Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaires Receives Alzheimer's Association Public Service Award

The Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaries (MAHA) recently received the Alzheimer’s Association Public Service Award from the organization’s St. Louis Chapter.

MAHA immediate Past President Dolly Jewel, a Cape Girardeau resident and member of the Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary, accepted the award on behalf of all Missouri hospital auxiliaries.

Each year, the president of the Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaries selects the organization of his or her choice in a health-related field to be the recipient of charitable efforts of the statewide coalition of hospital auxiliaries. Jewel, a longtime champion of the Alzheimer’s Association, selected that organization as the 2007 charity of her choice.

Through outreach, 90 auxiliaries through the state focused on raising awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and the many services available to Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.

“There were 28 participating hospital auxiliary chapters in southeast Missouri and the St. Louis area,” Jewel said. “The projects they did were amazing. Aside from raising thousands of dollars across the state, special awareness projects were done, Memory Walks were held, purple Alzheimer’s Disease awareness bracelets were sold, special weeks were hosted for Alzheimer’s awareness at hospitals and in communities, educational literature was distributed and there was a boom in the creation of new Alzheimer’s Disease support groups.”

Jewel added that the Alzheimer’s Association staff also was given the chance to speak to large audiences about Alzheimer’s Diseases services and support. “The outreach and education the chapter was able to do as a result of this very generous partnership will go a long way in bettering the lives of caregivers and individuals affected by dementia.”

The Alzheimer’s Association, St. Louis Chapter, serves 38 counties in eastern Missouri including southeast Missouri and western Illinois, offering numerous programs for those dealing with the many stages and issues of the disease. For additional information about Alzheimer’s Disease, family support or research, visit the Alzheimer’s Association Web site at www.alzstl.org or call the 24-hour helpline at 800-980-9080.