Thanks to a generous gift from the Carthage Area Hospital Auxiliary, family members of those admitted for inpatient care can comfortably rest alongside their loved ones.
In December, the Hospital’s Auxiliary announced that it would donate $10,000 to purchase equipment or supplies aimed at improving patient care and the healthcare experience. Through an internal needs assessment, hospital staff determined that the purchase of sleeper chairs for patient rooms would bolster the family-friendly environment of Carthage Area Hospital.
The Auxiliary donation financed six hospital-grade sleeper chairs from Stryker, a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based medical equipment supplier, which were delivered in early 2017 and placed in patient rooms. Like a traditional sofa bed, each chair easily folds out to a 6-foot-long twin bed that comfortably sleeps a single adult. Previously, the Hospital had only one sleeper chair.
Carthage Area Hospital Acute Inpatient Unit Nurse Manager Steve Hartley, R.N., said such thoughtful accommodation helps to reduce stress on patients, their family members and visitors, which often leads to improved patient outcomes.
“It’s much easier when you have the right equipment in place,” Hartley said. “A nurturing environment where family members are not pressured to leave adds a sense of calm.”
Caring for patients’ families is a hallmark of service at Carthage Area Hospital. Family members who wish to stay at the hospital with their loved ones need only ask Hospital staff and a sleeper chair will be moved into their room and made into a bed for them with clean linens and pillows.
Carthage Area Hospital Auxiliary Vice President Michel Camidge said the sleep chairs have already made an impact on families and proven a worthwhile investment.
“The Auxiliary is proud help the Hospital improve its accommodations for patients and family members, especially when it means extra comfort during difficult times,” Camidge said.
Hartley thanked the Auxiliary for its support and added that the Hospital hopes to eventually equip each of its 17 Acute Inpatient Unit rooms with sleeper chairs.
“The Auxiliary is one of the most overlooked aspects of the Hospital,” Hartley said. “Their members do a tremendous amount of work for us.”
In March 2015 the Hospital purchased eight nightfall daybeds and mattresses for the maternity unit with a $6,000 Auxiliary donation.
The Carthage Area Hospital Auxiliary is comprised of men and women volunteers who support the Hospital and believe that it’s an integral part of their communities. Through their efforts, the Auxiliary helps to purchase much-needed Hospital equipment.
Carthage Area Hospital was established as a not-for-profit rural community hospital in 1965. It operates today as a fully accredited 25-bed Critical Access Hospital, serving approximately 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties.
