Olympic Medical Center Auxiliary donates $34K for hospital equipment

By Sequim Gazette Staff • June 26, 2019 1:30 am
Pictured, from left, are: Patty Glennon, OMC Auxiliary scholarship committee chair; scholarship committee member Sandy Hutter, scholarship awardees Kylie Rentas, Naomi Johnson, Michelle Keys, and Sondra Pedlar; OMC Auxiliary president Leif Olson, Auxiliary president, and scholarship committee member Gayle Long. Not pictured: Julie Sexton. Photo courtesy of Olympic Medical Center
Pictured, from left, are: Patty Glennon, OMC Auxiliary scholarship committee chair; scholarship committee member Sandy Hutter, scholarship awardees Kylie Rentas, Naomi Johnson, Michelle Keys, and Sondra Pedlar; OMC Auxiliary president Leif Olson, Auxiliary president, and scholarship committee member Gayle Long. Not pictured: Julie Sexton. Photo courtesy of Olympic Medical Center

Leif Olson, Olympic Medical Center Auxiliary President, announced six donations to Olympic Medical departments for needed medical equipment as part of its annual “Wish List” ceremony at the June 5 board of commissioners meeting.

Donated items included: a Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure tool for Womens Health; six Staxi Wheelchairs and a Stryker Evacuation Chair for Olympic Memorial Hospital; an Isolette Incubator for Olympic Medical Birth Center, and Home Sleep Test machines for Olympic Medical Sleep Center.

“The Auxiliary does so much for Olympic Medical Center – it’s impressive,” Olympic Medical Center CEO Eric Lewis.

“In addition to donating thousands of dollars for needed equipment, they also run the gift shop, and spend hundreds of hours fundraising in Port Angeles and Sequim,” he added.

Auxiliary members have raised and donated more than $633,000 to the hospital for equipment since 1980.

Scholarships awarded

The OMC Auxiliary also announced five, $2,000 scholarships to medical students.

Naomi Johnson plans to pursue an undergraduate nursing degree at Western Washington State in Pullman.

Michelle Keys and Sondra Pedlar are enrolled in the nursing program at Peninsula College.

Kylie Rentas will attend Spokane Community College in the fall to study Diagnostic Medical Sonography Technology.

Julie Sexton, a 13-year Olympic Medical Center employee, completed an Associate Degree in Applied Science for Healthcare Management and will now pursue a Bachelor Degree in Business Management at Western Governors University.

“This year we’re thrilled to increase the scholarship amount from $1,500 to $2,000 each and increase the number of recipients from four to five,” Patty Glennon, chair of scholarship committee, said.

Glennon added the group was pleased to award scholarships to two members of the same family (Keys and Johnson are mother-daughter).

“Workforce development is an important strategic goal at Olympic Medical Center (and) the Auxiliary scholarships help support that goal,” board president John Nutter added.

The OMC Auxiliary has awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships since 2009.

Funds for equipment and scholarships are raised through the Auxiliary-run hospital gift shop, seasonal sales events and other fundraisers throughout the year.

For more information about the OMC Auxiliary, or information on how to become a volunteer, contact Kathy Coombes at 360-565-9110 or kcoombes@olympic medical.org.