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Community Comes Together For SJEH

Donations help St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Purchase $20,000 Giraffe Incubator Carestation

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St. John’s Episcopal Hospital will be purchasing a new Giraffe Incubator Carestation thanks to the generosity of the hospital staff and their families, a board member and his employer, faithful donors, Angels on the Bay, and the community at large.

According to Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Donald Morrish, MD, MMM, the addition of the Giraffe Incubator Carestation is an incredible development.

“The Giraffe Incubator Carestation is an innovative piece of medical equipment that provides a state of the art, calm and quiet environment for premature babies to thrive,” Morrish told The Wave. “Designed to facilitate health care team’s delivery of care, the incubator monitors, assess and treats neonates in their own environment, cutting down on unnecessary handling of some of our most fragile patients. Most importantly, it permits parents and other family members access to babies so they can form those most important bond.”

“The Giraffe Incubator Carestation is an innovative piece of medical equipment that provides a state of the art, calm and quiet environment for premature babies to thrive,” said Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Donald Morrish, MD, MMM.

“The Giraffe Incubator Carestation is an innovative piece of medical equipment that provides a state of the art, calm and quiet environment for premature babies to thrive,” said Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Donald Morrish, MD, MMM.

The effort to purchase this lifesaving equipment began with a $16,000 goal on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, when the hospital launched its first-ever #GivingTuesday campaign, an online global giving movement. The $2,287 raised during the #GivingTuesday event turned out to be a jumping-off point and the beginning of widespread support.

In January, hospital board member Daniel Kasle, who rallied his family to support the #GivingTuesday campaign in honor of his birthday, also suggested that St. John’s be the recipient of money raised during a “Denim Day” fundraiser held monthly by his employer, Church Pension Group (CPG). They selected St. John’s and designated the money raised specifically for the Giraffe Incubator Carestation. The generous CPG staff raised over $700 that day. By the end, Kasle personally matched the amount with $760 and CPG matched it again for a grand total of $3,025.

With a little more than $10,000 still to raise, St. John’s approached Angels on the Bay, whose mission is to support the programs and facilities that provide quality health care and services to children. A proposal for the remainder of the money needed to purchase the incubator was submitted and later approved by the charity’s Board of Directors. Angels on the Bay will award the grant to the hospital during their gala on October 15.

“To get the ball rolling, we went to place the order for the incubator. That is when we realized the total price was actually $20,000 with all the additional pieces of equipment needed to support it,” said Nancy Leghart, Director of Foundation. Thankfully, that same week, a generous unrestricted donation came in from Neponsit resident Marvin Eisenstadt.

“When we told him about how we would like to use his gift, he was touched, and with good reason,” said Leghart. “He said that if it were not for an incubator, he would not be alive today,” she said. A preemie and the sole surviving member of a set of twins, Eisenstadt was saved at Coney Island by the only incubator at the time.

“We are so grateful to everyone for their generous support and ongoing commitment to St. John’s. This equipment will raise the level of quality care so we can continue to effectively care for the newest members of our community,” said Morrish.

“The community coming together and donating to the purchase of this valuable piece of equipment shows their confidence and trust in the care provided at SJEH,” said Thomas Melillo, SJEH’s Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning. “It demonstrates that the community wants and values quality care. It also demonstrates that together, we can make a great impact.”

The Wave asked Leghart when the hospital will make the new equipment available.

“We plan to have a ribbon-cutting for the new Giraffe Incubator Carestation in January when it will be installed and our tiny patients can start benefiting from it,” said Leghart.

As community interaction and cooperation is an important relationship for SJEH, we asked Leghart how folks can be part of the process.

“People can continue to help SJEH by donating to this year’s #GivingTuesday campaign beginning now,” Legahart said. “Our goal is to raise $20,000 for 4 new BiliSoft Phototherapy Systems to help babies with jaundice.”

If anyone wishes to donate they can visit www.ehs.org/giving.

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