The Medical, Educational and Development Foundation recently received a $9,500 grant from the Mercer County Civic Foundation that will be used to purchase new emergency response and educational equipment for Mercer Health.
The grant will fund the purchase of three new automated external defibrillators (AEDs), portable electronic medical devices used during sudden cardiac arrest to diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and deliver electrical shock to reestablish normal rhythm. With immediate intervention of CPR and defibrillation using an AED, a victim’s chance of survival is more than doubled.
The new AEDs will be placed in three Mercer Health locations. Additional AEDs will be placed at the Galleria and at Mercer Health Medical Group at Pro Drive in Celina. An AED at Mercer Health’s West Campus location, which houses Mercer Health Medical Group at Coldwater, Mercer Health Weight Management Center and the Orthopaedic Institute of Ohio, among other internal departments, will be replaced.
Deb Hemmelgarn, MED Foundation Coordinator
“The generous support received from the Mercer County Civic Foundation is greatly appreciated by the entire Mercer Health organization. Their ongoing support allows the MED Foundation to provide funds for necessary projects that improve the patient experience at Mercer Health. Our sincere thanks to the Civic Foundation board of directors, leadership and numerous donors for their continued support.”
Additionally, the grant funds will purchase medical equipment, patient education tools and clinical training equipment for Mercer Health’s Childbirth Center. The obstetric training equipment will allow new OB nurses the opportunity to practice skills by participating in hands-on simulations and offer continuing education for seasoned OB nurses.
Linda Finke, R.N., Director of Mercer Health’s Childbirth Center
“Mercer Health strives to provide the most advanced care by ensuring continued education is provided to our team to meet the health care needs of our patients. Our Childbirth Center is a Level I birthing facility and nursery. High-risk deliveries can occur at any time and our staff must be prepared. The training equipment purchased with funds from the Civic Foundation will ensure our staff members are trained in a range of patient care scenarios to provide the best outcome possible for every patient.”
The Mercer County Civic Foundation awards grants to local charitable organizations annually based on the breadth of community members served, the stability of the program and the quality of the services offered, among other important factors. The funding provided to Mercer Health will provide immeasurable benefit to the community in the continuously improving quality of care provided to our patients.
The MED Foundation of Mercer Health, established in December of 1988 by a group of community leaders and hospital administration, aims to cultivate philanthropic relationships to provide for enhancements and for educational support for the future of health care services within our community.
Mercer County Outlook 