KVMH Foundation Awarded Vidinha Grant to Furnish Hospital

By Steven Kline

Left to right, KVMH Charitable Foundation board member Jill Faye-Papworth, president Steven Kline, board member Narreinar Williams, and vice-president Mark Kennett. Photo by Kelly Liberatore

The Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital Charitable Foundation strives to organize various fundraisers and functions throughout the year. One of our biggest fundraisers is our Annual Golf Tournament usually held in November. This fundraiser usually helps us to raise as much as $10,000, which goes toward purchasing hospital equipment.

Our overall mission at the KVMH Charitable Foundation is to provide assistance to the hospital, its programs facilities, staff and patients. Our vision is that the Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital is the Medical Center of choice for those who reside from Koloa to Barking Sands.

KVMH Charitable Foundation has been a nonprofit organization since 1999. This status allowed the organization to be able to reach out to the hospital and assist with fundraising efforts or grant writing for much-needed updating of the hospital’s equipment. Most of the items that are looked at for purchase are usually more than $5,000.

Last year, the KVMH Board of Directors decided to apply for a grant from the Antone and Edene Vidinha Trust, which had been received in the past, to purchase new furniture for the hospital and clinics. In June, the KVMH Charitable Foundation got word that our organization had been awarded the $80,000.00 that was asked. The funds will go toward the purchase of new hospital and clinic furniture. We were all very excited. The proposal and grant is currently being worked on with the hospital and is to be completed by December.

We are very fortunate to have an excellent and helpful Board of Directors that is constantly assisting where it is needed and trying to come up with new and innovative ideas and fundraisers.

We also work with the hospital as far as its needs and what we can assist with financially, depending on our budget. This past year, one of our board members came up with the idea of replacing the hospital furniture with new furniture for both the hospital and clinics. Since it was not something our state hospital can spend its own funding on, the administration was very accepting to our proposal.

Our core values are dedication, commitment, community responsibility, excellence and helpful service. The goals of our organization are to financially support KVMH’s programs to purchase equipment, construct or renovate facilities, assist in educational outreach programs, assist in research, and aid any other program or activity which supports KVMH.

Steven Kline

As an organization, we have been very fortunate to purchase various different pieces of equipment for the hospital over the years. Some equipment that have been funded include a digital mammography with Sterol-tactic Biopsy capabilities, a Bariatric Bed and mattress for the larger weighing patients, a new Ventilator for the Respiratory Therapy Department, new lights for the surgical suites, Jaundice Meter for O.B. department, an oven for the KVMH kitchen, scholarships for nursing students, some additional triage construction for the Emergency Department, Laser Aimer for the C-Arm in radiology, and a glideslope for the Anesthesia Department.

We thank the community islandwide for their gracious generosity in giving to our foundation. Look us up on Facebook. We are in the process of redoing our website and PayPal system for donations. Currently, donations are accepted at: KVMH Charitable Foundation, c/o-Steve Kline, OTR/CEAS – President, P.O. Box 356 Waimea, HI 96796

• Steven Kline, OTR/CEAS is the president of the Board of Directors for KVMH Charitable Foundation, and the Occupational Therapy Regional Director for KVMH and Mahelona hospitals. He can be found at skline@hhsc.org.