Press Release

Burgess Honors Donors with Wall of Recognition

Persons who donated to Burgess Health Center’s “Building on Excellence” campaign are highlighted in a mounted “Wall of Recognition” display now hanging in the hospital’s lobby.

The wall lists more than 400 names of area residents, businesses, and Burgess employees who pledged $1.1 million to the Burgess Foundation to support the hospital’s $10 million expansion and renovation project, now near completion. Gifts of $1,000 and up are recognized on individual nameplates.

Two nameplates topping the wall with the highest contributions are: Burgess employees, who have pledged $302,000, and the late Dick Nolan, former Burgess board chair and mayor of Sloan, who donated more than $300,000 to Burgess through his estate. Nolan served on the hospital board of directors and guided its future for eight years before he died in 1992.

Names are placed on earth-tone-colored panels set out against a sepia-toned photo of the Loess Hills taken by well known, veteran photographer Don Poggensee of Ida Grove. An up-close look also reveals pieces of Switchgrass, a native grass found throughout the Loess Hills, embedded into translucent, Lumicor panels.

The wall also has built-in flexibility with blank name plates for future donors and others listed who donors wishing to move to a higher level and.

“We’ve heard rave reviews about our wall,” says Shirley Bruegger, foundation director. “They have appreciated the artistic value, and the fact that it reflects our patient service area. The Loess hills run clear though the Burgess service area and seemed to give us an ideal backdrop for special recognition of those who helped make our project possible.”

Donor gifts helped fund the hospitals 25-bed patient addition, expanded surgery department, laboratory and outpatient clinic area, physical therapy department and enlarged pharmacy, new chapel, new waiting areas and more.

“This project has enhanced the ability of Burgess to provide needed space for health care advancements and reinforce our role as a regional leader in rural health care,” Bruegger says.
“It’s exciting because every month we see dramatic progress.”