BUCKHANNON — With the end of the year fast approaching, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation is working hard to put a bow on their 2021 fundraising campaign that focuses on women’s health care – and they need your help.

Campaign co-chairs Traci Ellis and Stephen Holmes said the increase in births at the hospital – doctors delivered 306 babies in 2020 – led the Foundation to focus on women’s health this year.

The campaign aims to raise $225,000 to upgrade patient rooms for moms, babies and family members; purchase a portable ultrasound for the Center for Women’s Health; and install new fetal monitoring systems in the hospital’s OB department.

While the theme is women’s health, Holmes said the planned additions will enhance the experience for the whole family.

“There is quite a need,” he said, noting the number of babies being born at the hospital. “It’s a way to support future generations, to make sure we have the community we have now, years from now.”

The St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation provides targeted funding to areas of immediate need, outside of the hospital’s general budget.

“We have so many ways to give,” Ellis said. “It would be a great way to honor someone’s memory.”

Direct donations are always appreciated, or you can elect to give monthly with your credit card. Paypal is also accepted. The Foundation is a non-profit 501c3, meaning gifts are completely tax deductible. Foundation members Don Nestor and Lisa Cain can even offer estate planning advice for Foundation bequests.

Tap here for more information on how to give.

The Campaign for Women’s Health runs through the end of the year.

“We’re getting there,” Ellis said of their fundraising goal, which is higher this year than previously. “We’re reaching out to the community directly because we haven’t had a whole lot of fundraisers due to COVID.”

The campaign has several contribution milestones, starting at the ‘friend’ level of $100 and progressing through ‘benefactor’ at $10,000. Donors will be recognized in the hospital newsletter, online, and on an engraved plaque placed in the Obstetrics Department.

“We are appealing to the community for help,” Holmes said. “The hospital benefits the entire community.”

Ellis noted that since St. Joseph’s Hospital joined the WVU Medicine family, many services available in Bridgeport and Morgantown are now available locally. Gifts to the Foundation are all used right here in Buckhannon.

“It helps us provide that high level of care to our hometown,” she said.

According to information provided about the campaign, the portable ultrasound unit “will enable physicians to immediately meet patients’ needs while they are being seen in the clinic. It will be used for checks of fetal heart tones, biopsy assessments and other monitoring.”

Room upgrades in the OB Department including four post-partum beds, two couches that convert into beds, six sleep chairs for family members, eight cushioned gliding chairs and two corner pull-up tables.

The six new fetal monitoring systems are vital equipment that help doctors check an unborn baby’s heart rate.

“Fetal monitoring during labor is especially helpful for high-risk pregnancies,” the campaign reads. “It can help the physicians decide if there is a treatable problem or if a C-section delivery is necessary for safety.”

The Foundation was formed in 1994 to secure charitable support, to develop relationships with community and business leaders and to advocate and promote the hospital’s mission. The Board of Directors includes president John Haskins, vice president Don Nestor, secretary Jennifer Fluke, Lisa Cain, Tim Critchfield, Traci Ellis, Skip Gjolberg, Stephen Holmes, Sister Francesca Lowis, Russ Plywaczynski, Dr. Joseph Reed, Terry Reed, Mike Ross, Mike Shaver, Robbie Skinner, Linda Xander and Dusty Zickefoose.

Donations can be made via St. Joseph’s Hospital website, www.stj.net, on the “Give to St. Joseph’s” tab at the bottom of the page;  via mail to St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, One Amalia Drive, Buckhannon, WV 26201; or by calling 304-473-6819.