By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
For nearly 20 years, the Athens Limestone Hospital Foundation has held a golf tournament for the purpose of raising money to purchase highly-specialized medical equipment for our award-winning “Hometown Hospital.” This year the tournament will be held on Thursday, September 14, at the Canebrake Golf Club, with a rain date of September 18. Canebrake is a championship course, and the Foundation wants to thank them once more for hosting the Cup. This year’s format will again be a 3-person scramble. Entry fee includes per player, a mulligan package (one power drive and two mulligans), a gift package, access to the practice range.
Lunch will be provided by 306 BBQ and begins at 11:30 a.m. The pizza will be specially made by Joe Carlucci of Joe’s World Famous Pizzeria, and will be served during the awards ceremony. There is a shotgun that begins at 1 p.m. There will be a 50/50 cash drawing, and according to Ray Neese, Athens Limestone Hospital Foundation Board President and Crystal Cup Golf Tournament Chair, “There will be two flights, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners in each flight.” The Crystal Cup is one of 3 major annual Foundation fundraising events, all of which have served to upgrade the Emergency Room, purchase state-of-the-art “smart beds,” procure a special table used in joint replacement surgeries, and provide the means to make the mother and baby wing one of the best in the area. Leah Beth McNutt, who organizes the charitable events for the Foundation said, “Last year we were able to meet our fundraising goals, and want to thank everyone who supported us. We could not do what we do without the continued involvement of this community. We are excited about this year’s project and looking forward to meeting our goals once again.”
The proceeds from the 2017 Crystal Cup will go towards the purchase of a brand new GE Panda iRES Infant Warmer for the Mother/Baby Unit. The unit will replace, and upgrade, the warmer in the hospital’s C-section Room, and will make it easier to care for healthy as well as sick or compromised newborns. The scale automatically weighs the newborn, which negates the need to remove the baby from under the warmer. Its design keeps the baby warm while keeping the caregiver cool, and the Panda is portable. This unit will also improve resuscitative efforts when and if the need arises. The warmer utilizes the latest technology in providing thermoregulation of the newborn. The design is sleek, and increases ease of access to the infant for both the caregiver as well as the family. The iRES is equipped with a color display screen to improve communication among the care team, and features a hands-free alarm system for infection control. The cost for the new warmer is $20,000.00, and there are several levels of sponsorship available for the Crystal Cup as well as the other fundraising events dedicated to its procurement.
For more information about this year’s Crystal Cup, please contact Leah Beth McNutt at 256-233-9557, or leahmc@alhnet.org. We hope we can count on your continued support, and thank you for believing in your Hometown Hospital!
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
