Giving History is Repeating Itself – Again By Susan Tyburski
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n early March 2020, as COVID-19 descended upon the United States, the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation in Elmhurst, Illinois took the lessons learned from past national crises and made significant, “on the fly” changes in outreach to our family of established and new prospect donors. Within 48 hours, we were reassuring our family base and raising support at the highest pledge and average giving levels. This is our story. As executive director of the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation, I have watched our remarkable team of physicians, nurses, and staff for over 15 years. I have never seen anything like the threat of COVID-19 to our community hospital. What I call the Elmhurst “difference” was hard at work for those who depend on us. The hospital was triaging, testing, and treating patients concerned they had the virus as “positive” cases were being identified every
day. Everyone was working around the clock to prepare for a significant increase in COVID cases, and establishing best practices for patients, nurses, physicians, and hospital staff. Elmhurst, Illinois is a small picturesque city tucked minutes away from Chicago. Founded over 110 years ago, the close-knit community of Elmhurst is known for their strong emphasis on quality of life, with generations returning to settle down and raise families over decades. Founded in 1926, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital is the top employer in the city. A replacement hospital was constructed in 2011 as an 866,000 squarefoot, 255 bed, state-of-the-art acute care facility offering high-quality integrated healthcare including a high-tech emergency services department. Founded in 1980, the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation plays an integral role in supporting the hospital and its programs.
AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2021| 24
