Contributions in Action

Theda Clark Medical Center Foundation has donated over $12 million to help Theda Clark Medical Center secure the best state-of-the-art equipment and technology available.  The Foundation’s grant philosophy includes provisions for securing needs as identified by our healthcare professionals and our community.  Highlights of some of the Foundation’s gifts to the Hospital follow.

Expansion of Emergency Air Transport Helipad

In 2009, the Foundation Board approved the expansion of the helipad at the Hospital to allow access for two aircrafts simultaneously.  This permits more patient access to our system, and eliminates the need to move an existing aircraft to another location when a second medical transport helicopter needed the landing area.

The Next Century Campaign Brings Collaborative Care to Theda Clark Medical Center

The Foundation’s second capital campaign is raising funds for the transformation of Theda Clark Medical Center into the Hospital of the Future through the introduction of Collaborative Care.

Collaborative Care is a new and innovative model of patient care that includes the latest thinking in terms of safety and quality, more access to doctors and nurses, teamwork involving patient, staff, and family, redesigning and transforming patient rooms into private rooms, and reduced the cost of care.

With Collaborative Care, upon admission, each patient receives an individualized team of caregivers, or “trio”, made up of a physician, nurse, and pharmacist.  This “trio” works together with the patient and their family to determine a diagnosis and create a plan of care that offers more efficient and effective recovery. 

Collaborative Care was introduced in 2008 with the completion of the Theda Birth Center.  The Foundation funded a labor/delivery/recovery and post-partum room and a Women’s Collaborative Care Room during the first phase of the transformation.  In the second phase of the transformation, the Foundation provided funds to complete the renovation of the 5th floor of Theda Clark Medical Center.

P.A.R.T.Y. @ the P.A.C.

In 1999, Theda Clark Medical Center Foundation sponsored what has evolved into the annual P.A.R.T.Y. Program (Preventing Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth).  The program focuses on teaching high school freshmen about the consequences of making poor choices and at-risk behavior. The Program proved so popular that it was moved to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in 2005 and now reaches over 4,000 students from area schools each year. The event is a collaborative effort of teamwork between local schools, police and fire departments, healthcare workers, physician groups, and survivors who share their stories.

Digital Mammography Equipment for the Theda Clark Breast Center

In 2008, the Foundation provided the funding for the Theda Clark Breast Center to replace three analogue mammography units with two state-of-the-art digital mammography units.  The new digital mammography units have given radiologists, technologists, and specialists the tools necessary to diagnose cancers more accurately and efficiently.

ThedaStar

The Foundation’s first capital campaign, Protecting the Golden Hour, raised funds to purchase a new medical helicopter for the Hospital.  ThedaStar is a vital tool in responding to accident sites, and continues to play an important role in the lives of the injured and sick in areas that would otherwise not have rapid access to state-of-the-art emergency/trauma care.

Teaching Tool for Medical Training

To better prepare student nurses and first responders to deal with life-threatening emergencies, the Foundation assisted Fox Valley Technical College with the acquisition of a wireless patient simulator. The human-like teaching tool allows for training in a variety of settings and can be connected to anesthesia machines.Early Breast Cancer Detection System

Thanks to funding from the Foundation, The Breast Center at Theda Clark purchased a mammotome biopsy system to provide high-resolution specimen radiography for our patients.  The mammotome, due to its precision, allows for core biopsies that are less invasive, promotes breast conservation, reduces the risk of infection, and results in less waiting time following the procedure leading to rapid detection of breast cancer.

Fox Valley Child Advocacy Center

With the combination of a Foundation grant and the collaboration of area social service organizations, law enforcement, and health care professionals, the Children’s Hospital-Fox Valley Child Advocacy Center was developed. Along with offering young victims of abuse a non-threatening and nurturing environment, the Center is a vital resource in providing incident-appropriate documentation to aid in possible criminal investigation.

Bar-coding Technology

The introduction of Mysys® Laboratory-Collection Manager, along with a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) that scans the barcode on a patient’s identification wristband, ensures that errors are eliminated when collecting patient specimens.

High Definition Microscope 

In 2006, a new high-definition microscope brought sharper imaging to the surgical suite.  The neuro microscope is able to auto-focus, allowing the physician more time to attend to the patient instead of adjusting equipment.

MRI Bilateral Breast Imaging

Advancements in diagnosing breast cancer are ongoing at the Hospital, and in 2006 the Breast Center began utilizing VibrantÒ software that allows for MRI scans of both breasts simultaneously with the same accuracy and speed as imaging one breast.