Grants from the Davie County Hospital Foundation Fund will be made annually for projects that improve Healthcare in Davie County. Healthcare projects in the areas of Wellness and Prevention; Access and Awareness; and Mental Health and Behavioral Health are considered by the selection committee.
The Davie County Hospital Foundation Fund was one of three funds at Davie Community Foundation receiving a portion of the Davie County Hospital Foundation assets following its dissolution. Dollars were added to the Davie County Hospital Foundation Scholarship in an effort to support more Davie County students who wish to pursue careers in the medical field, and a Davie Medical Center Endowment was created to support Davie’s hospital. All three of the funds are endowed and will distribute earnings annually for the purposes stated for each fund.
Davie County ranks 13th among 100 NC counties in “Health Outcomes” that include length and quality of life and 18th of 100 counties in “Health Factors” including Health Behaviors, Clinical Care, Social & Economic Factors and Physical Environment. Although Davie ranks in the upper tier of the state for both benchmarks, we know there are significant challenges relating to the overall “Health” of our community. The goal for grant funds is to have a positive impact on Davie Health Factors.
In its first year of grant making, the Davie County Hospital Foundation Fund awarded five grants. Two are highlighted here.
Cancer Services
Cancer Services, Inc. received a Healthcare Grant for their creation of Chemo Care Kits and a Specialty Cooking Program. With a mission of enhancing health, life, and survivorship, Cancer Services has served Davie County since 1988. In 2018, 214 cancer survivors residing in Davie County benefitted from their services.
The Chemo Care Kits are survivor inspired and will help alleviate the most common discomforts associated with chemotherapy and cancer treatment. Each kit includes a specialty cancer cookbook, turbans, cocoa butter Chapstick, ginger products, a journal and pen, comfort socks, and specialty chemo cream. The kits will be distributed to 100 Davie County residents in active treatment or within six months of treatment. Cancer Services also plans to promote wellness through a specialty cooking program. This program will provide cooking demonstrations and recipes developed by a Registered Dietician and Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition.
Splash Pad Aquatic Wheelchairs
Davie County Recreation and Parks is in the process of building a Community Park that will house the largest Vortex Splashpad in North Carolina. With a Healthcare Grant they will purchase two aquatic wheelchairs for the Splashpad. The addition of these aquatic wheelchairs will bring awareness to the need for adaptive methods of recreations and give individuals with different abilities access to utilize this exciting amenity.
Aquatic Wheelchairs were created for individuals, who under normal circumstances, would not be able to participate in water play! They will be available to patrons at no additional cost with reservations available during regular operational hours. Through the purchase of the aquatic wheelchairs, Davie County Recreation and Parks hopes to reach a new segment of the community that have limited access to basic accommodations.
