Bike Program Benefits Spina Bifida Patients at East Valley Hospitals

Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers Hosts 8th Annual Spina Bifida Bike Rally

Catholic Healthcare West’s (CHW) Volunteers in the East Valley, which consists of more than 600 volunteers serving Chandler Regional Medical Center, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, and CHW Urgent Care Centers in Ahwatukee, Gilbert and Queen Creek, will host the eighth annual Spina Bifida Bike Rally on Saturday, March 20th at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. These volunteers have committed to providing 23 bikes for Arizona children who have been afflicted with Spina Bifida.

Each bicycle is specially retrofitted to accommodate the individual needs of the child, costing from $1,200 to $1,500 each. The bicycles’ recipients have the opportunity to select the color of their bike and will also receive a helmet.

The ability to purchase these bicycles is due in large part to the efforts of volunteers who raise funds through hospital gift shop sales, as well as various vendor sales of scrubs, jewelry and books, among others. More than $20,000 was raised to fund the bike rally. Additional generous donations were made by the Phoenix Thunderbirds as well as individual donor sponsorships.

The recipients will have a chance to test drive their new bicycles on a course set up in the parking lot and enjoy fun filled activities to celebrate their new found freedom.

Spina Bifida is one of the most common birth defects and is without a known cause. It affects one in 1,000 newborns in the U.S., and occurs when the spine fails to close during the first month of pregnancy. Spina Bifida children have inefficient mobility which can lead to obesity and obesity related diseases. By gifting a bike to a child, it creates both mental and physical well being.

WHEN: Saturday, March 20, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: Mercy Gilbert Medical Center – Employee/physician parking lot (under the covered parking and west of the main entrance), 3555 S. Val Vista Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85297  (See map)

Volunteers are people who give their time, without expectation of pay, to assist with patient and non-patient care in medical facilities. Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) volunteers work at Chandler Regional Medical Center, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and within our Urgent Care centers in Ahwatukee, Gilbert and Queen Creek. All volunteer efforts add to the comfort and satisfaction of patients, staff and visitors.

Published on behalf of Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) is the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and one of the largest not-for-profit hospital providers in the West. Founded in 1986, the CHW network of more than 8,500 physicians and approximately 50,000 employees serve a population spanning 22 million people at 43 hospitals across California, Arizona, and Nevada. CHW facilities in Arizona include Chandler Regional Medical Center, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and Barrow Neurological Institute, CHW Urgent Cares in Ahwatukee, Gilbert and Queen Creek, Warner Outpatient Surgery and the Arizona Orthopedic Surgical Hospital.  For more information, please visit http://www.chwhealth.org/.

Technorati Tags: Arizona, Chandler, Chandler Regional Medical Center, CHW Urgent Care Centers, Gilbert, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, Queen Creek, Spina Bifida