Trigg County Hospital Auxiliary President Barbara Dunn is happy to share the credit for a $9,200 contribution made to the hospital on January 8 with her staff of 50 volunteers. The money will be allocated with $1,100 going for radiological equipment, $3,900 for the nursing department to procure seating for visitors and a lifting chair, and $4,200 to the respiratory care branch for an EKG machine.

“The departments of the hospital provided a wish and need list to Hospital CEO Lisa Coleman. The requests had to be approved by the hospital’s board of directors and were discussed by the auxiliary for several months,” said Dunn. “We were looking for items that were oriented to help patients and their families.”

Coleman praised the efforts of the auxiliary’s volunteers. “They are a vital part of the ‘people pillar’ in our management plan. Many auxiliaries in other hospitals choose a specific branch of the hospital to focus their efforts on. This group hasn’t picked any area other than patient care items. We feel like the volunteers work to benefit the patients and community served by the hospital.”

The Hospital Auxiliary assists the hospitals on many fronts, from the hospital’s gift shop, called The Gift Box, to plans to open an information desk at the hospital next month.

Auxiliary Communications Director Bobbie Musick said that the new “Hospitality desk” would provide information on locations within the hospital and general information. “The hospital is not large enough for our members to directly support the staff and assist patients, but this is a big step forward. As the hospital grows, our responsibilities will grow,” she said.

“It’s amazing how much revenue that a hospital gift shop can generate. A lot of the customers are employees and help support the hospital and buy equipment with their purchases,” said Coleman

Dunn said that the funds given to the hospital on Monday were collected from proceeds from the Gift Box, selling mulligan in a fall golf tournament, memorial fund contributions and the sale of a Hospital Auxiliary cook book.

While supporting the hospital with monetary contributions and plans for the information desk, Dunn said that her group assists in the delivery of patient mail, taking a magazine cart to patients and their family, clerical work and providing Teddy bears to children under age six in ambulances and the emergency room.

Dunn described this year’s contribution as the “largest in recent years.” Last year, the auxiliary contributed $3,500 to cover half the cost of a new dishwasher in the hospital’s kitchen.

For more on the Auxiliary, read this week's Cadiz Record.