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Rice Hospital gala to raise funds for inpatient mental health

West Central Tribune (Willmar, MN) - 11/13/2014

Nov. 13--WILLMAR -- The Rice Health Foundation is putting on the glitz this weekend for a serious cause -- raising money to support an expansion of Rice Memorial Hospital's inpatient mental health unit.

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The nonprofit foundation hopes to raise a record $200,000 for the upcoming project, which will help increase regional access to inpatient mental health care by increasing the number of available beds. Changes are also being incorporated to reflect some of the latest best practices in inpatient suicide prevention, as well as improve the quality of life for patients while they're hospitalized.

"The goal is lofty. It's the highest we've set so far but I'm confident it's attainable," said Shirley Carter, executive director of the Rice Health Foundation.

The annual gala will take place Friday and Saturday at the Willmar Conference Center.

All 460 tickets for the Friday night dinner, silent auction and live auction sold out last month.

Tickets are still available for a lunch, boutique shopping and a review of festive table settings from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Hospital officials say there's a high local need for inpatient behavioral mental health care. Last year alone, Rice had to transfer 270 patients out of the community because all of the hospital's mental health beds were full.

The $1.6 million project, approved earlier this fall by the hospital board of directors, will add four more beds, bringing the total to 12.

A new exercise room and upgraded TV room will help enhance the hospital stay for patients, many of whom must be there for days and even weeks.

Safety changes also are in store to reduce the risk of patient suicides and reflect the most recent recommendations of the Joint Commission, the main accrediting body for U.S. hospitals.

Although Rice's mental health services are vital to the community, they often remain out of the spotlight, along with the staff that provides direct daily care to patients, Carter said. "This will be an opportunity for us to highlight what they do."

Community response has been encouraging, she said.

Besides a sold-out audience at Friday night's gala dinner, some new major sponsors have come forward to support the annual event, whose theme this year is "Snow and Ice."

A bonus for the dinner and auction: For the first time, the Rice Health Foundation presents a celebrity guest speaker -- Ken Barlow, a well-known meteorologist at KSTP-TV who went public two years ago about his own personal struggles with bipolar disorder. Few people other than Barlow's immediate family knew about his diagnosis until he revealed it while emceeing a National Alliance for Mental Illness walk in the Twin Cities in 2012.

Barlow has since become a mental health advocate, talking openly about living with a mental illness and supporting community education and awareness.

Carter said it was "a great opportunity" to secure Barlow as a speaker for the Rice Health Foundation event.

"It'll be inspiring to hear his story," she said.

In past years, funds raised by the Rice Health Foundation holiday gala have helped purchase high-tech hospital beds, created a common gathering space at the Rice Care Center and allowed the hospital to acquire new technology for breast cancer biopsies. The foundation also led a $2 million capital campaign in support of recently completed major renovation at the Rice Care Center.

Philanthropic support is key to ensuring that quality services remain available at Rice Hospital, Carter said. "The needs of health care are great and they are very expensive."

Tickets for Saturday are still available. Tickets at the door are $18 for both the lunch and the table setting review and $6 for the review alone. Doors are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Willmar Conference Center.

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(c)2014 West Central Tribune (Willmar, Minn.)

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