The Franciscan Health Foundation recently held its inaugural meeting of the Circle of 1875 in Montgomery County.
The Circle of 1875, which is named for the year the first Franciscan hospital was opened in Lafayette, is a new charitable concept that provides an opportunity for women who want to make a difference in Franciscan’s healthcare community. As part of the Circle of 1875, members become a part of something bigger than themselves. By pooling financial gifts, an even greater impact can be provided to those in need.
At the recent inaugural meeting, after hearing various presentations, the women-powered giving group awarded $7,000 to the Franciscan Health Crawfordsville emergency department to purchase a cooling blanket that will be used to provide therapeutic hypothermia to patients after return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest.
Therapeutic hypothermia reduces or stops destructive pathways such as cerebral edema and free radicals formation caused by reperfusion after ROSC, which has been shown to increase survival to hospital discharge with good neurological outcome. The cooling blanket can also be used to decrease a patient’s body temperature when it is dangerously high and anti-pyretic medications are not working.
Franciscan Health Crawfordsville serves over 62,000 people and contributes more than $18 million to the communities it serves, providing for the community in ways that go far beyond medicine and the walls of the hospital and clinics.
The Circle of 1875 will meet twice a year for gift planning assessments, financial and project updates, socialization and networking opportunities.
For more information on how to join the Circle of 1875, contact Jen Eberly at jennifer.eberly@franciscanalliance.org or call 765-423-6812.
