With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, the White County Medical Foundation is providing a unique opportunity for individuals to honor mothers, grandmothers and otherinfluential women through the Mother’s Day Tribute Program.
“We are celebrating family ties though this tribute program. Giving a tribute like this is a beautiful way to honor moms and carries a lot of meaning with it,” saidFoundation Executive Director Cassandra Feltrop. “The mission of the Foundationis to provide support for White County MedicalCenter through purchasing the latest equipment and special projects that allow the hospital to enhancepatient care. Gifts given through this program will benefit the Cancer Centerof Excellence, which has been greatly enhancing cancer care for patients in ourarea since its opening last October.”
This is aMother’s Day gift that will leave a legacy, Feltrop said. In lieu of flowersand candy, we hope people consider giving a Mother’s Day gift that will last alifetime by giving to the Foundation. Gifts can be made in honor, or in lovingmemory, of mothers, grandmothers or any other influential women.
OnMother’s Day, Sunday, May 13, the Foundation will run an ad in The Daily Citizen and the Three Rivers Edition to acknowledge giftsof $25 or more. To be included in the ad, gifts must be received by theFoundation Office by Monday, May 7. A letter will also be sent to the lovedone(s) informing them of the gift in their honor.
AFamily Tradition
Mothers arenurturing by nature and show a great deal of care and compassion toward theirchildren much like healthcare workers tend to their patients. A handful ofmother/daughter pairs have made working together at White CountyMedical Centera family tradition including Joyce Taylor and her daughters Trudy Weatherleyand Tammy Robertson.
Trudy, a MedicalSonographer in the Radiology Department, was the first to join WCMC more than14 years ago. She originally worked as an x-ray technician; then, as imagingtechnology in the department advanced, she pursued professional certificationto become a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. In her position, Trudyperforms ultrasounds on patients and is also responsible for the dailyoperation and maintenance of the sonographic equipment.
Within days ofstarting her new job, a nursing position in the Operating Room was posted, andTrudy encouraged her mother to submit her resume. Joyce began working a couplemonths after Trudy; she will soon celebrate her 14th anniversarywith the hospital. Nearly nine years later, Tammy joined the WCMC family as aRespiratory Therapist and now works part time in the Cardiopulmonary Departmentand also teaches at the UAMS-AHEC Batesville campus.
“I really enjoyworking with the staff here; they are always welcoming to me no matter when Iwork,” Tammy said. “I miss working with them full-time, but they are wonderfulto give my students hands-on training in the Cardiopulmonary Department. Thathas given me a good opportunity to keep in touch with them; also, I let themknow about educational opportunities through my work as an instructor. GaryTurner (Director of the Cardiopulmonary Department) and Cindy Western(Education Coordinator in the Cardiopulmonary Department) are wonderful aboutproviding the staff with continuing education avenues.”
“The hospitalcommunity is a lot like a family where associates take care of one another,”Trudy said. “There are several of us in the Radiology Department who haveworked here at least 10 years and one lady had worked here 30+ years. That saysa lot about the level of commitment our associates have to the hospital.”
“With our groupin the OR, often times we spend more time with one another than we do with ourown families,” Joyce added. “When someone needs help, we all pitch in and helpout one another; that makes for a good work environment. People are friendly,the hospital is clean, nurses are nice to patients…it’s a good place.”
Commitmentto Care
“We have chosento work here and have our children here; we also recommend the hospital tofamily and friends,” Trudy said. “It says a lot about the care given at thehospital; it also says a lot about our confidence in the hospital. We like ithere; I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
“The excellenceof care provided by the associates at WCMC makes all the difference in theworld when choosing a hospital facility,” Joyce added. “I am proud to say thatour associates, from the nursing staff to the volunteers, are compassionate andempathetic. They show great care and concern for our patients as well as thepatients’ families.”
When Joyce andTrudy joined the hospital in 1998, the facility was in the process of adding74,000 square feet to encompass the north wing, or Moore Street entrance of the hospital.The hospital expanded again in 2002 when the South Towerwas built, which added another 200,000 square feet to the front of thehospital. Throughout each expansion, WCMC continued to add and improve medicaltechnology within the facility to better meet the needs of patients andhealthcare concerns.
Afterexperiencing the tremendous growth in the past 14 years, Joyce and Trudy knowhow important it is for the hospital to continue to stay current on the latestadvances in medical technology in order to exceed patient expectations inproviding excellent healthcare.
To ensure thatthe hospital will provide for the future growth and changing medicaltechnology, the White County Medical Foundation was established in 1997. TheFoundation contributes funding to purchase advanced medical equipment andspecial projects that enhance patient care.
As part of itscommitment to excellence in patient care and keeping the community healthy, theFoundation is holding its annual Mother’s Day Tribute Program again this yearin hopes of providing patients with the highest-quality healthcare available.
Givingfrom the Heart
Mothers give thegift of life and love; they are selfless and strong. If you are looking forjust the right Mother’s Day gift and would like to participate in the Mother’sDay Tribute Program, please contact the White County Medical Foundation at(501) 278-3186 or via e-mail at foundation@wcmc.org.
