System News

After nearly two years of nurses fundraising and a final boost from the Foundation, Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital has a new golf cart to transport patients and visitors around its campus.

“It is a true reflection of the Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital spirit, and it’s another example of how our teams consistently live our mission, vision and values,” said Jennifer Crawford, chief nursing officer of the hospital.

The effort started in August 2020 when the hospital’s Shared Governance Team identified the need for a way to transport those who arrived at the wrong location on the hospital’s campus. It was a frequent occurrence for radiology procedures such as mammograms and ultrasounds, she said.

As the orthopedic and oncology patient population grew, the need continued to grow.

The Shared Governance Team launched their fundraising efforts with a Back-to-School Raffle Basket that resulted in two years’ worth of themed raffle baskets. Teammates could win with a donation as small as a dollar.

The team tracked their efforts monthly, and despite the challenges of COVID, never lost sight of their goal, Crawford said.

By February 2022, they had raised $4,742, and an additional anonymous $7,000 donation allowed them to meet their fundraising goal.

As they began to shop for golf carts, the price had increased significantly due to supply and demand. Golf carts now exceeded $15,000.

Crawford called Stacy Waters, vice president and president of the Foundation, and Waters immediately said she wanted to help.

“It was a perfect project to unite the Foundation with the nurses at Berkeley Hospital to better serve the community,” Crawford said.

The Foundation team helped identify a golf cart dealership, Go with Garret’s Golf Carts, that was willing to provide a cart to the hospital within its budget.

The golf cart was delivered in May and wrapped in an awesome RSFH camouflage in June. Volunteers now will now be offering the cart services to visitors, outpatients and teammates.