Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital Auxiliary:
Celebrating 65 years of supporting community health
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2024 edition of Promise magazine.
The dedication of the Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital Auxiliary has been instrumental in supporting community health services for the last 65 years. Since its inception in 1959, the auxiliary has been at the forefront of community efforts, providing vital funds for medical equipment and services through the operation of a volunteer-staffed snack bar.
From the days of organizing follies for fundraising to today’s operation of the snack bar, the mission of this steadfast volunteer group has remained the same: to support the Summa Health Wadsworth-Rittman Medical Center in delivering exceptional care.
The auxiliary’s roots trace back to three pioneering women who gathered in the basement of a local Methodist church to lay the foundation of what would become a vital support system for the Wadsworth Municipal Hospital. Through decades of transformation, the auxiliary has contributed significantly, including an $8,000 donation in the 1960s that was crucial to the facility’s relocation and expansion.
Today, the auxiliary’s dedication continues to make a profound impact on Summa Health’s mission to provide accessible, high-quality medical care.
Their most recent generous gift has enabled the center to expand its wound care services, offering a comprehensive approach to healing with advanced dressings, compression therapy, advanced biologicals and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Timely wound care is important to prevent complications, reduce healing time and maintain good overall health. Summa Health Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Centers, like the one at Wadsworth-Rittman, consistently have better than a 90 percent healing success rate.
“We are immensely grateful to the Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital Auxiliary for this gift that allows us to provide a supportive, patient-centered and team-based approach to wound care therapy to our surrounding communities,” said Lucas Smith, director of Ambulatory Services. “We applaud them for their 65 years of unwavering support, which has been instrumental in ensuring the residents of this area have access to the best specialized services, close to home,” he said.
For more information, contact Summa Foundation at 330.375.3159 or foundation@summahealth.org.
Source: thepostnewspapers.com