Be the One

Grinnell Regional Medical Center conducts an Annual Fund Drive, which is an essential part of the patient experience. Gifts to the annual fund go toward various programs within the medical center and can be designated at the discretion of the donor. So far, 2015 has seen over $124,600 raised by 278 donors, and distributed to many different programs.

Contributions are used to purchase new medical equipment used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients; underwrite training for clinical staff; purchase bike helmets for all area third-graders; support the healthcare needs of the uninsured or underinsured; fund health services like Grinnell Regional Hospice, Grinnell Regional Home Care, Grinnell Regional Public Health, and Grinnell Regional Mental Health; offset the costs of programs like the Babies Room, the Loan Closet, and the Seniors Education Program. You can designate your gift to a specific service, department, or program at GRMC, or your donation can also be “unrestricted,” meaning it will be used for the greatest need at the time.

Lives have been dramatically impacted in a positive way because of the programs listed above. For instance, for the past 20 years GRMC has provided all area third-graders with a new fitted helmet to keep them safe. The program serves 12 schools and about 550 children. Each year, members of the GRMC staff and volunteers go to schools in six different counties to provide bike/wheel safety education and to provide each third-grader with a helmet.

The program was the brainchild of Phillip Brooks, MD, a GRMC retired radiologist, who cared for a child with a severe head injury that a helmet would have prevented. After the program started, a young girl from a town in the GRMC service area was wearing her helmet while riding a bike in front of her home.  A car came speeding over a hill. The car swerved to miss her, but her bike got caught by the left passenger mirror and she was dragged. She suffered from scrapes, abrasions, and a mild concussion. The hit that created a 3 ½ inch crack in her helmet would likely have caused brain damage if she had not been wearing the helmet. That young girl was wearing a helmet from GRMC. The girl’s mother said, “GRMC’s bike safety program is great. I know for a fact that it is making a difference. If it saved even one child from permanent damage, it’s paid itself off.”

Stories like the one above are not uncommon among the various programs at GRMC. Gifts to the annual fund allow the medical center to continue to raise the bar in quality and safety. You still have time to give a gift this year! To donate to GRMC, please go to http://www.grmc.us/donate or contact Jan Veach at 641-236-2946 or Heidi Ramaeker Pearson at 641-236-2961.

Thank you for supporting GRMC—your gift makes a difference!