Hospital auxiliary looking for new faces and new ideas

Since 1964, Clarion’s hospital has had an auxiliary group that offers support by donating funds for equipment needs. The members of the auxiliary are what makes the group tick: close to 150 people are members who have donated at one time or another, many having done so for decades. Now, the auxiliary wants to find more people who want to support the hospital and help find ways to continue supporting it in the future.

The auxiliary decides what to donate for to fill gaps in care. “We have a meeting twice a year in the spring and fall. I invite the different departments to ask for funds for equipment needs they might not be budgeted for otherwise,” said Meriel Demuth, the auxiliary president and a retired nurse.

Kay Brooks, the auxiliary’s treasurer, reported that in the past year they’ve donated $20,000 for hospital equipment. “I think that’s a pretty impressive amount of money,” she said.

Recent donations have included a lead-lined apron made specifically to protect pregnant radiology technicians, a comfortable pad for patients taking an MRI, a bilimeter to manage jaundice in newborn babies, and educational materials for the obstetrics unit.

For the full story, see the June 9 edition of the Monitor.