Your Gifts in Action
One of the most rewarding aspects of giving to the HaysMed Foundation is knowing your gift helps care for your family, friends, and community. Every gift – in fact 100% of every gift – is used to enhance healthcare services available in western Kansas. There are so many ways that donors make a difference at HaysMed and help us provide the highest quality healthcare for our region. Gifts come in all sizes and impact every area of HaysMed. Here are a few examples of your gifts in action this year.
Thank You HaysMed Day
The Schmidt Foundation approached the Foundation with an idea to honor the work of every HaysMed Associate, especially after the past few years with COVID complicating health care. The day was filled with a free meal from local food trucks, prize drawings, and an overwhelming spirit of gratitude. The Schmidt Foundation was joined by Glassman Corporation (Joe and Linda Glassman), The Hadley Foundation, Gary and Mary Ann Shorman, and Joe and Cheryl Jeter to sponsor “Thank You HaysMed Day”.
Psychiatric Telemedicine
The entire nation is facing a shortage of board-certified, highly trained psychiatrists. In order to address the psychiatric needs of our patients, HaysMed is utilizing telemedicine to provide access to care when a patient needs it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Thanks to an estate gift from Lillian Schumacher, Lillian’s Fund, was established this past year and will support this and many other programs for western Kansans to live their healthiest lives.
Fitness Trail Trees
The HaysMed Fitness Trail, located on the east side of the hospital campus, is a popular place for fitness enthusiasts and families taking a leisurely stroll. Because of weather conditions, the beautiful, tree lined trail, experienced an unfortunate loss of many trees in recent years. Thanks to a generous gift from a community member who frequents the trail, nearly 40 trees have been planted allowing the trail to provide an escape from the stress of everyday life.
Patient Monitors
Offering the highest quality of care requires health care providers to have access to accurate, consistent, and reliable data available at their fingertips. New patient monitors with advanced technologies are now being used thanks to a gift from the Patterson Family Foundation.
Bereavement Support
The period of grief and mourning after a death may be normal, but it is certainly not easy. Our health care team is always looking for ways to help families during this difficult time. It may be a snack, book, or blanket from the Comfort Cart that helps. The new CuddleCot, now available in the Women/Infanct Care Unit allows grieving families to spend more time with their baby during a heartbreaking loss.
Fast Facts for Critical Care
Critical Care is complex with treatment guidelines issued by numerous medical specialties. The guidelines are often lengthy, complex, and changing. Fast Facts for Critical Care reference guide provide convenient access to current information and guidelines.
Breast Care Center Nurse Navigator
When someone diagnosed with breast cancer enters the HaysMed Breast Care Center, they will receive excellent care from the entire team of specially trained professionals, and a dedicated nurse navigator to guide them through the health care system to ensure they receive coordinated care and support services. The nurse navigator is a constant, familiar nurse who is always there to answer questions, reinforce patient education, and ease anxiety. Thank you to The Schmidt Foundation for supporting this specialized care.
Free Drive-Thru Flu Vaccinations
Volunteers from HaysMed, Fort Hays State University, and North Central Kansas Technical College make the annual free drive-thru flu vaccination event possible. Celebrating its 23rd year, the event provided nearly 2,900 flu vaccines to people six months old and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an annual flu shot is still the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and spread it to others.
Neurocognitive Testing For Concussion Injuries
Concussions are a major health concern for high school athletes. Through the generosity of donors to the Foundation, trauma manager Cammie Townley and HaysMed’s athletic trainers continue the free baseline screenings in Ellis and Rush Counties. The program was spearheaded by HaysMed surgeon Dr. Jerod Grove, to give area healthcare providers a better benchmark for evaluating athletes in the event of a head injury.
Stained Glass Window
Thanks to a gift from the Steve Ruder family in memory of his wife, Linda, the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute is home to a new stained glass window by local artist Stan Detrixhe. “A Moment of Peace” reflects a beautiful, peaceful light for patients and families in the DSCI waiting area.
Kids Quest 2022
Celebrating its 10th year, this free summer program has encouraged thousands of children to stay active in the summer. The 14-week program is offered by the Center for Health Improvement and supported by donations to the HaysMed Foundation, along with prizes from area businesses.
SANE Clinical Training
Donations from the region funded Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) clinical training to help western Kansas communities develop and maintain SANE services closer to home. Without this training, it would not be uncommon for victims to travel long distances for SANE services. Thanks to the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and Pittsburg State University for supporting this regional training.
Infant CPR
First-time parents receive an infant CPR kit during a prenatal visit. This DVD based program teaches basic CPR skills and includes a personal manikin that allows practice for parents or other caregivers.
Scholarships and Continuing Education
Scholarships totaling $16,000 were awarded for post-secondary education from the Bert Anderson, Harms Family, Norman E. Hull, M.D., Dr. Glen and Nada Hutchison, Robert Nabholz, Roelfs Nursing, Karen Schuvie, and the HaysMed Foundation General Scholarship funds.
This year’s scholarships were awarded to Stephanie Banker, Desseray Berry, Mackenzie Gianacopolo, Grant Ginther, Levi Huser, Madeline Lohmeyer, Delaney Maier, Katelyn Mosshart, Michael Mosshart, Macy Nowlin, Sarah Powers, Bryson Rupp, and Michelle Weigel.
Also, continuing education of current Associates is essential to keep staff updated on the ever-changing healthcare field. Generous donations support education through a wide variety of sources, including conferences, seminars, and online study.
New Equipment and Patient Resource Guides
Endowed funds at the HaysMed Foundation provide a powerful opportunity to bring the future of healthcare to life by providing sustained, and immediate, support for many program needs. A peek at just a couple of projects funded this past year follows.
New equipment is often needed throughout the facility as HaysMed continues to grow and expand to best serve our patients. Thanks to proceeds of the Bickle Family Fund, the Foundation was able to purchase a needed Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for a relocated unit.
It is difficult for parents who are dismissed from the hospital with their baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The Richard Bauer Fund provided funding for these parents to connect to their newborns. Using a secure network, a camera system now allows the parents of babies in the NICU to check on their child virtually. This allows better collaboration and communication for the families and care teams and can provide tremendous peace of mind for the parents.
Newly diagnosed cancer patients can be overwhelmed with details of their diagnosis and treatment plans. HaysMed’s Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute (DSCI) patients receive a series of personalized Patient Resource Guides to help them navigate their journey. The guides are customized for each patient and include information about their individual diagnosis, treatment plan, ways to manage side effects, photos of their medical team, support groups, and much more. These guides are available thanks to the Dreiling Endowed Fund for the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer institute.
Human Trafficking Education and Training
Health care professionals are in a unique position to identify and offer resources to human trafficking victims, but most providers have not received training to do so. Through a grant from the HaysMed Foundation, Human Trafficking Awareness Education seminars were free to community members, health care providers, and mandated reports from across the state. The half-day seminars taught awareness and provided practical intervention ideas applicable to hospitals and community organizations.