Orleans Community Health collecting supplies for ‘Buffalo Strong’

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 May 2022 at 7:42 am

MEDINA – Staff at Orleans Community Health have come up with a way to help the families of the recent shooting victims in Buffalo.

OCH CEO Marc Shurtz and Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communication and Outreach at OCH’s Community Partners, met over the weekend to discuss what they could do.

“We agreed whatever we decided to do had to be actionable,” Robinson said. “We just couldn’t comment on social media.”

Heather Smith, director of Orleans Community Health Foundation, joined the discussion and helped facilitate a plan of action. Several other members of the OCH team reached out asking if the hospital could get involved with donations for “Buffalo Strong.”

“Our hearts ache for that community,” Robinson said. “We view the city of Buffalo as our neighbor. Whenever your neighbor is grieving, you do too.”

They plan they settled on was to place barrels at Medina Memorial Hospital, the Albion Healthcare Center, Middleport laboratory and Lake Plains Dialysis centers in Medina and Batavia.

“Our hope is that by placing these barrels at each of our locations we’re expanding the number of people that will be able to help contribute to the families and community in Buffalo,” Robinson said.

Recommended items to drop in the barrels include non-perishables, hygiene products, baby food and baby products, such as diapers.

In addition, the hospital is making contributions internally to the Thurman Thomas Family Foundation and others.