French Hospital Medical Center Staff Receives Gift Boxes of Gratitude from the Community
Donor support enabled the French Hospital Medical Center Foundation to provide gift boxes to more than 750 hospital staff members
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – June 16, 2021 – French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) Foundation is pleased to announce the recent distribution of specially designed gift boxes to more than 750 hospital staff members, as an expression of gratitude for the dedication and care that hospital staff provided to our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gift boxes included a variety of stress relief items, treats and more, designed to provide staff with much deserved moments of relaxation and enjoyment. Hospital employees were genuinely touched by the effort to recognize staff.
The Foundation worked with sponsors, donors, local businesses and volunteers to both raise funds to support the effort and to acquire items to include in the gift boxes.
“It’s really fantastic, it has been a hard year, and it was just really sweet of them,” said Brittany Martinez, ICU nurse at French Hospital. “It was just wonderful – a great surprise.”
The major sponsor for the project, Community West Bank, along with additional sponsors Collaboration Business Consulting and grateful patient Ryan and Leanne Harris, included notes of gratitude in the boxes. More than 20 volunteers helped to assemble the gift boxes, including hand making special items.
“Community West Bank is grateful for the extraordinary efforts of our local caregivers during the pandemic,” says Gene Alarcon, Community West Bank Relationship Manager. “We are very pleased to have partnered on this project with French Hospital and express our thanks to hospital staff.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, FHMC has seen an outpouring of support for the hospital and its caregivers, including many donations of personal protective equipment, meals, beverages, flowers and more for hospital staff. The FHMC Foundation also shifted focus during the pandemic, establishing the Emergency Support Fund in March 2020. Since then, more than $466,000 has been raised to help with the extraordinary costs incurred by the hospital due to the pandemic, as well as to support the health and well-being of the hospital frontline caregivers.
“We are so thankful for how supportive our community has been of French Hospital staff during the pandemic,” says Alan Iftiniuk, French Hospital President and CEO. “We were so pleased to be able to partner with our donors in this project to further recognize the dedication of our staff.”
The Foundation and FHMC expresses its sincere gratitude to all who have contributed and continue to support FHMC and its caregivers. To learn more about the FHMC Foundation or to donate, visit www.supportfrenchhospital.org or contact the Foundation at 805.542.6496.
About French Hospital Medical Center
French Hospital Medical Center, located in San Luis Obispo, California, is rated one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the nation and one of the Top 50 Cardiac Hospitals in the nation by Thomson Reuters. The Copeland, Forbes, and Rossi Cardiac Care Center provide the latest innovative cardiac and imaging technology on the Central Coast. The hospital’s current modernization and redesign project is an example of the commitment to meet the growing needs of the community with lifesaving advancements in medicine coupled with excellent, compassionate care. The hospital is home to the unique Hearst Cancer Resource Center offering free education, resources and support to cancer patients and their families. French is a member of Dignity Health Central Coast, an integrated network of top quality hospitals, physicians from the most prestigious medical schools, and comprehensive outpatient services including primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically-advanced laboratories and imaging centers and a full service home health agency; all recognized for quality, safety and service. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to help meet the growing health care needs of our communities.