Contributions in Action

Appleton Medical Center Foundation has donated nearly $12 million to help Appleton Medical Center secure the best state-of-the-art equipment and technology available. The Foundation’s grant philosophy includes provisions for securing needs as identified by our healthcare professionals and community members. Highlights of some of the Foundation’s gifts to the Hospital made possible by the generosity of our donors follow.

PET/CT Scanner

PET/CT scanner is a standard imaging tool that allows physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer, and determine whether it has spread, prior to recommending a treatment plan. PET/CT searches the entire body for cancer evidence, determines the type of tumor, and shows the effectiveness of therapy. In 2009, the Appleton Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors approved a $275,000 grant to support the purchase of a PET/CT scanner.

LightSpeed RT 16 Slice Big Bore CT Scanner

The Radiation Oncology Department at Appleton Medical Center in the Martha Siekman Cancer Center serves patient population primarily from the Northeast Wisconsin area by providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art therapeutic radiation services. In 2008, the Appleton Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors approved a $500,000 grant to support the Hospital’s acquisition of the LightSpeed RT 16 Slice Big Bore CT Scanner. The equipment allows anatomical visualization of a patient within the scan regardless of the immobilization device chosen or body position. The speed of the imagining system on this scanner give technicians and physicians the capability of providing accurate administration of treatments, and the ability to treat a moving target such as lung cancer that shifts with respiration.

Bringing Collaborative Care to Appleton Medical Center

In March 2006, the Foundation submitted a proposal to Miller Electric Manufacturing Co., a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works. Later that year, Illinois Tool Works pledged $300,000 to support transformation to Collaborative Care at the Hospital.

Collaborative Care is a new and innovative model of patient care that includes the latest thinking in terms of safety and quality, expanded access to doctors and nurses, teamwork involving patient, staff, and family, redesigning and transforming patient rooms into private rooms, and reducing the cost of care.

With Collaborative Care, the patient becomes the center of this new vision. Upon admission, each patient receives an individualized team of caregivers, or “trio”, made up of a physician, nurse, and pharmacist. This trio works together with the patient and their family to determine a diagnosis and creates a plan of care that offers more efficient and effective recovery. In February 2007, the first Collaborative Care unit opened at Appleton Medical Center.

Breast Ultrasound Equipment for the Appleton Medical Center Breast Center

A commonly used technology at the Appleton Medical Center Breast Center is ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound imaging provides additional views following a mammogram and assists in needle placement during breast biopsies. In 2005, the Foundation’s Board of Directors approved a $138,000 grant to purchase a new ultrasound machine. Technicians are now able to obtain more detailed images of breast abnormalities and to identify smaller lesions and calcifications not visible using the older equipment. The new breast ultrasound system allows Breast Center patients to receive comprehensive breast care without moving between departments.

TomoTherapy

In 2005, the Appleton Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors approved a $35,000 grant to assist with the purchase of the TomoTherapy radiation treatment delivery system. The equipment added one more arsenal of tools to fight cancer in our community in the Martha Siekman Cancer Center. TomoTherapy technology allows radiation to be delivered in a manner that conforms very closely to the shape of the tumor, thus sparing sensitive surrounding tissue, and allowing physicians to treat the malignant area with higher doses of radiation. For patients who have tumors determined to be appropriate for treatment using this technology, the results often mean shorter overall treatment times and a lower chance of recurrence.

Committed to Kids – Fox Valley

In 2002 the Appleton Medical Center Foundation collaborated with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and Theda Clark Medical Center Foundation, to develop a new team approach of treating the whole family, including the child, through an interactive learning environment. Children and their families learn about exercise, the food pyramid, their current diet and how to make healthier lifestyle choices. Professionals such as physicians, dieticians, exercise physiologists, and fitness instructors teach the 12-week course. Based on physician referral, the program helps improve children’s nutritional status and self-esteem and increases children’s activity levels.

Clinical Focus Program Expands to Trial Group

The initial Clinical Focus Program was created in 2001 as a result of a collaboration between Appleton Medical Center Foundation and Theda Clark Medical Center Foundation, the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley. Since the Program was conceived, national data continues to show the increased need for this and other programs that help ease the transition from academic institution to clinical practice. To date, 56 students have completed the Clinical Focus Program and 42 were hired (post-graduation) by ThedaCare. Even though both Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh are no longer involved, ThedaCare has continued to hire eight clinical focus students each year. Past funding has assisted spring graduates. ThedaCare has been generous in continuing to support this Program for the 2008-2009 academic year, though the Program is currently designed in such a way that December graduates are not included. The Appleton Medical Center Foundation board has approved funding of over $38,000 for eight students in the winter trail group of graduates.

Community Emergency Prescription Drug Fund

At the request of Dr. and Mrs. John Mielke, the Appleton Medical Center Foundation provided $10,000 in funding to the Community Emergency Prescription Drug Fund of the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region. Monies from this Fund provide financially disadvantaged individuals with short-term assistance to obtain prescription medications for emergency or chronic medical conditions. Emergency prescription resources are distributed to agencies such as LEAVEN, the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, and Winnebago and Outagamie County Social Services.

The Capital Campaign—Beating Cancer in Our Communities

In March 2000, the Appleton Medical Center Foundation launched the “Beating Cancer in Our Communities” capital campaign with a goal of $3 million. In addition to the funds raised, the Foundation pledged $1 million from its own assets. The objective of the campaign was to provide funding for the following projects:

• Martha Siekman Cancer Center—The Foundation provided $1,000,000 of the total cost of $3,400,000 to build the Center.
• Appleton Medical Center Breast Center—The total cost of $850,000.
• Emergency Service Department Renovations—The Foundation provided $1,150,000 of the total cost of $3,200,00.

By the end of the year, the campaign had raised $4.6 million, exceeding its goal by more than $1.5 million. The additional $1.5 million was used to purchase early detection diagnostic equipment for the Breast Center. The new Inpatient Oncology Unit opened in March 2002, and the Foundation added $1 million to the already pledged amount of $1.15 million allocated for the renovation of the Emergency Services Department. The success of the campaign is truly a testament to the giving spirit and caring nature of the community we serve.

Teaching Tool for Medical Training

To better prepare student nurses and first responders to deal with life-threatening emergencies, the Foundation assisted Fox Valley Technical College with the acquisition of a wireless patient simulator. The human-like teaching tool allows for training in a variety of settings and can be connected to anesthesia machines.