Staff commits over $100,000 to hospital project

The Ellinwood Hospital Foundation celebrated the staff at Ellinwood Hospital and Clinic with a superhero parade through the hospital on Friday, January 22 after the staff pledged $103,168 to an upcoming build project at the hospital and clinic in Ellinwood, skyrocketing over their goal of $60,000. The theme of the week was "Be Your Own Hero" and the staff enjoyed superhero-themed treats, activities, and decorations.

“The generosity of our staff has been inspirational for years through the Employee Support Campaign of the Foundation,” reports Kile Magner, CEO of the hospital and clinic. He explains the annual campaign as a fundraising effort each year to work on a small project that the employees choose each year. “This year, with the prospect of a new facility on the horizon, they have answered the call and they’ve shown their overwhelming support of the project. They took it to an entirely new level this time.”

The employees were asked to pledge donations to the capital campaign effort of the Foundation, donating in small amounts through payroll deduction over the length of five years.

Lindsey Bogner, executive director of the Ellinwood Hospital Foundation, explained that by making it easier to give, they hoped to see more involvement and more funds raised. “We have employees throughout the facility doing what they can to provide for the community. The staff here have always provided kind and compassionate care to patients, but they are looking at the well-being and comfort of patients and the economic impact of the hospital and clinic to lay the groundwork of this project that will impact Ellinwood and Barton County for generations to come.”

The Foundation is raising funds through a capital campaign called “Building a Healthy Tomorrow” and is putting together the leadership council and information necessary for the effort in response to the work being done by hospital administration and the Ellinwood Hospital District board. Over the last two years, the administration and board members have been working through extensive research, financial studies, preliminary design, and other due diligence to develop a plan and take steps to the consideration of a new hospital and clinic facility to be built on the existing hospital campus. The final pieces of the development of the immensely complicated project are coming together this winter/spring.

Education will be an important part of the project and the hospital team understands the community will want to ask questions and be informed. "There are so many moving parts to a project of this size; it's been important to make sure we had the answers before we asked for the questions the community will have,” said Magner. “The plans are being finalized, the funding mechanisms are being organized, and the timeline is coming together. Now, we can start moving forward with the community education pieces. We ask for grace as we work around the crazy challenges that COVID-19 sometimes gives us."

The hospital and clinic and the foundation will be rolling out educational pieces and opportunities to ask questions in the next few months and encourage the community to watch the newspaper and the hospital's Facebook page for more information.