WCA Hospital

The Capital Campaign for
OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

A new Emergency Department capable of meeting the current and future needs of this community is the single most important capital initiative WCA Hospital and this community can undertake. WCA is conducting a capital campaign through 2013 which will complete funding for our new Emergency Department, a $16.5 M project. This campaign will transform the front door of healthcare in our community and strategically position WCA Hospital for the future.

WCA Hospital’s Emergency Department provides 53% of all visits in Chautauqua County, and is the principal driver of inpatient volume as 77.5% of our inpatients begin their episode of care in the Emergency Department. It plays a key role in public health surveillance, as well as disaster preparation and response. The Emergency Department is also the main source of healthcare for a large percentage of area residents and provides much of the medical care for patients without medical insurance.

Constructed in the 1970’s, the current Emergency Department is sized to accommodate less than 10,000 annual visits. Currently, WCA accommodates over 36,500 annual visits and is forecasted to eclipse 41,000 annual visits. Increases in the 65+ population will continue to spur this precipitous utilization, which further taxes our already strained local healthcare system. The current Emergency Department (7,700 square feet) is four times too small based on present day volume and architectural standards, lacks privacy, inhibits physician and staff recruitment, and does not meet the current standards for emergency preparedness, bio-terrorism, or homeland security.

Featuring thirty private treatment rooms, the new 18,000 square foot Emergency Department will maintain and enhance the quality of care for which WCA Hospital is nationally recognized. It will meet the present day and the increasing future volume demands of our community. Coinciding with the implementation of electronic health records, the new Emergency Department will minimize patient treatment times, decrease throughput/admission times, improve efficiency, and improve collaboration. Ultimately, the new Emergency Department will meet our patients’ and families’ expectations for a quality experience.

A successful capital campaign and the new Emergency Department will have a tremendous long-term economic impact on the financially-challenged Chautauqua Region. WCA Hospital annually contributes over $190 M into our local economy. When factoring in our medical staff’s contribution, WCA infuses an estimated $250 M a year. With an operating budget of approximately $100 M, WCA therefore generates over $2 of economic return for every $1 we spend. Studies also indicate that the healthcare sector supports one in every ten jobs in the private sector. WCA Hospital is Chautauqua County’s second largest employer with over 1,100 employees, many of whom are “highly skilled” and over 560 of whom live within the Jamestown zip codes. The new Emergency Department will not only help WCA to recruit qualified physicians and staff, but will also help many other Jamestown-area employers recruit qualified employees to the area. As the economic engine, an investment in this campaign and in WCA Hospital will be an enormous boost to the local economy and reap sustainable, future economic benefit for the entire region.

The Endowment Campaign for
OUR COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

In order for WCA Hospital to remain competitive, continue to enhance our quality, and be prepared for the future needs of our community, it is imperative for the W.C.A Foundation to increase its endowment. Alongside the capital campaign for our new Emergency Department, WCA will be conducting a ten-year, $10 M planned giving/endowment campaign.

A strong endowment gives WCA a solid foundation, one from which we can launch initiatives that will ensure that WCA Hospital will remain a vibrant community hospital. This campaign will complement WCA’s overall strategic plan of campus consolidation as additional streams of funding will be needed to relocate services from Jones Memorial Health Center as WCA Hospital moves toward a more efficient, single campus enterprise.

Legacy gifts offer a way to endow the future of WCA Hospital, while creating tax savings and/or income benefits for individuals. These planned gifts include bequests in a will or living trust, life insurance, retirement plans, charitable gift annuities, and charitable trusts. Anyone who makes such a gift becomes an honored member of The 1885 Society.

Unrestricted planned gifts are used where the W.C.A. Foundation Board of Directors, in coordination with WCA Hospital staff, determines the need is greatest. Planned gifts earmarked for endowment can also be unrestricted, or can be restricted for specific departments or purposes.

Many individuals choose to create named endowed funds to honor the memory of a loved one or to perpetuate a tradition of philanthropy in the family name. The W.C.A. Foundation manages these endowed funds to annually support WCA Hospital and its needs.

To make a gift in support of Sharing the Gift of Health campaign, please contact:

Karl J. Sisson, Director of Development
W.C.A. Foundation, Inc./WCA Hospital
207 Foote Avenue, P.O. Box 840
Jamestown, NY 14702-0840
(716) 664-8423, development@wcahospital.org