Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 03:20 PM

Former banker learned to appreciate importance of local healthcare resources.

Nancy Stewart tells GoldCare 55+ group how her experiences benefitted her, and the whole community.

Nancy Stewart worked in banking all her life but she was shocked at the astronomical dollar amounts involved in running a hospital. 

“Equipment is the number cost,” said Stewart, a board member of the Marshall County Health Care Authority which operates Marshall Medical Centers.

“Everything is costly. We want everything to be state-of-the-art because you deserve that.”

Stewart spent a lunch hour with GoldCare 55+ members, offering them a behind-the-scenes look at running a hospital. As a community-owned, not-for-profit hospital system, Marshall Medical Centers re-invests earnings into expanded services and technology to benefit the community.
  
“If you have to go to the hospital, this is a good place to go,” she said. 

Stewart’s busy civic life has called on her to raise money for various causes for the past 20 years. She decided that was enough. 

“I said I’m not going to raise any more money because people won’t take my calls.”

Personal experiences a big influence

Her sister’s throat cancer changed her mind. Stewart had turned down a request to work on a capital campaign to raise money for a cancer center in Marshall County. But seeing her sister drive to and from Vanderbilt Hospital six days a week changed her mind. 

All her sister wanted was to get her treatments ‘closer to home.’ That became the tagline for the new Cancer Care Center, for which Stewart helped raise $3 million of the total $9 million project in 2014.

“It was the easiest fundraising I’ve ever done,” she said. “I didn’t have one person turn me down.”

Stewart assured the crowd of seniors that members of the Health Care Authority, the CEO and administrators are interested in their feedback on the county-owned hospitals.
 
“If you have input, the door is always open,” she said. 

A horrific car accident 18 years ago severely injured Stewart and almost took her leg. She can’t say enough about the excellent care she got then that saved her life. 

“I trusted this hospital here to put me back together,” she said. “I was like Humpty Dumpty.”

More about GoldCare 55+

GoldCare 55+ hosts monthly lunch ‘n learns to provide information on everything from health and exercise to safe driving and fun parties. You can make a reservation by calling 256.571-8025 or 256-753-8025 for Arab area residents at least a week in advance. Cost is $5. Lunch is served at 11:30 and program begins at noon.

If you are 55 or older and would like to take advantage of all the benefits Marshall Medical Centers’ GoldCare 55+ program has to offer, visit https://www.mmcenters.com/serv... where you can download a membership application. For questions call (256) 571-8025 (for Arab area residents: (256) 753-8025) or email shirley.holland@mmcenters.com.