BCHHC Foundation

Foundation Partners award the 2023 Mini-Healthcare Grants to BCH departments. Pictured (from L-R): Shelby Watson, Nikki Oltman, Jill Allen, Lindsay Zimmerman, Rebecca Pfeiffer, Angie Othmer, Marilee Brinkmeyer, Dale Kruse, Bette Anne Thaut, Dorothy Zimmerman, Don Harmon, Linda Ament, Marilyn Coffin, Amanda Fairley, Margaret Haith, Jessica Cullison, Kathleen Epp, Jessica Javorsky, Bonnie Riekenberg.

Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation Provides Grants to Address Healthcare Needs

Beatrice, NE, June 1 - The Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation recently awarded over $4,000 in hospital related grant funding as part of a special program called Partner Mini-Healthcare Grants. Additional funding will be awarded later this year to departments of Beatrice Community Hospital and community non-profit organizations as part of the BCH Foundation’s Annual Healthcare Grant awards.

“The 2023 BCH Foundation Partner Mini-Healthcare Grants offer donors a unique opportunity to CHOOSE where their dollars will go. Through an in-person selection process, the BCH Foundation Partners are supporting innovative ideas and programs within Hospital departments." Foundation Partner Program Coordinator, Jessica Javorksy, said.

Partner mini-healthcare grants are made possible through donations to the Centurian Endowment Fund. Donors join this prestigious group by making a contribution to the Centurian Endowment Fund and become the decision-making body that allocates Endowment earnings annually. The BCH Foundation Partners selected six grants to be awarded.

BCH Labor and Delivery and Women’s and Children’s Clinic were granted $645 for blood pressure cuffs to assist patients with home monitoring. “We want to provide the best possible care to all our patients, and helping our pregnant patients reduce the risk of a hypertensive emergency and complication is one small step that can help with this goal. Healthy babies deserve healthy moms, and that Beatrice Community Hospital can help with that.” Said Jill Allen, director of Labor and Delivery services.

Additional grants were awarded to: Acute Care for oxygen tank holders, Case Management for digital scales supporting patients experiencing congestive heart failure, Surgical Services for bed extenders, Wound and Ostomy Clinic for a smart TV allowing staff to education patients on proper wound care, and Clinical Education for AED trainers. “Immediate CPR and AED use can double or triple the person’s chance of surviving [cardiac arrest],” according to the American Heart Association. Clinic al Education Coordinator Rebecca Pfeiffer added that BCH manages 59 instructors for the American Heart Association, and the AED trainers were used to education more than 800 people in 2022.

“The BCH Foundation will award larger Healthcare Grants later this year with the intent of enhancing the medical and healthcare services in the region”, Shelby Watson, BCH Foundation Executive Director, said. The annual Healthcare Grant Award process, open to both BCH departments as well as local health-related non-profit organizations, aims to address issues of medical care, accessibility, social determinants of health and the patient experience.

“Grant applications and awards typically reflect the diverse health and wellness needs of our community,” said Rich Hovendick, President of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The BCH Foundation provides a variety of grant funding options to help both the Hospital and our community partners address frontline needs and improve employee and patient satisfaction.”

When the BCH Foundation was originally formed over 60 years ago, an endowment fund was established to address the ever-changing needs of healthcare in the area. The larger Healthcare Grant Awards are representative of the earnings from that endowment fund. Applications for the Annual Healthcare Grant Awards are currently open, and must be completed and received by July 31, 2023. Potential applicants must be registered non-profit organizations working to fill a healthcare gap in Gage County, NE.