The Catawba Medical Foundation provides assistance to various Catawba Valley Medical Center departments and programs through an internal grant request process.  Some of the Foundation’s key areas of focus for grant distribution include the following:

• Provision of vital equipment and supplies, including state-of-the-art technologies
• Creation and support of programs that benefit the health of the community
• Access to advanced training for medical center staff

The Foundation receives, evaluates and approves grant requests year-round.  Following are some recent examples of Foundation success stories.

Algo 5 Newborn Hearing Screener 
All newborn babies in North Carolina are screened for hearing before they leave the hospital.  Hearing loss needs to be found as early as possible in order to give a baby his or her best chance at developing language and communication skills.

Catawba Valley Medical Center’s existing hearing screener was on the verge of being outdated and would no longer receive support for parts or service beginning in 2010.  By replacing this equipment with the newest technology available, the Foundation assured that the Birthing Center would continue to receive seamless clinical support in its commitment to test all babies for potential hearing loss.

Healthy House Multipurpose Court 
The Healthy House, an innovative childhood obesity prevention and treatment initiative, makes its headquarters in an actual house on the Catawba Valley Medical Center campus.  The house had an old tennis court in its backyard, which was an ideal area for staging the Healthy House’s fitness and activity programs – but its surface was badly cracked and worn.

In a joint effort between the Catawba Medical Foundation and the George Foundation coordinated through Women in Philanthropy, funds were raised to repair and resurface the court.  This collaboration resulted in the creation of a multipurpose activity area where Healthy House children can learn about the importance of physical activity to overall health – and have fun while they’re at it.

Neonatal Transport Unit 
Through hundreds of generous contributions to the Foundation, funds were raised to help create a new Neonatal Transport Unit for Catawba Valley Medical Center.  This state-of-the-art ambulance is utilized to bring critically ill infants from outlying areas to Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Special Care Nursery, where they can receive highly specialized care.  The new unit is more spacious than the medical center’s previous neonatal ambulance, enabling members of the Critical Care Transport Team to move more freely around the infant during transport.  It can also now accommodate twins.

CLIMB Program 
CLIMB (Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery) is a support program for children whose parents or grandparents have cancer.  The Comprehensive Cancer Center wanted to bring the program to Catawba Valley Medical Center as part of its continued effort to meet the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and their families.

To help launch the initiative, the Foundation provided funding to create a pilot program at CVMC.  The program featured a tour of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and special activities designed to help children cope with their family situation.

Dedicated Lifeline Vehicle 
Lifeline provides immediate access to emergency assistance from anywhere in the home.  It is designed to provide a sense of security to older adults who wish to maintain an independent lifestyle.

The Lifeline program did not have regular access to a vehicle for Lifeline installation and repair visits, which delayed its ability to ensure that a client’s Lifeline service was properly installed and functioning at all times.  Through a grant from the Foundation, Lifeline purchased a dedicated vehicle that allows technicians to respond immediately to service needs – ensuring the continued safety and satisfaction of Lifeline clients.

Giraffe Beds for the Special Care Nursery
Over time, the Catawba Medical Foundation has helped Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Special Care Nursery acquire six Giraffe beds.  These specialized beds create a soothing microenvironment for monitoring premature babies, who are especially sensitive to movement, sound, light, and temperature.  The addition of Giraffe beds has helped the Special Care Nursery accommodate more babies with acuities as its average daily population continues to rise.