In recent months Bon Secours Southern Virginia Medical Center has been excited to identify new ways to get involved with the broader Emporia-Greensville County community.
As part of these efforts, our team members were excited to sponsor a drive-thru trick-or-treating event with the Emporia Police Department in October. Nearly 200 cars and more than 350 children participated in the event. The facility also kicked off the holiday season by sponsoring a drive-thru “Cookies with Santa” experience following the Emporia parade on Sunday, Dec. 5.
“We are thrilled to extend our reach by engaging in these local events and have been excited to see the joy of the children of our community at these events,” Kathe Ware, hospital administrator and vice president of nursing, shares.
In addition to sponsoring events for the community on the hospital’s campus, Southern Virginia Medical Center has also been partnering with both the Main Street Baptist Food Pantry and the Samaritan Center to support those struggling with hunger in the community.
“Our goal is to care for our community, not only within our four walls but in a way that helps to meet and address social determinants of health within our community, such as food insecurity,” Kathe adds.
A pumpkin decorating contest in October provided a significant collection of 450 canned goods for both pantries, and more recently leading up to Thanksgiving, various departments sponsored and created 15 Thanksgiving food baskets to provide a meal for those in need within the community. These items were blessed by team members and then distributed to families in need by the local food pantries.
“We also want to enhance existing partnerships with organizations like the Family YMCA of Emporia-Greensville County, CHAT and the Rotary,” Jay Ewing, the facility’s long-time director of operations, states.
During the month of November, Bon Secours partnered with the YMCA to offer free flu shots for more than 35 community members. Additionally, there are future partnerships planned for lunch and learns with area physicians and programming related to diabetes management that are part of Bon Secours’ community health teams.
“Engaging and improving the health of our community is core to our mission as a faith-based nonprofit health care provider,” Jay adds.
Those interested in collaborating or identifying opportunities for partnerships with Southern Virginia Medical Center can reach out to Joe Mazzawi, director of mission, at joseph_mazzawi@bshsi.org.
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