The first-ever St. Anthony Regional Hospital Gala on Saturday, Nov. 18, proved to be just what the doctors as well as physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other medical-care providers ordered.

The event filled the Carrollton Event Center ballroom nearly 300 attended and featured a dinner and dance, but the focus of the evening also was on the live and silent auctions as well as a raffle that generated more than $280,000 that will go toward improvements to the St. Anthony Emergency Department.

The hospitals emergency department has an opportunity for improvements related to safety and security for staff and other patients who are being treated, especially in situations involving disruptive patients. Additional safe space is needed to house acute mental health patients who stay in the emergency department until suitable placement can be located, which can be a week or more due to the serious shortage of mental health beds in the state.

St. Anthony President and CEO Allen Anderson and Foundation Director Trish Roberts told the Times Herald that since this was a first-time event they had no idea what to expect but that they were thrilled with the results.

Nearly 300 people filled the Carrollton Centre ballroom for dinner at the St. Anthony Regional Hospital Gala.

We had some hopes and dreams and ideas of what might happen, but we went into it just hoping for the best, working really hard, and we had a great team, Roberts said.

She related, The idea (for the gala) came about because several of our medical providers said it would be great for St. Anthony to have a special event to bring people together for a good cause and a good project. The labor all was provided by our staff, our medical providers, from physicians to nurses to all different types of people who work here at St. Anthony, at McFarland Clinic and other clinics here in town.

Roberts continued, It really was the medical providers, who said wouldnt it be nice to have an event where people could get dressed up and go our for a really nice evening. That was their vision.

Designating the proceeds for emergency department improvements will have wide impact, Anderson and Roberts noted.

Anderson said St. Anthony is at the tip of the iceberg for planning improvements and was considering prospective architectural firms.

As we tried to determine how the funds were going to be used, we really wanted to support the mission of the hospital, he said. So we looked at what mental health care is going to look like, where we can made the greatest impact.

A basketball autographed by University of Nebraska Men's Basketball Coach and former Iowa State University standout Fred Hoiberg along with more than 70 other items were offered in silent auction in the St. Anthony Regional Hospital Gala.

Weve seen an increase in the numbers in mental health come through our emergency department, and we have recently done a safety and security assessment for both patients and for our staff members, and that was one of the things highlighted.

Knowing these types of patients are going to be coming through our emergency department, we really want to do the best to protect and impact our employees safety.

Roberts said, There are times when these patients stay in our emergency department for an extended period until we can find the proper placement for them at the proper facilities. Based on our mission of providing appropriate care, how do we provide appropriate care until we find that placement, in a safe place for them with respectful care?

We just want to keep improving (emergency department care), she added

Anderson pointed out there have been a lot of advances in emergency medicine since St. Anthonys last emergency department project.

The hospitals last remodel of the emergency department began in 2008. It was around that time that St. Anthony began providing emergency department physician coverage to the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The department was remodeled to have a secure entrance that controlled outside access to the area. Patients could arrive by ambulance and be taken directly to the emergency department. Treatment rooms were designed to be in direct sight of the nurses station, which allows consistent patient monitoring by nurses and support staff.

Roberts says that while those changes were significant for the times, they no longer meet needs today as St. Anthony strives to serve the needs of its patients and the community.

The more than 70 items offered in silent auction for the St. Anthony Regional Hospital Gala were displayed outside the Carrollton Centre ballroom.

Dr. Suzy Feigofsky, a cardiologist at Iowa Heart who served on the Gala Committee, commented, In a world of decreasing reimbursement, rising health care costs, and the loss of small independent hospitals, the St. Anthony Gala was an opportunity for the community to come together. Many of us know someone who has been affected by mental health issues. Following the pandemic, this crisis has worsened. The funds raised at the gala will help our hospital update our emergency room, which is typically the first step of care for mental health patients. Improving access to care, and providing state-of-the-art care, improves the lives of everyone in our community. I hope that we, as a community, can continue to support the growth and development of St. Anthony Regional Hospital.

The live and silent auctions offered a wide variety of items.

Some of the live auction items were a live concert by the band Aged Spirits, a half beef with processing, two cheesecakes, a Bobcat Zero Turn Mower, a 6-carat Pink Tourmaline and 1-carat diamond ring in 14K white gold, a Templeton Rye bar table and four chairs, and a choice of one of three trips for two (Spain/Portugal, Columbia/Snake River cruise, or Christmas in New York City). Auctioneer was Jared Muhlbauer.

The silent auction included 75, items and bidding was open online to the general public beginning two weeks before the gala. Bidding concluded at 9:10 p.m. the night of the event.

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First-ever Gala raises over $280K for emergency department project - Carroll Daily Times Herald