The California Kids

Growing champions for your cause is a difficult thing to do. Finding people who understand your mission and want to contribute their time, talent and effort is very challenging. So, tongue in cheek, we had to import one of our many family champions.

Blake and Chris Himmelwright came from California. They traded in the “surf and sand” for just Kansas sand. The Himmelwright’s learned, like we all do, that life is more than the environment or culture, it is about the people. The mid-western mentality and kindness have endeared them to Kansas.

Blake and Chris moved their family to Pratt in 1980 and they consider Pratt their home. They raised their four children here. Blake manages a variety of agriculturally based businesses while Chris is the Home Office Engineer and Planner.

Chris joined the Gifts and Bequests Committee in 1998 and enjoyed learning about the relationship of donors to PRMC and the Pratt Health Foundation. She was an active member of the Committee until 2006 when she and Blake became members of the Pratt Health Foundation Board.

Soon thereafter the Committee and the Foundation merged but Chris affectionately remembers the purpose and function of the Committee and works to maintain them. The Gifts and Bequests Program annually reminds us of those who volunteered to serve on the Committee, encouraging community members to leave estate and memorial gifts to PRMC. In doing so thousands of dollars of medical equipment have been provided for patients while saving the hospital the expense of budgeting tight dollars for the same purpose.

As third party reimbursements continue to fall and the non-insured numbers grow, it is important to have people like Blake and Chris Himmelwright who understand the challenge and offer their resources to make a difference. They were involved in the recent Capital Campaign as well as the matching challenge gift for this year’s Spring Fund drive and offer many talents to the continued success of the Pratt Health Foundation. We are pleased to include them and others who have the same passion.

If you would like to be involved in the work of the Foundation or just have questions about how it works, I would encourage you to stop by the office. If you let us know you are coming we will even warm up the coffee pot for your visit. As always it is an honor to serve south-central Kansas community through the Pratt Health Foundation.

. . . equipping PRMC to be “Simply the Best”

Strategic Planning Progress

PRMC is planning for the future by going through a strategic planning process. You may ask, “What is Strategic Planning?” The answer is much easier than the process. Two years ago the PRMC administration began by evaluating all aspects of the hospital. It covered the medical services, the business operations and the physical plant. The evaluations asked two basic questions: Are we efficient? and “Are there more services we could offer for our community? We discovered that we are doing very well considering the limitations we have.

The fact that a majority of our physical plant is now over 55 years old was noted. Just normal usage over time wears out a facility and requires costly repairs but PRMC is also confronted with new regulatory challenges. Complying with fire codes, building codes, handicap accessibility codes, etc. require many expensive building alterations.

What does the future hold? We plan to let you know as soon as some decisions are made. The future depends on what needs to be done, the costs of doing it and the time frame in which it needs to be done. It is an exciting process and we will keep you informed.

An Estate Planning Tidbit – Selling the Farm

The children of rural families continue to exit rural communities to establish themselves in urban areas. We work hard over a lifetime to accumulate the land that we live on. We would like the land to stay in the family but that becomes more difficult as the years go by and our children’s families become immersed in urban lifestyles.

As you consider this, here are a few questions which may help you plan for the future. First, have you developed resources to provide for your retirement and healthcare expenses? Second, can your family provide your retirement and healthcare resources? Third, will your family need to sell the farm to provide the resources needed for your healthcare as you age? And last, if your family is not interested in farming the homestead, when will your heirs decide to sell the property and use the resources for other purposes?

Land and farm equipment can be placed in a Charitable Remainder Trust for your retirement and healthcare needs. The trust can convert the property to cash to support your retirement and the remainder can be left for your children and your favorite charitable cause/s. There are other advantages based on each family’s unique attributes. The PHF offers no-cost, no-obligation estate planning services if you need them, just call for more information.

A publication of the Pratt Health Foundation (PHF)
203 S. Main * Pratt, Kansas 67124
( PHF and PRMC are 501(c)3 charitable healthcare organizations.)