“We are excited about this new addition to the service we provide,” stated Ryan Gathard, Fund Development Director for State of the Heart. “As with any new venture, we have incurred costs and are looking to the communities and people we serve to help us with funding needs.” Although the care center is located in Darke County, patients from the entire service area in eastern Indiana and western Ohio can use the center.
“There are a variety of funding needs,” Gathard added. Some of those include: medical equipment, a phone system, patient supplies, linens, a blanket warmer for patients, refrigerator, office equipment, and television sets for patient rooms.
In recent months the agency has received over $100,000 in private donations, both corporate and personal. “The response to our requests has been very positive,” Gathard said. “Those we have approached to help fund the care center believe in the need for our community and have been generous and supportive. We are grateful for that.”
Gathard pointed out that “there will be the opportunity to remember a loved one by naming a particular item within the care center. Remembering a loved one in a special way is important to all of us. By making a donation, you can remember someone who was special in your life.” A large donor wall will be placed at the entrance to the care center with the names of those making a donation and the person they are remembering in their gift.
Since its beginning in 1981, State of the Heart has cared for patients in their homes, in assisted living facilities and in nursing homes. “We’ve never had the option of caring for a patient in our own care center,” Gathard said. “The closest center for hospice patient care is in Dayton. The care center is an important addition to the services we provide patients and a family during one of life’s most difficult times.”
He stated that those interested in making a donation have the option of pledging a certain amount of money over a three to five year period. To contact Gathard to learn more about giving opportunities, call him at 1-800-417-7535, or email him at rgathard@stateoftheheartcare.org. For more information about State of the Heart and its services, visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.