Employee Fund Drive Committee members display the 2013 EFD $100,000 goal that was met and exceeded during the campaign. EFD Committee members are (standing, from left) Justin Woods, Baxter Regional Hospital Foundation Program Coordinator; Beverly Green, RN, PACU; Dana Henderson, Health Information, Committee Chairman Barbara Dyson, BSN, RN, Director - Endoscopy; Leslie Dew, Reppell Diabetes Learning Center; Adrienne Koehn, Marketing; Leigh Ann Dowling, BSN, RN, Clinical Informatics; (seated, from left) Katie King Risk, Baxter Regional Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, and Cindy Costa, Baxter Regional Hospital Foundation Director of Development. Not pictured is committee member Aleta Newberry, Education.

The circle of caring from BRMC employees goes beyond the hospital walls and reaches out into the community. Each year, the employees of Baxter Regional Medical Center are asked to consider contributing to the Employee Fund Drive (EFD). In tough economic times, the giving nature of the staff, an extension of the communities that they serve, once again rose to the occasion with 84% (1,044) of the staff contributing, pledging a grand total of $117,213during the 2013 EFD campaign. The national average for hospital employees to participate in employee fund drives is 25-35% yet another reason we all choose to live in this area: people give from the heart!

It is called the Employee Fund Drive, but the money raised benefits the community in a variety of ways. The four community health and support "houses" (Mruk Family Education Center on Aging, Peitz Cancer Support House, Reppell Diabetes Learning Center and Schliemann Center for Womenandrsquo;s Health Education) are recipients, and these andldquo;houses,” as they are fondly called, exist for the sole purpose of educating and providing support with everything health related from A to Z to the 14 counties that BRMC serves. Each year, thousands pass through the community houses. In 2012, one of the support houses had over 7,200 visitors walk through their door, and over 11,000 contacts were made throughout the year. And that is just one of the four houses!

The Friends Fund annually assists close to 300 people to obtain medication, oxygen, in-home care services and transportation. Every dime donated to the Friends Fund goes directly to a patient care need. The BRMC Social Workers help patients identify gaps in their resources and make the best use of the funds received.

The Mountain Home Christian Clinic, whose mission is to provide healthcare and spiritual support to those in our community who are unable to be served by the established system, also receives BRMC EFD support. Services are provided in an attitude of Christian love using volunteer staff and additional contributions from civic groups. BRMC supports the efforts of the Christian Clinic by providing free medical equipment, medications and financial assistance. This year the BRMC employees, through the EFD, were able to donate $20,000 to the Mountain Home Christian Clinic.

Internally, the EFD supports the Employee Crisis Fund. Over the years, BRMC employees have been assisted when a disaster struck, such as fire, tornado or other weather-related incidents. Sometimes employees are off work due to health issues that go beyond temporary leave or paid time off hours, and the fund may be used to help the valued employee. Sometimes an unexpected loss of a family member requires cross country travel, and the employee does not have the funds available. When the need arises, the Employee Crisis Fund is there to help.

TheBRMC Employee Children and Grandchildren Scholarship is available to graduating seniors who are children or grandchildren of BRMC employees. This year, 19 $1,000 scholarships were awarded, and since its inception in 2004, over 198 scholarships have been given to deserving students.

Hospice of the Ozarks' Hospice House is the only hospital-based, freestanding hospice facility in Arkansas. It provides a homelike setting for terminally ill patients. It offers a place for patients who need acute care for pain and symptom control that cannot be handled in their own homes and offers respite care for caregivers for up to five days. On occasion, routine hospice care can be provided for residential patients with a daily fee for meals, utilities and safe environment.

This is a brief overview of how the money donated by Baxter Regional Medical Center employeeandrsquo;s helps to assist the Twin Lakes Area become a healthier, better educated area to live work and play. Thank you BRMC employees for your contribution to the Employee Fund Drive and all of the lives that are touched because of your generosity.