The Gila Regional Medical Center’s Foundation Board has surpassed $1‚000‚000 in fundraising. “We are very proud of our achievement‚” stated Foundation Board President Ken Foster at a Million Dollar Celebration at Gila Regional‚ “and we want to acknowledge all the Foundation Board members from the past as well as all of our donors. Thank you all.”
Foster‚ John Rossfeld‚ GRMC Chief Executive Officer‚ Don Hamlin‚ Chairman GRMC Board of Trustees and Henry Torres‚ County Commissioner were all on hand to express their gratitude.
The GRMC Foundation was founded in 1989 with the assistance of Dr. Bonnie Maldonado. She was instrumental in recruiting and organizing the very first Foundation Board. “I really enjoyed working at Gila Regional‚ “Maldonado said‚ ”I had a lot of fun. It is a very positive place to work and I am pleased by the progress that has been made.”
“The funds brought in by the Foundation have helped us to build a new Emergency Department‚ create the Bessie Merle Forward Waiting Area‚ renovate our Orthopedic rooms‚ provide essential equipment for the hospital and our hospice program and give scholarship funding to students in the medical field‚ just to name a few areas where we have been enriched by Foundation funds. We are proud and grateful‚” stated Rossfeld.
In the near future‚ the GRMC Foundation Board will be focusing on fund raising for the proposed Radiation Treatment Center‚ “It is a hardship on people in our community to travel to Las Cruces‚ Tuscon or even Albuquerque every single day for radiation therapy. I had to do it myself and it was difficult not only on me but on my family as well‚ “stated Foster‚ “Radiation therapy is an unmet need in our community and the GRMC Foundation is pleased to be instrumental in getting this project off the ground.”
Rossfeld added further‚ “We want to create a Cancer Center. We will take our already outstanding Chemo Department and partner with Radiation Therapy so that we are able to offer all of these essential services to the community.”
Torres summed it all up by saying‚ “All of us at the County are proud of the work being done in the hospital.”
If you would like to donate to the GRMC Foundation Cancer Center fund‚ you can mail checks to GRMC Foundation‚ 1313 32nd St. Silver City‚ NM 88061 or call 538-4870 for more information.
