CDH Auxiliary Donates $77,000 To Expand Facility’s Cardiac Services

NORTHAMPTON — The Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) Auxiliary has donated $77,000 to the hospital for expansion of the facility’s cardiac services.
The check was presented to hospital president and CEO Craig N. Melin at the annual meeting of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Auxiliary staged at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Approximately $50,000 of the $77,000 gift is designated for adding a second echocardiography suite at the hospital. The remaining $27,000 will be used to purchase three defibrillators for CDH.

Auxiliary president Susan Myers says that each year, the auxiliary, a nearly 100-year-old organization affiliated with CDH comprised of 500 volunteer members, donates to the hospital’s annual appeal. “The auxiliary aligned its donation with the hospital’s 2003 fundraising goal: to expand cardiac care services,” she said.

The majority of the donation was funded through 2002-2003 revenue generated in the Cooley Coffee and Gift Shops. Myers adds that it is because of the hard work of the auxiliary members and of hospital volunteers that the auxiliary can provide this level of support. “We are proud to be part of the expansion of these important services for patient care in our community.”

Melin, who accepted a 24” x 12” life-size version of a mock check for photo opportunities from auxiliary Treasurer Donald Frizzle and later received the actual check, praised the auxiliary for its ongoing support. Melin, citing the hospital’s recent push to expand services and move from providing good patient care to great patient care, acknowledged the auxiliary as a key component in the organization’s success.

“In my 15 years as a member of this organization, the support from the hospital auxiliary has been phenomenal. We are extremely grateful to the auxilians and volunteers. These folks give thousands of hours of their time to benefit Cooley Dickinson’s patients and to improve the health care services Cooley delivers to this community.”

The expansion of cardiac care includes adding a second echocardiography suite as part of the hospital’s cardiac care department. An existing echocardiography suite offers diagnostic cardiac testing available at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

A diagnostic test, echocardiography uses ultrasound to examine and measure the structure of the heart. An echocardiogram demonstrates performance of the heart valves and provides information on heart muscle function.