October 19, 2016
The Southwest Medical Center Auxiliary volunteer team received the Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas’s Gold Award for 2016 at the Kansas Hospital Association convention.
The Gold Award is the highest level in the Award of Excellence category, and is provided to auxiliary groups who go above and beyond to promote community health and assist the hospitals they serve. HAK member auxiliaries have more than 7,500 members across 59 participating auxiliary groups in Kansas.
This past year the Southwest Medical Center Auxiliary hosted the District 6 meeting in Liberal and arranged for health education and legislative programs at this event. The Auxiliary also contributed to health career scholarships for local students and participated in membership drives, in addition to providing many additional hours of support to visitors on the surgical floor and inside the Southwest Medical Center Gift Shop.
Another Auxiliary contribution to patients and visitors at Southwest Medical Center this year included providing funds to purchase new furniture to accompany renovations to patient rooms. Recliner beds, glider chairs, and over-bed tables were purchased to furnish patient rooms, in addition to the purchase of a patient lift to be used in the Emergency Department. Overall, these equipment purchases totaled more than $40,000 dollars.
“The Gold Award recognizes the dedication and devotion of our auxiliary volunteers who partner with all of us to provide service to our community,” Southwest Medical Center President & CEO, Bill Ermann, said. “We are appreciative of the investment these volunteers put into our community hospital, and we enjoy working alongside them to provide the very best experience for our patients and visitors.”
Southwest Medical Center’s Auxiliary volunteers are always seeking new members of all ages to serve the Liberal community. Annual membership dues of $5 a year are applied towards local medical scholarships, and members can participate in service activities which support patient care.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the SWMC Auxiliary, please contact the SWMC Auxiliary Gift Shop at (620) 629-6899.