Texas County Memorial Hospital employees pledged $225,989 to the TCMH Healthcare Foundation’s “Care for Your Future” campaign following a special fundraising event.
With the TCMH employees’ pledge, the campaign has crossed the $1 million mark to almost $1.3 million in funds and pledges.
“Care for Your Future” is a $3.2 million capital campaign project to build a new surgery department and a tornado safe room at TCMH –– about 10,000 square feet of new patient care areas. The foundation created the “5N5” campaign specifically for TCMH employees to donate to future hospital expansion and construction plans with a goal of “$500,000 in five years” from hospital employees.
“Last summer we started the TCMH Futures Team as a way for employees to pave the way for the future at TCMH by supporting hospital construction efforts,” said Jay Gentry, healthcare foundation director. “Several employees came forward to join the Futures Team last July, and the 5N5 campaign was a concerted effort to involve more employees in giving to the “Care for Your Future” campaign that was organized this winter.”
Through the 5N5 portion of the campaign, TCMH employees were invited to give to the campaign through a one-time donation or through payroll or paid time off deductions.
Of 382 full-time employees, 138 have signed on to the TCMH Futures Team, pledging a specified amount to the foundation over the next five years.
Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH, noted that there is “a very giving culture” at TCMH.
“Whether it is giving to help out needy families at Christmas or an employee that’s in a crisis situation, TCMH employees set the bar for giving,” Murray said.
Last summer, TCMH employees made donations to the Missouri Hospital Association’s HERO fund to benefit employees of other hospitals in Missouri that experienced tragedies due to natural disasters. TCMH employees collected $10,000 for the HERO fund.
“We have given gifts to our employees at Christmas, recognized our employees during National Hospital week, rewarded long-term employees with a day off on their birthday, and these ways of giving to our employees has excited our employees about giving back to their employer,” Murray explained.
Murray noted that employee interest in the hospital’s expansion project has heightened as visible signs of the hospital’s new construction go up.
“There is a growing sense of excitement about the future of TCMH now that we’re involved in construction, and our employees believe in and want to see new patient care areas throughout the hospital,” Murray said.
Murray noted that several employees at TCMH are second- and third-generation employees.
“Many of our employees view TCMH as a place where their children may work someday, and they definitely believe the hospital will care for them and their families in the future,” Murray said. “Our employees know that TCMH is dedicated to the patients, the employees and the communities we serve, and our employees are proud to reciprocate that dedication by stepping up and committing to building for our community’s future healthcare and employment needs.”
Gentry and the steering committee members are pleased with the boost the employee giving effort has give to the capital campaign.
“The ‘Care for Your Future’ committee members are currently trying to raise $1.6 million by May 1,” Gentry said regarding the $3.2 million campaign. “If we have $1.6 million in pledges by May 1, the healthcare foundation will apply for a private challenge grant from an foundation based in the Midwest that is known for helping other foundations in the region that are working on capital campaign projects.”
He added that donors to the campaign before May 1 have the opportunity to help the foundation reach the goal needed to apply for the private challenge grant.
“Everyone at TCMH and the healthcare foundation is pleased with the excellent response we’ve received for the capital campaign including the generous support from the TCMH employees,” Gentry said. “We anticipate meeting our goal and continuing to improve the healthcare facilities in our county.”