Auxiliary donates $20k to St. Francis

Members of the St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary presented a $20,000 check to the local health-care center Friday, the result of several fundraisers over the past year in addition to proceeds from the auxiliary's gift shop.

The donation came on day two of the auxiliary's thrice-annual book sale held last week, which raised additional funds for hospital programs and medical equipment.

Auxiliary President Jeanette Whited said the 84-member organization's most recent gift will be used to purchase a Pedi-Crib, what amounts to a hospital bed for infants and toddlers, and a BiliBlanket, a portable phototherapy device used to treat neonatal jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia).

Phototherapy for jaundice involves a blue/white light of varying intensity placed close to the skin or touching it through a special, light-permeable fabric.

The auxiliary gift was also used to purchase a third device, an ultrasound bladder scanner that can be used to gauge urinary retention, a diagnostic process that can prevent unnecessary catheterization.

"We just do this to help the hospital," said Whited of the auxiliary's efforts, which have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for St. Francis over the years. "It's just such a good cause.

We're proud of our hospital. We have great doctors and a great nursing staff, and we just want to support them."