Imagine being taken to a hospital by ambulance and then realizing you have no way to get back to your home after being treated. For some patients, the situation is real. That’s why the Tomah Health Community Foundation has donated $1,000 to help fund the Lend a Hand program at Tomah Health.
“It’s really vital and it says a lot about our foundation and how much they care about our community,” said Tomah Health Social Services Director Amanda Burkhalter. “The Lend a Hand program helps with a lot of basic needs and even if we have somebody that’s traveling through the area that may have gotten into a car accident and lost everything, we’re helping provide some of those basic needs.”
Before the program, Burkhalter said hospital staff would pool money to help patients in need. “Staff used to provide for patients’ needs prior to having this program. Our staff were helping patients and doing whatever that we could to try to get them what they need in order to be taken care of.”
Burkhalter said this past year about 145 patients treated at Tomah Health needed some type of additional assistance.
Foundation president Brian Eirschele said the foundation’s donation fulfills its mission to help organizations that enhance the health and wellness of residents in Monroe County. “We really like what Amanda and the hospital is doing to help the less fortunate in the community when they most need it. It always warms my heart to think that we’re helping people who really do need help,” added Eirschele.
This year’s donation marks the fifth time that the Foundation has supported the program which was started in 2018 when hospital officials recognized a growing need to assist those who had no resources.