Pediatric Rehab Response Letter
July 30, 2020
Dear Valued Donor,
I want to apologize to you. The recent letter you received from our Foundation asking for help buying equipment for our pediatric rehab program offended some of our donors, patients and community members. Of course that was never our intent, so I want to personally apologize and clarify a few things.
First of all, we love and admire our pediatric rehab patients. We love them just as they are and never meant to imply they need to have rehab to “fit in.” All people with disabilities are important members of our community and we are grateful we can serve so many of them. I apologize if anything in our letter made you feel otherwise. Our goal, as stated on our website, is to “work with children and their families to assist each child in reaching their maximum potential to function independently.”
Second, we know there are others who offer some types of pediatric services in Lemhi County. What we meant in the letter you received was that we believe at this time our rehab department at SMMC is the only place where all three services—physical, occupational and speech therapies—are offered together in one place. We strive to offer coordinated, integrated services for all our patients. Also, our main pediatric physical therapist, Lori Kohls, is the only PT in town who has a special clinical certification in pediatric care as far as we are aware. We plan to keep growing our pediatric therapy program so that we can serve more children in every need they have. That’s why we were asking your help on purchasing more equipment to expand our capabilities.
Finally, we are extremely grateful for the donations you have made to us in the past. We offer so many other services here at SMMC beyond rehab, and we just can’t keep up with all the needs without help from our community. It has been that way since Eleanor Steele Reese helped start this community hospital 70 years ago. If we all pitch in whatever amount we can, we will be able to stay a strong and independent community-focused hospital for many years to come. As we face COVID-19 and whatever comes next, we will always be indebted to you, our donors, for helping us meet all your needs.
Again, my apologies if we gave any offense to you or anyone else. Thank you for supporting us in the past, present and future.
Sincerely,
Jeanie Gentry
Chief Executive Officer
