Funding Needs and Giving Opportunities

"What's Your Wish?" Campaign

Private philanthropy has provided many of the resources we use daily to save lives at Tri-City Medical Center. Encouraging private giving is the job of the Tri-City Hospital Foundation. The Foundation is the hospital's connection to those who want to play a role in making this an exceptional hospital.

In late 2009, the leaders of critical departments in Tri-City Medical Center met with Foundation staff to discuss their "wish list" of programs, equipment and "out-of-the-box" things they wanted for their service areas. No cost or time limits were placed on the lists - the lists can be updated so that the Foundation will have a running list at any point in time. 

A total of 51 leaders representing 43 hospital departments submitted their wish lists that total $7 million, ranging in wishes from teddy bears for cardiovascular patients to the remodel of the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit. 

Below are examples of the "wishes" for anyone - individual, corporation, and foundation or service club - to consider. The Foundation will periodically update the examples of the "wishes," for you to consider.

• Music and image therapy television channel in every patient room and waiting room ($10,685)
• DVDs, workbooks, teaching materials, therapy tools for Outpatient Behavioral Health patients ($1,500)
• Cardiac nuclear medicine camera for Cardiovascular Institute's Chest Pain Center ($360,000)(Naming Opportunity)
• Newborn hearing testing machine ($12,240)
• Patient comfort items (pillows, throws, blankets) for home health patients ($1,000)
• Insulated food cart for families of end-of-life patients ($2,619)
• Diabetes education kits, DVD players, cart to educate patients about diabetes ($750)

Wishes Granted

• NICU equipment from Las Patronas- The Foundation recently received a gift to fund a cribette unit for the NICU. The donation came from a husband and wife who have been long-time donors-and in the wife's case, also a long-time Auxiliary volunteer. Her time as a "cuddler" in the NICU gave her insight into the need. She told us that the nurses and doctors in our NICU are "the best" and that she and her husband wanted to support them through this gift.

  The prestigious philanthropic group - Las Patronas -honored the Foundation and the Medical Center (at their awards luncheon recently) with a $41,000 grant that is being used to purchase critical equipment for the neonatal intensive care unit-a Giraffe incubator, and several "Neopuff" infant resuscitators.

• NICU biliblankets- The biliblanket serves the same purpose as the bilirubin lights that infants stay under when they have any jaundice. The lights are in a separate room, the Nursery, but the biliblankets can be used in the bassinet in the room with mom.
• The Sound of Ultrasounds-You did it! Thanks to the contribution made by Corporate Council, we recently funded two much-needed, state-of-the-art ultrasound machines. One will be deployed in the ER, the other in the ICU, with each serving as a backup for the other in case of high demand or technical issues. These machines are literally lifesavers. They can provide rapid information, and will find extensive use for guiding procedures such as the placement of central venous lines and to confirm correct intubation. The machines have been received, staff is being trained this week, and the machines will be released for use immediately after training is completed.

For more information please call the Foundation at 760-940-3370.