HRH gets into ‘penny war’ to aid digital mamography

    HOULTON — Staff members of Houlton Regional Hospital were at war last month, as they participated in the Penny War to raise money for the digital mammography campaign.
    The idea of a Penny War came from Joanie McAfee’s daughter. Her daughter’s company donates to Make a Wish Foundation. They came up with $2,000 within a month.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Gloria Austin
COMMITTEE MEMBERS — Members of the Revenue Cycle events team presented money to Sue McLaughlin to be used for the digital mammography campaign. Members are, front, left to right, Joanie McAfee, McLaughlin and Deb Lavine; back, Vicki Moody, Cindy Daigle, Patty Johnson and Polly Joslyn.
    “We started a Revenue Cycle events team last fall to do some team building since we are three departments that are spread out in different areas,” said Polly Joslyn of Patient Accounts. “Joanie is the events coordinator and came up with some ideas to get us started. The hospital recently formed the internal mammography campaign so we decided this was the best place to donate our ‘war’ funds.”
    The three departments who participated in the “war” were Medical Records, Patient Accounts and Admitting.
    The groups only donated for a month.
    “Every penny brought in was considered a point,” said McAfee. “If anyone puts in [anything other than pennies] points are subtracted. That is a negative.”
    The group came up with $382 and wanted to donate that to the digital mammography campaign that is going on at Houlton Regional Hospital.
    “That was our charity,” said McAfee.
    In pennies alone, the group raised $295.
    “We had more pennies than dollars,” McAfee explained.
    “The first week was really fun,” said Joslyn. “The second week, she [McAfee] came in and put in $5 in the two opposing department’s jars and that sparked the war. It kept snowballing.”
    “It was to keep building the money,” McAfee added.
    The next step is another war.
    “We are taking it house wide and again the proceeds will go to our internal mammography campaign,” Joslyn said.