JAMESTOWN - In preparation for the recent opening of WCA Hospital's new Emergency Department, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation once again displayed its commitment to the community with a $91,640 grant to underwrite the purchase of fifth-wheel stretchers. Of the twenty new stretchers, two are weigh beds specifically designed for the trauma/resuscitation rooms and two are uniquely designed to accommodate bariatric patients.
"From the beginning of WCA's critical capital campaign effort, our Board of Directors took on a leadership role to ensure its success," Barclay Wellman, Chair of the Sheldon Foundation Board of Directors said. "As we saw this dream becoming a reality, we wanted to ensure the new Emergency Department was ideally equipped to best serve the patients of our community."
In 2008, the Sheldon Foundation made a $2 M lead grant to support the construction of WCA Hospital's new Emergency Department. The Board of Directors also desired to make a statement by challenging the physicians and leadership of WCA Hospital to meet a $500,000 matching challenge grant, which they did in December of 2009 when Sharing the Gift of Health: The Capital Campaign for Our Emergency Department was publicly launched.
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Barclay Wellman, Chair of the Ralph C. Sheldon Board of Directors, and Linda Swanson, Executive Director of the Sheldon Foundation, join Brenda Ireland, Chair of WCA Hospital Board of Directors, and Betsy Wright, President/CEO of WCA Hospital, inside one of the trauma/resuscitation rooms within WCA Hospital’s new Emergency Department to showcase one of the stretchers purchased through the Sheldon Foundation’s most recent grant.
"The Sheldon Foundation Board believed the single most important capital project for Jamestown and the surrounding communities was the construction of a new Emergency Department," Linda Swanson, Executive Director for the Sheldon Foundation recalled. "The board took it upon itself to make a stretch grant during some very uncertain economic times, but also wanted to share in this financial challenge with the leadership of WCA who proved their personal commitment to the project."
"I couldn't be more thankful to the Sheldon Foundation for their incredible support or our capital campaign," Betsy Wright, President/CEO of WCA Hospital said. "We would not be celebrating the opening of our 21st century Emergency Department this year if it wasn't for their vision for our community and their commitment to our community hospital."
"We are extremely grateful to the Sheldon Foundation who enabled our capital campaign to be such a success," Brenda Ireland, Chair of the WCA Hospital Board of Directors explained. "Because of their firm commitment, and the exceptional generosity of our entire community, great days lie ahead for WCA as we now welcome patients through the new front door of healthcare."
