Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild Gifts $210,000 for Vital Healthcare Needs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2019

Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild Gifts $210,000 for Vital Healthcare Needs  

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, December 5, 2019 —The Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild presented Saratoga Hospital Foundation with four checks totaling $210,000 at the Guild’s annual dinner on Thursday, November 14. Three of the gifts were installments toward the Guild’s $900,000 pledge to support costs associated with vital healthcare services and supplies that are already providing patient benefits at Saratoga Hospital and Saratoga Community Health Center. The fourth gift was donated to help relieve cancer patients in need of financial assistance. Guild Gift 2019

“Saratoga Hospital has dedicated itself for over a century to the health and wellness of our community,” said Terry White, president of the Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild. “In the historic tradition of the Volunteer Guild, we are proud to do what we can to support their significant work.”
Specifically, the donations included:

  • $100,000, the second installment of a $500,000 six-year pledge for Smart IV Pumps; 
  • $40,000, the second installment of a $200,000 five-year pledge to the Whitney-Hendrickson Cardiovascular and Interventional Suite;
  • $40,000, the second installment of a $200,000 five-year pledge to Saratoga Community Health Center; and 
  • $30,000 dedicated to the Saratoga Hospital Cancer Patient Fund.

“We are immensely grateful for the Volunteer Guild’s generosity,” said Meredith Woolford, executive director of Saratoga Hospital Foundation, “not only for these impactful gifts, but for the extraordinary commitment of numerous volunteers each and every day on behalf of our patients.”  

Since its founding in 1948, the Guild has donated over $5 million to hospital projects and programs. The Guild’s more than 250 active volunteers routinely contribute over 60,000 hours of services each year at Saratoga Hospital’s main campus and off-sites, including Treasures Consignment Boutique and Thrift Shop as well as the Saratoga Hospital Gift Shoppe. In recognition of its extraordinary contributions to the hospital and community, the Guild has been honored three times with the Healthcare Association of New York State Auxiliary of the Year Award.

The Guild’s $500,000 donation is its largest gift ever. It helped bring “smart” intravenous (IV) pumps to all Saratoga Hospital facilities last year. IV pumps have long been used to deliver lifesaving fluids, such as advanced antibiotics, insulin, and chemotherapy. New “smart” pumps include technology designed to ensure that patients receive the right medication at the right dose at the right time. The result is enhanced safety and better outcomes.

After the Whitney-Hendrickson Cardiovascular and Interventional Suite opened its second lab, complete with leading-edge technology, the original lab was renovated to the same layout, specifications, and technology as the new lab. The Guild’s $200,000 pledge is dedicated to the costs associated with that renovation, which has provided vital consistency between the two labs and helped alleviate the growing demand for new interventional cardiac, oncology, and vascular procedures. The updated lab has been named The Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild Interventional Lab.

The auxiliary organization’s $200,000 pledge to Saratoga Community Health Center supports the remaining costs of its completed second-floor renovation project. In conjunction with contributions from the Saratoga Springs Lions Club, the City of Saratoga Springs, the Charles R. Wood Foundation, and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation, the capital project funds created The Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild Community Room to be used for community programs and training, as well as expanded space for the Hannaford Charitable Foundation Teaching Food Pantry, dedicated exam rooms for audiology and ophthalmology services, and added office space for additional patient services.

The Cancer Patient Fund provides financial support for those patients overwhelmed by the costs associated with access to treatment that are not covered by health insurance, such as transportation, deductibles, and loss of time at work. The Guild’s donation will help cancer patients at the Mollie Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center as well as the hospital’s three other oncology service area locations: Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Oncology/Hematology at Care Lane, Saratoga Hospital Center for Breast Care Wilton Medical Arts, and the Saratoga Hospital Outpatient Infusion Center at Malta Med Emergent Care.
 

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About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider and the only acute-care facility in Saratoga County. The hospital’s multispecialty practice, Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, provides care at more than 20 locations, ensuring easy access to programs and services that can have the greatest impact on individual and community health. Saratoga Hospital has maintained Magnet designation for nursing excellence since 2004. Through its affiliation with Columbia Memorial Health and Albany Med, Saratoga Hospital is part of the largest locally governed health system in the region. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Saratoga Hospital:     
Peter Hopper     
Director, Marketing and Communications     
518.583.8679     
phopper@saratogahospital.org

05 Dec 2019