Wallowa Memorial Hospital receives $100,000
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
ENTERPRISE, OR – (Information provided by Wallowa Memorial Hospital) Wallowa Memorial Hospital got a big boost when the Wallowa Valley Health Care Foundation donated $100,000 to invest in the new orthopedic surgery department, headed by newly arrived orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bradley Smith.
The Foundation was able to make such a sizable gift by dipping into their growing portfolio.
“For years, our goal was to build our portfolio so we could make a substantial gift when a need arose,” said Foundation Board President David Smyth. “Bringing orthopedic surgery to the county is something we are excited to support.”
Dr. Bradley Smith joins general surgeon Dr. Kenneth Rose. Both surgeons received their medical school training at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California. Dr. Smith comes with 22 years of experience.
According to hospital Chief Nursing Officer Jenni Word, the total investment needed to get the orthopedic surgery department up and running exceeded $300,000. “This generous gift will allow us to expand the services we can offer.”
The Foundation was founded in 1991 to raise money to improve and expand health care services in Wallowa County. Initial funding came from the eight original founders, who each donated $1,000 to get the fledgling Foundation off the ground. In 1995, Gladys Coffin made an irrevocable gift in honor of her late husband. Since then, major gifts of $50,000 – $285,000 from the Jack and Roberta Boyd Johnson estate, the Dawson/Boyd/Carroll families, the Edgar & Francis Boyd Burbridge estate, the Doug McDaniel Trust, (the late) Wilfred & Sandra Daggett, and the Oakley & Marjorie Johnson estate have helped build the Foundation’s portfolio to over $1,700,000. Most of the estate gifts come with specific directions about how the funding is to be used. The portfolio covers all major administrative costs, so that money raised from fundraisers such as the annual Healthy Futures Dinner Auction, Circle 100 and Men’s Guild can go towards improving and expanding health care services.
“We really appreciate those estate gifts that have helped us build such a solid financial base,” said Smyth. “We look forward to making other significant contributions as needs arise.”
