The Auxiliary of Dearborn County Hospital is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year.  The organization received its charter from the American Hospital Association on November 15, 1958, approximately five months before Dearborn County Hospital opened to the public on April 13, 1959.

Since the Auxiliary’s founding, it has contributed more than $1.54 million to the hospital for equipment and special projects.  Along with the Auxiliary’s monetary contributions, its members have provided hundreds of thousands of volunteer service hours over the last five decades.

A recent example of the Auxiliary’s financial contributions was a check for $47,000 that served as the final payment on a new mammography unit with a purchase price of $147,000.  This check put the Auxiliary above the $1.5 million mark in its donations to the hospital and DCH Foundation.

Each year the Auxiliary makes a donation to the Dearborn County Hospital Foundation’s Scholarship and Grant/Loan Programs.  This year, the Auxiliary donated $5,000 toward these scholastic initiatives.

The Auxiliary’s largest donation to DCH was in 2001, when it contributed $250,000 for the purchase of the Millennium VG Hawkeye Functional Anatomic Mapping Unit for its CoDe/PET scanner.  Other significant contributions to the hospital include the purchase of a computer aided detection R₂ ImageChecker CheckMate System for mammography and a DEXA scanner used to measure bone density.

Funds are raised by the Auxiliary primarily through profits from the hospital’s Snack Bar and Gift Shop.  Other monies come from newspaper sales, membership dues and donations.

Currently there are 106 active volunteers in the DCH Auxiliary, under the guidance of long-time President Betty Fulton.  She is assisted by Nancy DeWees, First Vice President; Marita Cizek, Second Vice President; Marge Waldon, Recording Secretary; Jackie Johnston, Corresponding Secretary; Sue Haskett, Treasurer; Marg Eisenshank, Gift Shop Treasurer; and Betty Swales, Snack Bar Treasurer.

During the Auxiliary’s 2007 fiscal year, the volunteers provided more than 26,900 hours of service to DCH and its patients and visitors.  The Pink Ladies and Red Coats volunteer their time in areas such as the Gift Shop, Information Desk, Sewing Room and Snack Bar, as well as in hospital departments such as Health Information Management, Outpatient Services, Rehabilitation Services, Community Relations and the Subacute Unit.  Volunteers also can be found working as Messengers and for DCH services such as LifeLine and Hospice.

Two ongoing community projects sponsored by the Auxiliary are the collection of used cell phones and eyeglasses.   The cell phone program is in conjunction with the Verizon Wireless HopeLine^® which assists victims of domestic violence.  The eyeglasses collection is part of an international Lions Club program coordinated locally by the Lawrenceburg chapter.  Drop boxes for both the phones and the glasses are located in the hospital’s main lobby.

Another project, coordinated by Auxilian Karen Luers, is the making of stuffed dolls and balls for children who are patients in the DCH Emergency Department.  These gifts help to comfort and entertain the children who are receiving care.

The hospital officially recognizes the Auxiliary three times a year, starting with National Volunteer Week in April, followed by a picnic each July and the formal banquet/annual meeting in October.

“The DCH Auxiliary has a 50 year tradition of service to the hospital, its patients and the community,” concluded Mrs. Fulton.  “Our membership remains committed to building on this tradition and we look forward to what lies ahead for our organization and the hospital in the next 50 years.”

For more information, please call Mrs. Fulton at (812) 537-8217 or (800) 676-5572, ext. 8217.