MHSC: Building a stronger foundation for excellence in healthcare

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofit organizations saw a shift in donor relationships. Whereas many nonprofits were significantly impacted through the pandemic’s negative effects, the Memorial Hospital Foundation saw the opposite.

We had community members constantly asking what they could do to support the hospital and our healthcare teams. The hospital saw community support, unlike any other time in its more than 125 years in existence. The community reached out, sending thank you and well wishes cards to staff, donating meals to various departments, donating homemade masks and gowns, inquiring about volunteer opportunities in short-staffed areas, and more. It truly was remarkable to see the love and support for our hospital teams.

Working together with the community to maintain a vital healthcare system is what we do. The Memorial Hospital Foundation is a 501c3 charitable nonprofit whose sole mission is to provide financial support to the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County.

The Foundation is proud to share its new mission statement: Promoting exceptional healthcare experiences through financial support of the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. We have the same goals, same purpose, and same passion to support the hospital. We merely simplified our mission statement to fully encompass what the Foundation stands for.

The Foundation’s mission has never wavered, even during a pandemic. The Foundation continued its work in securing any available funding to support the pandemic’s impact on the hospital. It secured over $5 million independently through the Wyoming State Lands and Investments Board through CARES Act funding, as well as an additional $400,000 through Sweetwater County sponsored grants from the same grant.

Funding included:

  • Two Mobile Laboratory Units: $475,550
  • UV Decontamination Robots for the Medical Floors and Emergency Department: $248,600
  • Cepheid Specimen Processing Machine: $227,500
  • Patient Proning Beds: $79,000
  • UVC Decontamination processing through the HVAC Unit: $464,000
  • Specimen Analyzers: $366,000
  • Various Processing Equipment for the Walk-in-Clinic’s Laboratory: $311,000
  • HVAC Upgrade Project: $2,314,000
  • Medical Office Remodel: $290,000*
  • Payroll Reimbursement: $673,000
  • Virtual Technology Reimbursement: $30,000
  • Ventilator and Ventilator Updates: $21,000
  • Temperature Kiosk Reimbursement: $27,400
  • Medical Testing Equipment: $292,700

*Project was unable to be completed due to supply chain barriers on procuring materials.

Directly before the pandemic, the Foundation invested $396,000 in the purchase of the state-of-the-art Hologic 3D Mammography unit, the first of its kind in Sweetwater County. This unit is proved to detect 20%-65% more invasive breast cancers compared to 2D alone, an average increase of 41%. It is also the only mammogram unit the FDA has approved as superior for dense breasts, and includes new technology that has reduced the recall rate from 15% to 40% compared to 2D mammography. Equipped with the SmartCurve Breast Stabilization System, the unit is clinically proven to deliver a more comfortable mammogram without increasing contrast doses. It enables high resolution 3D imaging in 3.7 seconds for faster testing results.

Coming out of the pandemic, the Foundation has narrowed its focus on a few up-and-coming projects.

  • Implementation of a robotics program through financial support for the purchase of the Da Vinci robot, a multi-million project.
  • Upgrading entertainment options in patient rooms.  
  • Providing a $1 million match for the hospital’s lab renovation project. These plans are subject to receiving grant funding through the Wyoming State Lands and Investments Board.

It’s extremely important to us to continue our mission of financially supporting the hospital and purchasing equipment to expand services for our community. Anytime we’re able to keep our community home while receiving medical care, we want to do that; and not just adequate care, but exceptional care, for every patient, every time.

Red Tie Gala:

The Foundation’s next fundraising event is the Red Tie Gala on Saturday, Feb. 4. Back in person, this annual event will introduce the Da Vinci robot to the community and will have a dedicated celebration to honor the healthcare workers in Sweetwater County. The Red Tie Gala includes a dinner, a live auction, silent auction, various activities, and entertainment. Sponsorships and tickets are now available and may be purchased at www.mhscfoundation.com.

Tiffany Marshall is the Executive Director of the Memorial Hospital Foundation. For more information on the Red Tie Gala, the Memorial Hospital Foundation, or how you can become a Friends of the Foundation volunteer, contact Marshall at 307-389-1119 or [email protected].

For more on the Foundation, go to mhscfoundation.com. For more on Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, go to sweetwatermemorial.com.


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