Spotlighted Funds

Leslies Place Fund

This new fund supports Leslie’s Place, a free community clinic for uninsured adults in our community. Leslie’s Place is housed in the Casa de Amigos building and was the vision of Leslie Hendrix Wood, a longtime friend of the Midland Memorial Foundation. Leslie’s wish was to find a way to help the underserved in our local community through access to healthcare. After Leslie’s passing, her husband Lee and friend, Tricia continued the work she had begun. Lee and Tricia collaborated with Midland Memorial Foundation, CEO of Midland Health, Russell Meyers, and Dr. Rama Chemitiganti of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. This joint effort resulted in the establishment of Leslie’s Place! Leslie’s Place has five exam rooms and will soon also include a lab and pharmacy.

Hope Chest Fund

Hope Chest is an incentive-based program focusing on the health of babies across the Permian Basin. The program encourages responsibility and healthy behavior during and after pregnancy. Through a point system, mothers can earn necessities including diapers, wipes, clothing, car seats and humidifiers. Points are earned by going to their doctor’s appointments, attending childbirth education classes and health and wellness events. A mother and her baby are eligible for the Hope Chest Program until the child is two years old. Hope Chests grants a tangible step for our local mothers to feel empowered in providing for their families. Thanks to this program, these women can count on their earned points to afford the small everyday necessities for their babies. Let me know if that still doesn’t make sense. Thank you!

Behavioral Health Fund

The new Behavioral Health Fund is an exciting opportunity for the mental health department within Midland Memorial Hospital to receive additional support. Over the course of 2021, the mental health department has expanded its programs within the hospital and its collaborative efforts in the community. A few new programs include the Maternal Mental Wellness Program that focuses on supporting women who have postpartum depression or experienced pregnancy loss to get the resources they need during this difficult time. The Code Lavender Program is one designed to support staff who have experienced traumatic care events or to help prevent staff burnout which is very timely considering the ongoing battle with COVID-19. Local collaborative efforts are focused on working with the district attorney's office to create a jail diversion program for individuals with mental illness which would provide transitional housing, mental health treatment, and integration into the community. Other programs are in the works such as assistance for youth with mental illness and substance use issues and long-term recovery homes for adults with substance use issues and mental illness.

Tree of Life

Recently a team of nurses, in cooperation with Southwest Transplant Alliance representatives, initiated a Donate Life Committee at the hospital. The goal of the group is to promote organ and tissue donation here in Midland County and the Permian Basin. The group has implemented several initiates so far, but we are very proud to announce our work for a "Wall of Heroes." With the help of our facilities team, we have a rendering of a "Tree of Life" where each leaf will have a name of an individual who made a tissue/organ donation. The Tree of Life Fund will assist in funding the cost of the donor wall and will be located in the O'Shaughnessy Garden on the wall by the labyrinth.