FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mercy Foundation Receives Funding to Install Flat-Screen Televisions in Patient Rooms
Sacramento, CA, August 19, 2009 - New flat-screen televisions will be installed in patient rooms on Tuesday, August 25 at Bruceville Terrace, a Mercy skilled nursing facility, greatly improving the quality of life for chronically ill and elderly residents.
The televisions were purchased with funds donated by community members to Mercy Foundation as part of its Window to the World campaign that kicked off last fall, to raise $125,000 to replace all 171 large bulky televisions with flat panels that can be mounted to the wall.
The new Toshiba 32-inch flat screen televisions provide some much-needed benefits to patients at Bruceville Terrace. Most patients at the facility share rooms that are small compared to the homes they came from, forcing them to adjust to smaller living spaces that barely accommodate a bed, night stand and a bulky television. Patients, especially ones who use wheelchairs or walkers, face daily challenges maneuvering around the furniture. Flat screen televisions, mounted on the walls, add more floor space for patients.
Extra space is something Bruceville Terrace patient Rita Froyum can use. “My relatives bring popcorn and drinks to my room when they visit me,” she said. “A flat screen television will add more space in the room for their visits.”
In addition, television becomes an important part of daily life for long-term care patients and those who are bedridden and confined to their rooms. The recent transition to digital technology has made many of the older televisions in patient rooms obsolete. Flat screen televisions are digital ready with a clearer picture that keeps patients connected to the outside world.
Kent Roberts, a 47-year-old patient at Bruceville Terrace, is looking forward to a flat screen television in his room. “Sometimes I get a headache watching the old television in my room,” he said. “The flat screen television will be easier on my eyes to watch.”
Thirty Toshiba 32-inch flat screen televisions will be installed this week by Kimmel Construction, which is donating the time and labor for the project. “It is especially gratifying to know that our work will help brighten the resident’s day,” said Mike Kimmel, President of Kimmel Construction. “Having a long-time relationship with Mercy’s Methodist Hospital and seeing the good that they do for the community, this project is an opportunity for us to give back.”
Mercy Foundation’s
Windows to the World
campaign was established in memory of Steven Wright, a special patient who died last August after battling multiple sclerosis (MS) for 25 years and inspired by his parents who brought a flat-screen television for their son to keep him in touch with what was happening in the world.
There is still need for 141 flat-screen televisions for the remaining patient rooms. It is estimated that a $500 contribution can provide a flat-screen television for each room, allowing more open space and windows to the world for ill or elderly patients. For more information about the Window to the World campaign or how one can help, please contact Lisa Lent, Chief Philanthropy Officer at 916.681.1861 or via email at
Lisa.Lent@chw.edu
.
