Funding Priorities
100 percent of your donation will be used for the purposes specified. Unrestricted gifts will be directed to the areas of greatest need. The St. Mary's Foundation's operational costs are paid by St. Mary's Medical Center. We appreciate all gifts.
St. Mary's Center for Education
St. Mary's Medical Center is proud of its role as the only medical center in West Virginia that owns and operates a School of Nursing, School of Radiography, and a new School of Respiratory Care. Our schools graduate more nurses and radiographers than any other in the area. However, the current educational facility, located behind the main hospital building, hasn't had any major renovations since its construction in 1947. Classroom space in the building is severely overtaxed, limiting class capacity and complicating scheduling. One eight-bed skills lab and a limited medical library accommodate more than 200 students who share 10 computers and one VCR per classroom to view the multiple training tapes required as part of the curriculum. The cost of rewiring the building for Internet access is prohibitive.
While these schools excel academically, their facilities are in dire need of reconstruction. The construction of a new state-of-the-art facility would provide students with quality equipment and the learning environment that they would need to flourish. We are asking you to help us support the state-of-the-art facility, services and programs and build on our strong foundation of excellence.
Healthy HEART U - Fighting Childhood Obesity in Southern West Virginia
St. Mary's Medical Center Foundation and the St. Mary's Regional Heart Institute
Since 2001, St. Mary's Medical Center has made strong efforts to combat childhood obesity through its HEART (Helping Educators Attack CVD Risk Factors Together) and HEART Champions program. With over 6,000 children screened during this time, it has become evident that a different approach is needed to address overweight children and adolescents with multiple risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and a number of other health problems.
Data collected from the 2008-2009 school year, 238 out of 529 children (45 percent) screened had had a body mass index above the 85th percentile for their age. In 2008, the Kaiser Foundation ranked West Virginia second in the nation for childhood obesity with 21 percent of children statewide identified as being overweight. (Kaiser Family Foundation) Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control cited Huntington, WV as the "fattest city in America" according to 2006 data. (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, CDC, 2006)
As the program evolved over the past decade along with comparable statewide data, it is unmistakable that an intense focus on childhood obesity is needed in our state. While St. Mary's continues its commitment to serve the unmet needs of our region, we seek your continued support by helping us address this critical issue through our Healthy HEART U project.
The Healthy HEART U project will be a network of comprehensive childhood obesity facilities serving overweight children in southern West Virginia. In partnership with existing health providers, community centers and public schools, the goal of the project is to increase children's access to fitness facilities and a team of health professionals focused on their nutrition, fitness, body image, and self-esteem. The title of the project is to promote a positive environment for children and eliminate any negative perceptions that may limit their participation.
TIPS (Transportation Injury Prevention and Safety)
St. Mary's Medical Center Foundation has teamed with the Nick J. Rahall, II Appalachian Transportation Institute to present Transportation Injury Prevention and Safety (TIPS), a program designed to increase awareness about transportation safety.
TIPS is a two-part program developed by St. Mary's Regional Neuroscience Center that consists of an annual youth safety fair and an education plan delivered to school children throughout the school year.
One main area of focus for the program is all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety. During the last six years, West Virginia has averaged 30 ATV deaths per year, and recent data has showed 40 deaths on ATVs in West Virginia in 2005. Sadly, West Virginia has consistently ranked as the state with the highest per capita rate of ATV deaths. TIPS works to increase safety awareness among parents and children by relating the seriousness side of safety, and helping children understand that safety can be fun. The program also includes safety education for other forms of transportation, such as bicycles, scooters and automobiles.