Author: hcfwpadmin

March 17, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WITH PHOTO

CONTACT:                  DEBORAH ROBERTS PUGH

                                    (662) 377-3712

 

Project Stay Close Donates $5,000 to NICU Patient Assistance Fund

TUPELO, Miss.—Project Stay Close recently donated $5,000 to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patient Assistance Fund at the North Mississippi Medical Center Women’s Hospital.

Project Stay Close, which was the brainchild of Keri McMillin and Brian Rigby, was launched several years ago with plans to build a facility where families could stay while their newborn was in the NICU. When Brian and Misty Rigby’s son Briggs spent five weeks in the NICU, visiting hours were limited and families had nowhere to stay overnight. “It was disheartening to see families who live an hour or two away drive in for a short visit,” Brian said. “We wanted to do something to bring parents closer to their kids.” Project Stay Close board members solicited donations from individuals and businesses, and Kerri held several fundraisers in memory of her daughter, Molly Kate.

In 2009, Women’s Hospital opened a new NICU with room for families to stay with their newborn, so the mission of Project Stay Close changed slightly, but caring for NICU families remained at its core. “When you’re expecting and you think you still have two months or more to prepare and then you’re suddenly thrown into that position as a parent, it’s the unknowns that are so scary,” Brian Rigby said. “Even though we were so scared, we realize it was a blessing because of the people we met here. I think God lets us experience these situations so that we can help reduce stress and anxiety for others who are going through the same thing we did.”

Administered by the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi, the NICU Patient Assistance Fund helps meet the immediate needs of disadvantaged families who have a baby in the NICU. After other resources are exhausted, the NICU Patient Assistance Fund helps with meals for families, assistance with medications and medical equipment, emergent needs for clothing, funeral costs and other expenses. The fund also helps stock the Wee Care Pantry, which provides food and hygiene items for families while they stay with their baby in the NICU.

Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi is the charitable support and philanthropic entity for the North Mississippi Health Services.

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Project Stay Close representatives Brad Stevens of Community Bank, Greg Burks of Renasant Bank, Keri McMillin of Effectv and Brian Rigby of SERVPRO recently presented a $5,000 donation to the NICU Patient Assistance Fund at the NMMC Women’s Hospital. Pictured receiving the donation are Jessica Fears, NICU nurse manager; Renee Nichols, NICU educator; Glenda Patterson, respiratory therapist; Ellen Friloux, vice president for NMMC Women and Children’s Services; and Steven Blaylock, HCF president.

 

TUPELO, Miss.—Lee County School District now offers the security of having automated external defibrillators (AEDs)—a device used to shock the heart back into normal rhythm–available at all its schools.

A $7,500 donation from the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi, made on behalf of North Mississippi Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute and Orthopaedic Institute of North Mississippi, is providing seven new automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Three units are going to Shannon High School, two units to Mooreville High School, one unit to Plantersville Middle School and one unit to Guntown Middle School. AEDs are already in place at the Saltillo schools.

“Coke Magee, Lee County Schools superintendent, reached out and shared the need for AEDs at several schools in their district,” said Steven Blaylock, HCF executive director of philanthropy. “This led to discussions with leadership at NMMC’s Heart and Vascular Institute and Orthopaedic Institute.”

“We appreciate this generous gift to Lee County Schools from the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi,” Magee said. “Having AEDs available on more of our campuses means more coverage for our athletes or anyone who may have a medical emergency.”

“We saw this as an opportunity to further serve these schools by providing the tools needed for an unexpected cardiac event,” said T.J. Adams, NMMC vice president of heart and surgical services.

“The Orthopaedic Institute works diligently to support our local school athletic programs at no cost.  We believe in giving back to our communities,” said orthopaedic surgeon Bryan Fagan, M.D. “The ability to support not only the students at these county schools, but also any community members who may be on the school campus, is a privilege.”

High schools in Saltillo, Shannon and Mooreville have athletic trainer coverage provided by NMMC. “The Lee County School District has a longstanding relationship with NMMC’s Sports Medicine Program, which provides invaluable services to our athletes and sports programs across the district,” Magee said.

The NMMC Heart and Vascular Institute is one of the most experienced programs in the region with a team including not only cardiologists, cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons, but also cardiac nurses, technicians, therapists and others.

Orthopaedic Institute’s staff includes seven board-certified orthopedic surgeons, Barry Clark, D.0.; Bryan Fagan, M.D.; Eric Lewis, M.D.; William Pillow, M.D.; Gabriel Rulewicz, M.D.; Stephen Southworth, M.D.; and Nels Thorderson, M.D.

For more information on giving opportunities to the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi, call (662) 377-3613 or visit  www.nmhsfoundation.org.

TUPELO, Miss.—Dream Riders Biking for Children Chapter C is sponsoring a Boo Bash Dash 5K and Tug of War on Oct. 12 at Ballard Park to benefit North Mississippi Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatrics Fund through the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi.

The Boo Dash 5K starts at 8 a.m. Registration by Sept. 25 is $30 and guarantees a T-shirt. After that date, registration is $40.

Tug of War, “pulling for the kids,” starts at 10 a.m. Registration is $30 per six-person team and due by Oct. 9.

Register for both events at www.itsallaboutthekidschc.org.

TUPELO, Miss.—Jackie Soden (back, from left), director of non-invasive cardiology for North Mississippi Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute, presents an automated external defibrillator (AED) to Robby Parman, executive director of Regional Rehabilitation Center. The AED was provided through the Heart and Vascular Institute’s Patient Assistance Fund, which is administered by the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi. Regional Rehabilitation Center clients like (front row, from left) Titus Harden, Luke Prather, Ridge Hutcheson, (back row) Raiden Davis and Addison Lawson showed their appreciation by drawing “thank you” signs for NMMC. Regional Rehabilitation Center provides speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology services, early intervention and dyslexia therapy at no cost to area individuals.

An AED delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart to potentially stop an irregular heart beat and allow the return of a normal rhythm following sudden cardiac arrest. If not treated within minutes, sudden cardiac arrest quickly leads to death. For more information about the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi, visit www.nmhsfoundation.org.

TUPELO, Miss.—Dean Hancock (left), president of the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi, recently presented $600 scholarships to Haley Sandlin of Baldwyn and Allen Bramlett of Pontotoc in memory of Paul Hamblin, who served as director of North Mississippi Medical Center’s Pathology Department from 1961-1970. In August, Sandlin will graduate from Mississippi State University and Bramlett will graduate from the University of Mississippi. Upon successful completion of NMMC’s medical laboratory science program, the students will be eligible for national certification. Working closely with them are Toni Presley, administrative director of the NMMC Pathology Department and Lee Montgomery, director of NMMC’s Medical Laboratory Science Program. The Paul Hamblin Memorial Scholarship has been given annually since 1972. For more information on the NMMC Medical Laboratory Science Program, contact Montgomery at (662) 377-3066 or 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375), or visit www.nmhs.net/medical-laboratory-science.