300 turn out to raise money for hospital
Photos by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – About 300 people turned out for the annual Treasure Island fundraiser for Medina Memorial Hospital and Orleans Community Health.
In the top photo, Pam Canham, left, and her cousin Laurel Carney of Oakfield look over some of the items up for bid at Hickory Ridge Country Club. Treasure Island moved from the Sacred Heart Club in Medina to Hickory Ridge in Murray to better accommodate the crowd and the 266 items up for bid. Jerome Pawlak of Albion and Dr. Tom Madejski, an attending physician at Medina Memorial, served as honorary chairmen of the event.
Jim Moody, director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation, addresses the crowd for Treasure Island. He announced $20,000 had been raised for hospital in sponsors for Treasure Island.
He expected the auction would raised another $20,000 to $25,000 for $40,000 to $45,000 altogether. That money will be used to remodel and renovate the emergency room, a project planned for the first quarter of 2015.
The hospital within a month expects to begin on a $300,000 remodel of the front lobby and the area leading to the ER.
Dolores Horvath, President and CEO of Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital, addresses the crowd for Treasure Island.
“I am very excited for the system,” Horvath said. “We’ve turned the corner. We’re on the right path.”
Horvath said she was impressed by the big crowd of supporters at the benefit on Saturday.
“Look at all of these people in the room,” she said. “That speaks volumes for the hospital.”
She praised a new affiliation with Catholic Health, based in Buffalo. Catholic Health has two cardiologists working out of Orleans County, and is working on providing telemedicine and an orthopedic program.
“We can help them be stronger,” said Roger Duryea, vice president of planning and business development for Catholic Health.
He was one of eight from Catholic Health who attended the benefit. Bringing healthcare services to the community is part of the mission of Catholic Health, he said.
Catholic Health is only asking for the chance to compete for patients who need higher level services, Duryea said. The organization also has affiliations with hospitals in Springville and Westfield.