Gifts in Action

How Your Gifts Make UnityPoint Health - Methodist a Better Place

Gifts to the UnityPoint Health - Methodist Foundation allow the hospital to provide services to patients and families of Methodist hospital and affiliates that enhance their experience but that are not revenue producing. In a typical year, more than a million dollars is invested in services, equipment, and programs that benefit patients and families. Some examples are:

Equipment and technology upgrades, such as cardiac chilling units that lower the patient’s core body temperature and help prevent vascular damage during an injury or heart attack; vein finders that make it easier for the technician to find an IV site; and C02 monitors that allow a patient’s carbon dioxide level to be monitored without the necessity of an arterial puncture.

• Program enhancements, such as games and appropriate distraction toys for the Child Life Specialist to use with pediatric patients who are anxious or difficult to manage.
• Pastoral care services 24/7 that provide comfort to both patients and families, and an ecumenical chapel on site for quiet reflection and solace.
• Methodist Inn, where family members of Intensive Care patients can stay overnight at no cost to them for as long as they need to; and complimentary overnight rooms for nursing mothers whose babies are not yet ready for discharge.
• Hospice services that go beyond the expected to support patients and families facing the end of life.
• Complimentary patient transportation services for those who need a ride to or from the hospital.
• Scholarships and financial support for continuing professional education.
• Assistance with medications upon discharge for patients who are unable to afford what they need to complete their recovery.

In part due to generous donors to the Foundation, the mission of Methodist Medical Center is rarely limited by financial constraints.