Spectrum Health Raises nearly $1300 for Evart Elementary School Supplies

Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital staff, physicians and volunteers continue to personally involve themselves in the communities in which they live and work by organizing the 2nd Annual School Supply Drive. The idea formed in 2008 when Spectrum Health employees learned that many parents and students do not have the funds needed to purchase simple school supplies such as backpacks, paper, pencils and crayons. The Healthy Communities team at Spectrum Health acted quickly to organize a school supply drive and over $1200 was raised in 2008 for Reed City elementary schools. Empowered by the success of the first year attempt, they’ve selected Evart Elementary students as the recipients for the 2009 school year.

The program is simple. Employees are allowed to use payroll deduction when purchasing their daily meals in the hospital cafeteria with a simple swipe of their identification badges. A separate process whereby employees could use this same method to donate to the school supply drive was implemented. Cafeteria employee Lea Fabian worked tirelessly at the cash register asking employees if they would like to donate with cash or payroll deduction to the school supply initiative. Donation boxes for purchased school supplies were made available throughout all areas of the hospital and all of the offsite clinics. Nearly $1300 was raised in cash donations and purchased supplies. Several shopping trips were made to local retailers for the best possible deals. In total, the money raised purchased almost 100 backpacks, over 100 boxes of crayons, hundreds of pads of paper, hand sanitizer, tissues, rulers, scissors, markers, folders and glue. Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital plans to repeat the school supply drive in 2010 and will select a different school system as the target of their generosity.

Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital is a 25 bed acute care hospital located in Reed City, Mich. The hospital has adopted the Planetree approach to care giving, a model of patient centered care in a healing environment. The staff is committed to improving medical care from the patient’s perspective, empowering patients and families through education, information and encouraging healing partnerships with caregivers. Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital offers a newly renovated emergency department with private treatment rooms, an expanded medical imaging department, a regional cancer treatment center and an Eden Care award winning 54 bed Skilled Nursing facility. Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital has been recognized for its quality care by the Michigan Quality Improvement Organization and has earned the Governor’s Award of Excellence for Improving Care in the Hospital Setting for 3 consecutive years, the Total Benchmark Solution quality award for 2005 and the 2006 and 2007 VHA Leadership Award for clinical excellence.