
James R. Holmes, Redlands Community Hospital President/CEO, Jan Opdyke,
President of RCH Foundation and Foundation Board of Directors honored
the 275 Redlands Community Hospital (RCH) employees who raised $575,000
for the new emergency department (ED) expansion on Wednesday, August 7,
2019. To commemorate the generous support of each individual employee
who pledged to the campaign, a naming plaque was unveiled listing each
donor in the vestibule of the new ED. "The placement of this plaque
at the entrance to the ED is significant because it highlights the dedication
of RCH nurses, staff and administrators," said Holmes. "We want
every person who walks through the front doors of the ED-- patient, family
member or fellow RCH colleague—to know about the innovative, comprehensive
emergency care provided by RCH, in part, through the generous gifts of
its employees. Each day, RCH places our patients first. These generous
individuals have once again signified that they have placed others above
self." The Redlands Community Hospital Foundation (RCHF) launched
the Vital Capital Campaign to help fund the renovation and expansion of
the Emergency Department (ED) in January 2018. As part of this effort,
the Employee Campaign sprang into action in April 2018. With the slogan
"Building Our Future," campaign co-chairs Julie Ellis and Sue
Baze recruited an outstanding team of 11 employee committee members to
help lead the way in engaging every hospital staff member to pledge their
support. The Employee Campaign successfully secured combined contributions
from RCH staff totaling over $575,000 in little more than a month. According
to Alyssa Bernal, an early supporter, "I decided to donate because
if I work with an organization that I believe in, I should give back."
Symbolizing the "Building Our Future" theme, a LEGO signing
opportunity was also provided for each employee donor to sign an individual
LEGO block. Later, all blocks will be pieced together as a finished mural
to be overlaid with etched glass and displayed in the ED, a prominent
visual reminder of the dedication of RCH employees to the future that
continues to be built. Members of the employee campaign are Sue Baze,
Jennifer Burroughs, Jamie Colton, Bailey Darkens, Gladys de la Cruz, Julie
Ellis, Cesar Laguna, April Owens, Leah Strnad, Nicholas Topoleski, Joshua
Vasquez, Brittany Villa, and Kimberly Williams.

