Press Release

Burgess People Care and Iowa Hospital Employee
Disaster Relief Funds Benefit Flood and Tornado Victims

IHA put out the call to member hospitals for donations to the Iowa Hospital Employee Disaster Relief Fund in mid-June. This was actually a re-activation of the fund, which was originally set up in 2008 to help flood and tornado victims (mostly in Eastern Iowa).

In all, the fund received more than $114,000, which was distributed to 124 employees working at nine Western Iowa hospitals from Sioux City to Hamburg. There were 22 Burgess Health Center employees who received over $11,000 from this fund in total.

“We asked employees of Iowa’s hospitals to come to the aid of their colleagues, and they came through for us,” said Gary Riedmann, CEO of St. Anthony Regional Hospital and in Carroll and Chair of the IHA Board. “As health care professionals, we know how disaster can change the course of a life. Over the summer, the lives we were talking about belong to our coworkers in western Iowa and their families. The success of the fund is yet another testament to the generosity and compassion of Iowa hospitals and the people who work in them.”

Support also came from Burgess People Care, a long-time employee committee of Burgess that raises funds to support community drives, events and fellow employees. The committee gave nearly $8000 for relief efforts relating to the tornado in Mapleton and flooding over the summer.

This committee takes on service area community-related projects or recognized fund raising activities that include: adopt-a-family during holidays, Thanksgiving dinner for members of the community, and school supply donations for area children. Burgess People Care is also there for employees of Burgess in time of need.

One beneficiary was Karen Hoag, Burgess laboratory employee, who had significant damage to her home in Jackson, Neb. because of the Missouri River flooding. The donation from Burgess People Care came the day her family was about to begin the clean up process and needed to rent a dumpster. Then, after the cleaning was done they received IHA funds which helped them pay for the replacement of the flooring and sheetrock.

“We didn’t expect anything, and then these wonderful donations came at exactly the right time,” said Hoag. “I can’t believe the amount of support we received from Burgess People Care and IHA. My husband and I want to thank everyone for the generosity.”