The Integrative Medicine Fund
Lou Gerigs Disease once controlled Dorothy O’Brien’s life. Now, thanks to integrative medicine, she has learned to cope with the disease and thrive.
“Heartspring Wellness Center is amazing in so many ways,” said O’Brien. “It’s hard to express how grateful I am for what they do. I don’t expect to find a cure for my disease, but the acupuncture I receive and the Yoga classes I take help hold off the effects a little longer. I believe in this program and appreciate the warm and kind people at Heartspring Wellness Center.”
Samaritan’s Division of Integrative Medicine provides services throughout the Samaritan system. In addition to two outpatient clinics, the Corvallis and Albany Heartspring Wellness Centers, integrative medicine provides consults and relaxation therapies to patients in the hospital. It also offers many ongoing classes, workshops, retreats and informational lectures to enhance one’s well-being.
All of this is made possible by the Integrative Medicine Fund at the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation. Donations to the Integrative Medicine Fund help:
- Provide scholarships to uninsured patients fund community education
- Make facility improvements
- Expand services into other communities
- Create a healing environment
The Mario Pastega House
The Mario Pastega House on the Good Sam campus is a comfortable “home away from home” for out-of-area patients and families traveling to Corvallis for specialized medical care. The house opened in the summer of 2004 after the GSH Foundation completed a successful fund drive to build the facility and establish an endowment to help support its ongoing operation.
Multiple opportunities exist for donors to help ensure that everyone who needs the Pastega House has access. For example, donors may purchase engraved pavers to grace the entrance, patio, gazebo and walkways of the guest house. Donations range from $100 for a 4 x 8-inch paver to $1,000 for a 12 x 12-inch paver. Friends of the guest house also may support a night’s stay by donating the $20 suggested nightly fee that some guests may not be able to afford.
In 2009, Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation donors provided for more than 600 nights of lodging at the Pastega House to low-income guests. The house itself recently surpassed 20,000 total guest stays.