7 Hospitals Come Together at Porter Regional Hospital for Auxiliary Meeting

On a beautiful Friday morning, representatives and volunteers from seven hospitals from across the region gathered in the Community Room at Porter Regional Hospital. It was the bi-annual Auxiliary Meeting for the Northwest Area for the Indiana Hospitals Auxiliary Association.

"All of the hospitals share what's going on in their facilities and if there is any information that needs to be shared from the state then we share that, too," John Burton, President of the Northwest Area for the Indiana Hospitals Auxiliary Association said. "We will also be inducting some new officers." 

Burton will actually be moving on soon from his position as Auxiliary President to President Elect for the State Association. He proudly held his seat for four years.

A delicious breakfast spread was laid out for all of the members to take part in and enjoy with fresh coffee and fruit as well as piping hot breakfast casserole. Everyone chatted, ate, and welcomed the morning while they waited for the meeting to start.

When things began, Porter Regional Hospital CEO Stephen Lunn welcomed everyone.

"We have some great things going on here at Porter and I'm very proud of this facility and the people in it," Lunn said. "They come in every day and do a great job. We're in a growth state right now and we have a great group of people. So I'd like to welcome you all to our facility and our home."

Afterward, it was down to business with the Auxiliary Prayer, and then Burton reading the IHAA Mission Statement. Minutes were read and then the treasury report was given. Following this, auxiliary reports were given by representatives from seven hospitals in the area including: Porter Regional Hospital, Methodist Hospitals, St. Mary Medical Center, Community Hospital, St. Catherine HospitalFranciscan St. Margaret Health, and Franciscan St. Anthony Health.

The purpose of an auxiliary board is to support the mission, programs, and initiatives of an organization. It usually consists of a group of professionals and community leaders. They raise raise funds and spread awareness to help their organization flourish.

Important topics were discussed and ideas were voiced during the meeting. 

"We have been an active member for some time," Marianne Dimos, Volunteer Coordinator at Porter Regional Hospital, said. "And we try to be as active as we can. Porter is in a unique situation because we are a for-profit business so we don't do fundraising. We do strictly service work...The reason these meetings and the auxiliaries are important is because the state organization and individual areas will have an impact on what we are allowed to do in hospitals, what we are allowed to do with patients, and the costs and processes that take place in our hospitals. And volunteers like us know what goes on because we are in the hospitals. We are the best reporters for what goes on inside hospitals these days. And as a group we can affect what is being done in the state and hopefully in the country."

The meeting wrapped up with the presenting of new offers in the Northwest Area for the Indiana Hospitals Auxiliary Association. They were given flowers that represented their new positions and met with warm applause.