The View From The Mount
Providence Mount St. Vincent Announces Expansion of Services
Providence Mount St. Vincent is pleased to announce that we are expanding our transitional care and rehabilitation services with construction already underway.
Here's a quick summary of what is going to happen:
- The 20 beds that currently are designated as the short stay/transitional care unit will expand to 58 beds;
- Rehabilitation Therapies will be expanded to provide services for this increase in patients.
Why are we doing this?
- The Mount has an excellent reputation for the quality of its transitional care. Potential patients tell us they really want to come to The Mount for therapy and rehabilitation, but we are often full with our current capacity. This expansion will make us better able to meet the healthcare needs of our community.
- The skilled nursing community is changing. The State's financial support for long-term care is decreasing, and the State is looking for less expensive ways of supporting older adults. Many individuals want to remain in their own homes. Expanding rehab services can help achieve the goals of both the individual and the State by enabling more people to return to their own homes.
Construction should be complete by early March.
We welcome the opportunity to serve you and your family. Please feel free to contact our Admissions staff if you have any questions:
Sandra Twist Nicole Callis
206/938-8596 206/938-6036
Sandra.twist@providence.org Nicole.callis@providence.org
Black Tie Bingo Set for April 21, 2012
Black Tie Bingo, the Providence Mount St. Vincent Foundation's festive annual fund-raising, fun-raising event featuring a delicious meal, silent auction, Bingo games and fabulous prizes, is just around the corner! This year's event is set for Saturday evening, April 21st, at the Bell Harbor Conference Center on Pier 66 in downtown Seattle. All proceeds from the event will benefit the residents and programs of The Mount! Would you like to get involved?
There are plenty of ways to contribute to the success of this year's Black Tie Bingo, including...
- Come to the event! Tickets are $150 per person, and invitations will be mailed in March. Please contact the Providence Mount St. Vincent Foundation if you would like to receive an invitation. (Contact information is below.) Black Tie Bingo usually sells out in advance, so if you are interested in attending, don't delay!
- Serve as a table captain. (Each table will seat 10).
- Contribute something for the silent auction... an irresistible new or collectible item worth $80 or more, experiences, gift certificates, or smaller items that could be gathered into a gift basket.
- Donate a bottle or two of wine for the "Wine Grab." For $20, you may select a bottle of wine-but it's wrapped in a bag so you cannot see what it is. You may receive a bottle worth $100 or a bottle worth $15. That's the fun of it. If you can donate to the Wine Grab, the wine must have a value of at least $15.
- Contribute or solicit a dessert for the Dessert Dash. The Dessert Dash is another fun component of Black Tie Bingo. Our planning committee has solicited delicious desserts that will be displayed at the event. Each table will have an opportunity to contribute donations in support of the Dessert Dash. The table with the highest donation will have first choice of selecting a dessert. The table with the second highest donation gets the next pick and so on. If you love to bake, please contact us!
- Volunteer to help solicit items from friends, neighbors and local businesses (no experience needed -- we'll support you every step of the way!).
For more information about BTB, please contact the Foundation staff: Susan Clark (susan.p.clark@providence.org or call 206-938-6191)
Photo Exhibit Donated to The Mount
By Joan Silling, Photographer and Providence Health & Services Employee
All of my life I have been interested in animals and the habitats in which they live. Through my travels to 31 countries, including Africa, India, South and Central America, Australia, Europe, the North Pole and other interesting places, I have been introduced to the much larger world of not only animals and birds, but unique habitats and people and cultures that often revolve around these magnificent settings. When visiting these places, I am often transported to another time when living seemed much less stressful. While traveling in these countries I always feel that I have visited a place where life was very special and unique to other parts of the world.
India is a magical and colorful country and one of my absolute favorite places to visit. I have donated these specific images to Providence Mount St. Vincent to create a fifth floor gallery. It brings me joy to know that residents and visitors can be transported to Jaipur, the famed Pink City of India and the main gateway into Rajasthan, through viewing these photographs and with a little imagination.
The image of the protracted Amber Fort which is a splendid example of adventurous, capricious and also the megalomania style of the gallant Raiputs. Amber Fort is one of the best hilltop forts in India.
The City of Jaipur offers an array of vivid objects to purchase such as beautiful shoes. Not too far from Jaipur is the desert of Pushkar, where the annual Camel Fair is held each year in November at the time of the full moon. Beautiful women in brightly colored saris are busily working while the Fair is going on. Also another image is the pots of colorful Bindhi, Pottu, or Tika. These are the powder that adorns the forehead to create different shapes; often seen is the round dot. Then of course, the majestic tiger, my main reason to visit India. Very difficult to find, but once in sight it is the most majestic of all the animals.
For the past 25 years I have been photographing and have shared my images with museums, church groups, associations, and friends. I photograph for the simplest of reasons; it is absolutely my favorite thing to do at any time. To be caught up in a moment with a ring-tailed lemur and to observe its behaviors and see what life is like for this simply adorable creature, is truly spellbinding to me. I want to learn more about everything and the best way for me is through my photography. I never know which road will be traveled next; well, maybe I have a good idea!
Joan Silling was born in Wenatchee and has lived most of her life in Seattle. She has been taking photographs since she was in her teens and always had a special love for animals. During the week you will find her working in a corporate headquarters for a major corporation, but on weekends you will find her on the trail or by the pond looking for that next photograph.
Emilie's Treasures Celebrates 10th Anniversary
By Storey Squires, PMSV Volunteer Coordinator
Emilie's Treasures had a huge milestone anniversary in January. The wise women who run the shop know how important it is to take time to celebrate. January 2012 marks the 10-year anniversary since the shop moved from the basement to its current location on the 1st floor
hallway. Some people refer to this hallway as "Main Street" because of all the businesses and services located there - the gift shop, the sewing ladies, the hair salon, etc. Emilie Treasures (ET) is right in the heart of the action and very much a part of what gives The Mount its strong sense of community and vitality.
The "thrift boutique" that we know and love today has roots going back to 1968, when Sr. Mary Dolorita opened a shop so community members could find affordable household goods. It was briefly closed for two years in the early 70's then reopened in 1974 as the Emilie Shop, named for Emilie Gamelin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence. Sr. Florence Gaetz, a Mount volunteer/Sister of Providence, managed the shop (with the help of volunteers) for many years.
Of the current ET volunteers, two started when the shop was in the basement – Sr. Susan Fitzmorris and Sandra Eckstrom. These days the shop is run by a core group of 15 volunteers (most of whom have worked together for 8-10 years) as well as 6 volunteers who sub as the needed.
ET is both blessed and a blessing within this community. The shop’s success is due largely to the teamwork of the ET volunteers. They manage the shop as a group, dealing with all the staffing issues and making policy decisions together. Customers love the shop for many reasons though much of the draw is the ET volunteers – they are warm, funny, and genuinely caring. A visit can be ‘medicinal’ in terms of lifting one’s spirits – it’s simply that kind of wonderful place.
One tangible contribution has to do with its awesome fundraising ability. Because volunteers run it, proceeds go directly to the Mount Foundation. Between January 2002 and Nov 30, 2011, the shop has donated $529,650 to the Foundation and over $30,000 of in-kind donations (e.g. bingo coupons for residents and complementary items to fill neighborhood/resident needs). Wow. December, 2011 totals are not available at this time so we’ll see an ever higher figure for year-end 2011. Another impressive figure is the number of hours volunteers donate to operate the shop – the team averages 4,500 per year, which adds up to 45,000 hours donated since 2002. Amazing.