities.

“Look at the history of where the hospital was and where you are now.  It’s incredible,” Smith said.  “Be proud of where you came from and where you’re going.”

 

CLH  WILL BE OPEN FOR

PATIENTS ON AUG. 17

“This is an exciting time for the hospital,” said CLH CEO Emily Brown. “I can tell you we have some phenomenal people that work in that hospital and we are on the path of advancement.”

Visitors at the July 31 grand opening will have a once-in-a-lifetime to see the new facility before it goes into operation, she said.

The staff will relocate to the new site on Aug. 17.  Patients will been seen at the new site beginning at 6 a.m. on that date.  The clinic will remain at its same address.

“We want to continue to be progressive in the type of care we can give,” she said, adding that she hopes that CLH will one day be able to expand services to provide procedures like robotic knee surgery.  “We need to work hard to raise funds for things like the EXMO machine, which is one of the most advanced forms of life support available,” she said.

“We’re not just replacing a building and taking what we have; we want to continue to grow and expand services.”

 

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT CLH

There are four ways the community can support the new hospital through their Pledge Card program.

•Donors can make an annual Individual Membership contribution of $100 which includes an invitation to all Foundation events and quarterly communications.

•An individual pledge of any size can be made at any time.  Donors can also request to be billed for their pledge.

•There are four categories of Charter Sponsorships:  Friend – $500,   Supporter – $1,000, Patron – $2,500, Founder – $5,000.  Gifts of $500 include one commemorative patio brick.  Gifts of $1,000 will include the donor’s name on the Foundation donor wall in the new facility.

• Commemorative engraved patio bricks will be placed in front of the hospital and feature the names of donors or family members.  The bricks, priced at $100 each, “will literally let donors leave their mark on this vital institution,” according to Foundation Chair Ava Plummer.

For more information, visit the Foundation’s page on Facebook or go to www.CalhounLibertyHospital.com.

 

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