The FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Auxiliary has funded special projects totaling more than $77,000 for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Grant-supported projects will be used to support the hospital’s medical team and to provide special enhancements that promote comfort and care for patients throughout FirstHealth of the Carolinas.

“All of the funds will be used for projects that make a real difference for the people who visit FirstHealth,” says Carol Ray, special project co-chair. “Each year, we welcome the opportunity to support creative ideas that extend the personal service that sets FirstHealth apart.”

The new funding will target more than 13 FirstHealth departments or divisions, including:

• Mayo Clinic Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certification Education for four Community Health Services health educators.

• Equipment purchases that will allow Mobile Health Services to implement a free health monitoring program. Blood pressure cuffs and/or glucose monitors and test strips will be available to low-income, uninsured patients so they can manage health issues at home and avoid a medical crisis.

• Continuation of the Patient Care Fund through FirstHealth Home Care. This fund provides for the basic needs of home health patients who are in a crisis situation. The money can be used for medication and medical equipment assistance, groceries and other necessary items and services.

• New DVD/VHS equipment and films for dialysis patients.

• The Emergency Department’s clothing closet.

• Materials to support the work of the Moore Regional Hospital Toymakers.

• The Kids in Crisis Fund.

“We are always impressed by the ideas that are presented through the grants,” says Ann Marie Thornton, chair of the MRH Auxiliary “The team at FirstHealth works hard to provide not only excellent medical care, but also those seemingly simple touches that mean so much.”

Special project grants are solicited in the spring, and awards are selected by committee. Committee co-chairs for 2010 are Melody Crow and Ray.

Money supporting the grants comes primarily from vending machine proceeds at Moore Regional Hospital.

“We typically provide around $60,000 for special projects each year,” says Ray.

Although most special project grant funding is disbursed in October, with the beginning of the new fiscal year, certain projects may be funded sooner.

“When we feel that a project needs to be implemented right away, we take steps to make it happen immediately,” says Thornton. “There were several projects in this funding cycle that we wanted to put in place as soon as possible.”

Those projects involved the purchase of mobile phones for volunteers and the ordering of special gowns for radiation oncology patients.

Mobile Phones

At Moore Regional Hospital, volunteers assist with patient discharges.

“When a patient is leaving the hospital, the unit calls it in, and we send someone to help,” says Cindy Strother, administrative director of MRH Guest Services. “The volunteer helps transport the patient to meet his or her ride home and makes sure that the patient’s personal items are in order as well.”

Because Moore Regional discharges many patients every day, often from the same units, volunteers suggested purchasing mobile phones to improve their efficiency.

“Using the mobile phone, the volunteer checks in following each assignment and can be directed to another discharge that is close to their location,” says Strother. “It saves time, and offers improved service to families who are anxious to get their loved ones back to a familiar environment.”

Radiation Oncology Gowns

On average, 90 patients are treated in the Radiation Oncology department at Moore Regional every day. About 80 percent of them are required to change clothes.

“Our patients wait in co-ed rooms and pass through open corridors during their time with us,” says Margie Thomas, clinical director of the Radiation Oncology department. “The traditional hospital gowns are awkward and uncomfortable. The radiation therapists listened to their patients and found a way to combine simplicity with the ability to maintain dignity. They found a longer, more modest, full-coverage, robe-style wrap. These wraps make our patients more comfortable and reduce their stress. They can focus their energies on more positive thoughts and the healing process.”

According to Thomas, an additional benefit from the use of the gowns involves a reduction in the department’s overall laundry use. “The benefits of this not only include cost-savings but also less use of laundering chemicals and water, which is an advantage for the environment,” she says.

Auxiliary History

The FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Auxiliary has supported local health care for more than 80 years. From the purchase of a cow and chickens to provide nutrition for the parents of newborns during the Depression to raising $100,000 for a pediatric ICU in 1976, members of Auxiliary have committed their time and energy to support services that directly benefit patients and families across the region.

“The value of the Auxiliary is not measured in dollars and cents,” says Kathleen Stockham, president of the Foundation of FirstHealth. “Instead, we find it in the personal service that has come to define FirstHealth. The comfort and care of our patients is our top priority. The projects the Auxiliary supports and the funding it provides to our organization enable us to offer an unsurpassed level of service to every person who walks through our doors.”

Today, the Auxiliary operates under the umbrella of the Foundation of FirstHealth, raising funds through the MRH Gift Shop, vending machine proceeds, an annual appeal and the traditional Holiday Ball. Currently, the organization has more than 250 members