HUTCHINSON, Kan. – One hundred Stryker recliners have been purchased for patient rooms at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center thanks to a $135,870 contribution from the hospital’s auxiliary.
The auxiliary is a 215 member organization whose membership volunteers their time and talents in support of several entities within the hospital.
Specifically, the auxiliary operates the gift shop and allocates the profits from the store for projects intended to enhance healthcare within the hospital.
Auxiliary members can be spotted on any given day delivering floral arrangements and mail to patients and overseeing the information desk, along with the Same Day Surgery and Intensive Care waiting rooms.
In addition, the auxiliary sponsors several special promotions during the year to market everything from jewelry and flowers to books and linen with the proceeds from each venture earmarked for projects at HRMC.
Liz Peirce joined the auxiliary in 2008 and is serving as the organization’s current President. She also serves on the Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System Board of Directors.
Peirce said Auxiliary members donate more than 13,000 hours of time each year in volunteer services to HRMC.
“I enjoy volunteering at the hospital, specifically the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) waiting room,” Peirce said. “Frequently, patients’ families enjoy someone to visit or need a quiet place to rest and watch television. We provide complimentary coffee, tea and water which I am told is pretty good.”
“I have always found the staff at HRMC to be very helpful and caring,” Peirce continued. “It is a great feeling to be a volunteer at HRMC.”
Other projects funded by the Auxiliary during recent years include a $130,947 allocation in 2011 for renovation and remodeling of the eight Labor/Delivery Rooms along with 14 new bassinettes and mattresses.
Nearly $93,000 was donated in 2014 to purchase a digital sign on 17th Street which is adjacent to the south entrance of HRMC and an $1102 contribution in 2014 for the purchase of art work for the hospital’s ICU waiting room.
Ken Johnson, Interim President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, called the Auxiliary an indispensible member of the hospital family and views them as the organization’s greatest ambassadors.
“Hutchinson Regional Medical Center could not function without the thousands of hours of volunteer time given each year by the Auxiliary,” Johnson said. “The Auxiliary maintains a daily presence at HRMC and carry out their volunteer responsibilities with the same passion as the healthcare professionals who are employed here.”
“It goes without saying that comfort is the most important feature of any hospital stay, both for patients and family members,” Johnson said. “Thanks to this generous contribution from the Auxiliary, 100-high quality recliners will be located in patient rooms throughout the hospital to enhance comfort and promote healing during a hospital stay.”