Published on March 02, 2023
OH Foundation Continues Funding Programs
Owensboro Health Foundation has recently agreed to continue and expand funding for two popular programs that cater to children and families served by the health system.
Care Bears
Thousands of kids visit Owensboro Health's surgery and emergency departments each year. To provide a little comfort in an often distressing time, Owensboro Health Foundation provides calming and reassuring stuffed animals to children receiving medical care.
Available at all three hospitals in the health system, the program - Care Bears - was recently expanded to the Muhlenberg County ambulance service through funding from Owensboro Health Foundation.
Troy Walker, EMS Director at Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital, shared with Foundation officials that the ambulance service sees lots of children, and the stuffed animals would be a nice comfort measure.
“Sometimes the little things are the big things,” Tracy Naylor, Owensboro Health Foundation Director, said. The Foundation is pleased to grant this request and grow this popular program.
Child Safety Seat Assistance
The Owensboro Health Healthpark and Trauma Services teams are committed to helping keep young children safe by providing car seats to those in need. The Owensboro Health Foundation recently announced they would continue to fund this program, which has provided more than 60 seats to those in need since just last year.
The teams receive regular requests from community members, Audubon Area Head Start Social Workers, OHRH Emergency Room following motor vehicle accidents and the inpatient Mother/Baby Unit for families with financial hardships in need of infant car seats. Most of the families documented low-paying employment falling below US poverty guidelines.
Owensboro Health Foundation recognizes the importance of these two programs and the impact they have. “We're really trying to embrace that these are standard things that we do, and they're always going to be funded,” Naylor said. “We're going to focus our energy towards things that really connect to our strategic imperatives and our priority health needs.”
To become a partner in healthcare with the Owensboro Health Foundation, call 270-688-2113 or email Found@OwensboroHealth.org.
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.