From left, Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation Treasurer Daniel Hocking and Executive Director Patricia Gaughan DiPalma meet with Immediate Past WMHF Treasurer Christine Adams in the WMH Community Room to discuss the foundation’s Annual Campaign Kick-Off.

The changing healthcare environment presents many challenges and opportunities.

“Being designated a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) is a great opportunity for AHN Westfield Hospital,’ said Dr. Kathryn S. Bronstein, board president of the Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, when announcing this year’s Annual Campaign.

AHN Westfield Memorial Hospital officials say the designation will ensure the hospital’s long-term financial and operational stability going forward and protect care access for its patients. Designated rural hospitals are eligible for additional federal funding and higher Medicare reimbursement rates.

“We are so gratified that AHN Westfield has received the REH designation,” said hospital Administrator, Dr. Rodney Buchanan. “This change will help residents of the region maintain access to the high-quality health services they need for years to come.”

The success of the Annual Campaign will also be critical for the continued viability and success of AHN Westfield Hospital,” continued Bronstein.

As the fund-raising arm for AHN Westfield Hospital, the WMH Foundation has vowed to work with the community hospital to provide financial support for the delivery of high-quality healthcare to the residents in the Chautauqua region and beyond.

This past year alone, the Foundation provided funding for a LIFEPAK monitor/defibrillator, Kitchen Flooring and Supplies, Surgical lights in the Emergency Department (ED) and Wound Clinic, Breast Cancer Awareness items in the Radiology Department and a Water Softener System and five Portable Air Purifiers needed throughout hospital.

WMHF Executive Director Patricia Gaughan DiPalma remarked: “We remain grateful to all our valued donors who understand the importance of this essential campaign by lending their amazing support year after year. If our hospital is to remain a forerunner in enhanced diagnostic services, the Foundation will repeatedly be called on to fund sophisticated equipment in all hospital departments,” DiPalma observed.

Both DiPalma and Bronstein noted, “It’s the generosity of the people who the hospital serves who help make the difference. We’d like to see more residents participate in this campaign. We challenge everyone in our hospital service area of Ashville, Bemus Point, Brocton, Chautauqua, Clymer, Dewittville, Findley Lake, Mayville, Panama, Portland, Ripley, Sherman, Stockton and Westfield to step up and take ownership of the need for state-of-the-art medical equipment in our community.”

Every dollar is vital to the Foundation’s annual campaign. “If you value having a hospital close by, and if you, a friend, a neighbor, a family member or a loved one, have ever been a patient at AHN Westfield Hospital, please make a tax-deductible donation of any size to our campaign,” said Bronstein. “Every gift is important and is greatly valued. Please consider joining in this philanthropic effort today with a tax-deductible gift to help us meet our ongoing needs,” she continued.

“It is here at AHN Westfield Hospital where we strive to continue to offer the finest 24-7 emergency services, physical therapy, radiology, laboratory services, orthopedic and wound care clinics, as well as telemedicine,” said Buchanan.

“Our community hospital has been a comforting and significant cornerstone of healthcare in our region, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished – especially with the help of our Foundation, currently celebrating its 47th year,” he continued.

All are invited to join in this worthwhile endeavor by returning their gift by December 31 to the WMH Foundation located at 189 East Main Street, Westfield, NY. Your gift today will directly fund: two new treadmills and two new elliptical bicycles in Physical Therapy as well as new flooring for the Medical Surgery area located on the second floor of the hospital.

For those who would like to learn more about the hospital Foundation or how to give to the 2025 Annual Campaign, contact Patricia at patricia.dipalma@ahn.org; call: 716-793-2338 or visit the foundation’s website at: www.westfieldhospitalfoundation.org.