The Marshall Foundation for Community Health, fundraising arm of Marshall Medical Center, has launched the public phase of a campaign to raise $3 million to help pay for a new and expanded emergency department as part of a new acute care wing at Marshall Hospital. The campaign also seeks to increase the Foundation’s Endowment for Community Health by $1 million, making the campaign goal a total of $4 million. The new wing, with planned construction starting in 2008, will be located on the east side of the existing hospital, according to James Whipple, administrator and CEO of Marshall Medical Center.

“We can fund $5.3 million of the $8.3 million cost of the new Emergency Department with borrowing and cash reserves,” said Whipple, “but we cannot prudently commit the last $3 million needed to complete funding for the project.”

The Campaign for Emergency Services and Community Health is being chaired by Gael Barsotti, owner of Barsotti Juice Company, who is also a Marshall Medical Center Board member. Vice Chairs Bruce Dickson of Lane, Dickson & Associates, local financial planners and Regina Levison of Levison Search Associates, a physician search company, will provide additional leadership.

“This is one of the most important healthcare projects for the Western Slope of El Dorado County that we have seen in a very long time,” said Barsotti. “This hospital expansion will improve Marshall’s emergency department in many ways including providing specialized treatment rooms, offer more patient privacy, and have greater efficiency and convenience for staff and patients alike. We need a new and expanded emergency department mainly because of the population growth in our area”.

The campaign has already received over $2 million in gifts and pledges from the Marshall “family” that includes board members, employees, physicians and the Marshall Hospital Auxiliary. This also includes a few community gifts.

The Employees of Marshall Medical Center pledged $670,000 to help build and equip the new Emergency Department. “The employees realize the importance of emergency services and were amazingly generous,” said Karen Good, Executive Director of the Marshall Foundation for Community Health. “They really wanted to contribute to the new construction. They know this facility will improve the quality of life for the people of the area for decades to come.”

Many employees gave at the “Hour Club” level, which requires employees to commit the equivalent of one hour of their pay per pay period for three years. “Across the board, from the house keepers to the senior management team, the Marshall employees were very generous”, states Good. “It just shows that our employees commitment to the hospital goes far beyond the duties of their jobs.”

Incredible generosity from the Marshall Hospital Auxiliary, the core volunteers at Marshall, was provided through a $500,000 pledge. When the new intensive care unit is built, it will be named in honor of the Auxiliary to reflect this amazing contribution.

Campaign volunteers expect to complete the campaign over the next twelve months. For further information on this essential community project, please call Campaign Director Karen Good at 530-642-9984.