Raising funds for pediatrics, donating to Ukraine, breast milk needed: Seacoast health news
Students raise money for Cornerstone VNA’s Pediatric Fund
ROCHESTER – Cornerstone VNA, a local nonprofit home health and hospice care provider, recently received a generous donation of $484 from the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) students at the Richard W. Creteau Regional Technology Center at Spaulding High School in Rochester. This donation is a result of a special bake sale that the students organized to support the Kiddie Cornerstone Fund at Cornerstone VNA.
The Kiddie Cornerstone Fund was established in 2016 to provide gifts for the organization’s pediatric patients to bring smiles to their youngest patients and to promote hope and healing at home. In addition to gifts, such as books, coloring books, and small toys, funds are also used to purchase gas cards to assist with transportation to medical appointments for families in need.
“Childhood illnesses are scary for young patients and their families, and the financial burden can be so overwhelming,” shares Erika Lee, Director of Advancement. “Thanks to donations to our Kiddie Cornerstone Fund, we can provide an extra layer of support in the form of toys and books, special equipment, gas cards, and even gifts over the holidays. We are very grateful to the students for their efforts to support our young patients.”
HOSA Co-President, Mia Baillargeon shares, “We are fortunate enough to have a great group of ladies [students] this year that are passionate about serving the community and reaching out to those who may need it most. Of course we could have raised money for ourselves, but this was something more honorable, that makes an impact on others.” HOSA Advisor, Lisa Kumph adds, “Our HOSA group was very excited to be able to support the children in our community. The students and staff at Spaulding High School and the Creteau Tech Center demonstrated their generosity through support of the bake sale.”
For more information or to make a donation to the Kiddie Cornerstone Fund, visit cornerstonevna.org/kiddie-cornerstone-fund or call Erika Lee at 603-332-1133 x1203.
Wentworth-Douglass staff team up to donate more than $8,300 for medical supplies in Ukraine
DOVER – More than 50 staff members at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital have generously donated $8,300 in just 10 days to be used for the purchase of critical medical supplies to be sent to Ukraine.
“The events unfolding in Ukraine have been devastating for all of us to watch and hear about. We felt we had to do something to help support the Ukrainian people,” said Meredith Bedsworth, DNP, CRNA.
Meredith and Caroline King, PA-C, teamed up to spearhead the effort to collect donations from members of the Surgical Services and Anesthesiology Departments. They said they felt closer to the crisis as a member of their team, Dr. Dmytro Havaleshko, Medical Director for the Center for Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery and Chair of Robotic Surgery, is from Ukraine, and still has close friends and family there.
They set out thinking they would raise several hundred dollars but have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity.
“So many people that we work with have reached out to donate,” Caroline said. “It really hit home for people working in healthcare. We have access to these medical supplies, but our counterparts in Ukraine may not, and they’re working to save lives in battle zones.”
The money will be sent to the charitable organization Razom, a nonprofit created by Ukrainian Americans in 2014. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Razom has been sending medical supplies like Mobile X-ray machines, AED machines, defibrillators, bandages and wound dressings, sterile pads, and much more.
“Everyone in the OR has been so supportive of this cause and has really shown up,” Caroline said.
Donating the gift of health: Local donors needed to replenish donor milk supply to help new babies thrive
LEBANON – Opened in the summer of 2020, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Women's Health Resource Center has been providing pasteurized donor human milk for babies whose mothers might be having challenges producing a reliable milk supply. This life-saving milk supply is running low and donors are needed to replenish the supply for families in need.
“When the donor milk depot and dispensary first opened, we were averaging 150 bottles of donor milk,” said Krista Duval, women’s health manager of the WHRC and the Milk Depot. “Today, the number has dropped to 50, which limits the number of bottles a family can receive and, in some cases, we are turning families away.”
Access to donor milk is available to anyone—whether a Dartmouth-Hitchcock patient or not—with a prescription from a lactation consultant, OB/GYN, or pediatrician. The amount of milk dispensed to each recipient depends on the written prescription.
“Pasteurized donor human milk can be lifesaving for preterm infants,” said Lisa Lamadriz, RN, IBCLC, lactation coordinator at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. “It is especially protective against a life-threatening condition called necrotizing enter colitis, which affects one in 10 of the smallest preterm infants. Human breastmilk is estimated to lower the risk of this condition by 79 percent. It also lowers hospital costs by reducing costs for care and shortening hospital stays.”
Mothers interested in donating milk can contact the WHRC, which will arrange for free testing. This includes a phone screening, application and blood test by the Mother's Milk Bank Northeast.
Milk donations accepted from approved donors at the WHRC are sent to Mothers' Milk Bank Northeast in Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts, where they pasteurize donor milk from locations throughout the Northeast Region. Quality assurance and testing ensure that the milk is safe before shipping it back to the WHRC to dispense. To cover the cost of pasteurizing and processing the milk, Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast processes individual prescription payments. Financial assistance is also available for qualifying families.
For more information, contact the WHRC at 603-650-2600 or whrc@hitchcock.org. Learn more about the Milk Bank/Depot.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Raising funds for pediatrics, donating to Ukraine, breast milk needed: Seacoast health news
