IRVING, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/26/08 -- There's a saying in health care, "The hospital'slights are always on." It's indicative of the fact that hospital doors arealways open, even in crisis, and the people working in hospitals are alwayson duty to serve. But what happens when hospital personnel are impactedby disaster, such as the flooding in Indiana? Who serves them?VHA Inc. and the VHA Foundation have for the past 16 years distributednearly $7 million to hospital employees nationwide who have beenimpacted by floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires and earthquakes. Inresponse to the flooding in Indiana, the VHA Foundation has distributednearly $60,000 to almost 240 employees at eight hospitals in the state:
-- Bloomington Hospital, Bloomington-- Columbus Regional Hospital, Columbus-- Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes-- Johnson Memorial Hospital, Franklin-- Major Hospital, Shelbyville-- Morgan Hospital & Medical Center, Martinsville-- Schneck Medical Center, Seymour-- Union Hospital, Terre Haute
"We greatly appreciate the support of the VHA Foundation and VHA in theaftermath of this disaster. We used the $25,000 donated to our hospital topurchase Wal-Mart gift cards for employees who were directly impacted bythe flooding," said Jim Bickel, the president of Columbus RegionalHospital.
"We are very appreciative of the assistance and support we have receivedfrom VHA and the VHA Foundation for our employees affected by the recentflooding," says Steve Deckard, vice president of Human Resources atBloomington Hospital. "This assistance supplements the help we are able toprovide employees through our own internal assistance fund. Making sureour employees know they are cared for and will be supported during toughtimes is a priority for us. The assistance VHA provided has only helpedfurther our ability to do this."
Patti Sweeney, senior vice president of VHA's regional office inIndianapolis, says, "The flooding has had a devastating impact on the livesand economy in southern Indiana, and I'm thrilled to work for anorganization that is reaching out to help health care workers."
Linda DeWolf, president of the VHA Foundation, says, "We anticipateproviding additional support to hospital employees in the region as thetrue impact of the flooding becomes clearer."
VHA's Indianapolis office serves nearly 60 hospitals in Indiana, Kentucky,Michigan and Ohio, acting as a hub for the delivery and development of VHAprograms to help hospitals improve supply chain management and clinicalperformance. Through the regional office, VHA members in the region alsocome together to collaborate and develop solutions to operational andclinical challenges they have in common.
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Lynn Gentry
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