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PodcastHistory of the Pinnacle Health Auxiliary
1873 – The City Hospital in Harrisburg, PA opened its doors for the business of curing the sick.
1888 - A meeting of 47 women organized to “render such aid and service as may promote the usefulness and efficiency of the hospital” marked the beginning of the Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital. This group of dedicated women was called the Women’s Aid Society to the City Hospital.
1889 - The first fundraiser was held—a Christmas Bazaar by the Women’s Aid Society.
1905 – Women’s Aid Society organized the Training School for Nurses
1909 – Polyclinic Hospital opened in Harrisburg, PA.
1912 - Sunshine Guild (ladies auxiliary) was organized at Polyclinic Hospital, to raise money and volunteer in the hospital.
1933 - The Sunshine Guild became known as the Polyclinic Medical Center Auxiliary.
1935 - First Community Fair and Hospital Family dinner fundraiser held by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Polyclinic Medical Center.
1936 – Seidle Memorial Hospital opened in Mechanicsburg, PA.
1937 - Seidle Hospital Auxiliary organized.
1941 - Seidle Hospital Auxiliary volunteers raised money for patient care services. All members of the auxiliary were required to donate at least one jar of jelly to the hospital when becoming a member.
1951- Osteopathic Hospital opened in Harrisburg, PA.
1951 - Snack bar and gift shop were opened at Harrisburg Hospital under the sponsorship of the Aid Society.
1954 - Baby photo service began at Harrisburg Hospital staffed by women volunteers from the Junior League.
1955 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital discontinued the use of “Women’s” in its name so that men might be included as full members.
1960 - Seidle Auxiliary holds first Annual Strawberry Festival in Mechanicsburg, PA.
1960 - Suburban Guild to Osteopathic Hospital organized to raise money for hospital projects.
1964 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital first sponsored the Harrisburg Horse Show.
1969 – Ladies Auxiliary of the Polyclinic Medical Center sponsored the first International Bazaar, which included auction items from twenty foreign embassies.
1970 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital began an association with John Wanamaker Hospital Day.
1972 - Polyclinic Medical Center Auxiliary introduced its first cookbook, which included recipes from the families of Governor Milton Shapp and Lieutenant Governor Ernie Kline.
1975 - First annual Lady Keystone Open held with support from all hospital auxiliary volunteers.
1976 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital presented the Healthy Woman seminar, which was open to members of the community.
1976 - Ladies Auxiliary of the Polyclinic Medical Center celebrated the U.S. bicentennial and the hospital’s 67 years of dedication and service.
1979 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital sponsored the first Children’s Health Fair for third graders, which became a model for auxiliaries throughout the U.S.
1982 - Polyclinic Medical Center Gift Shop opened.
1984 - Ladies Auxiliary of the Polyclinic Medical Center implemented an Infant Car Seat loan program.
1987 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital opened the first “Bailey House” (home-away-from-home) for patients’ family members. Named for Mrs. Charles L. Bailey who served as the first president of the Auxiliary.
1987 - Harrisburg and Seidle Hospitals merged to form Capital Health System.
1988 - Seidle Auxiliary supports Strawberry 5K Road Race and Fun Run.
1988 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital published 100th Anniversary Cookbook.
1988 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital began awarding scholarships to students pursuing a career in a health-related field.
1990 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital presented "Holiday Entertaining" by Julee Rosso.
1990 - Scholarship from the Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital was renamed “The Ernest R. McDowell Health Career Scholarship”, in honor of the late Ernie McDowell, former senior vice president for Marketing/Corporate Relations.
1992 - The Auxiliary began a program so all newborns would go home in a special handmade holiday stocking.
1994 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital hosts a Culinary Day and Kitchen Tour
1996 – Polyclinic Hospital and Capital Health System merged to become PinnacleHealth System.
1997 - Community General Osteopathic Hospital joined PinnacleHealth System.
1997 - Auxiliary of Harrisburg Hospital and Auxiliary of Polyclinic Medical Center with members from Community General Osteopathic Hospital and Seidle Memorial Hospital came together as the PinnacleHealth Auxiliary.
1998 - PinnacleHealth Auxiliary sponsored PinnacleHealth System mascot “Pinney the Panda."
1999 - PinnacleHealth Auxiliary assumed the management of the gift shop at UPMC Pinnacle Community Osteopathic.
2001 - PinnacleHealth Auxiliary opened the Kaleidoscope Kafé at Fredricksen Outpatient Center.
2001 - PinnacleHealth Auxiliary opened a Gift Shop at Fredricksen Outpatient Center.
2004 - PinnacleHealth Auxiliary welcomed the 5,000th guest at Bailey House.
2005 - Opened 2nd Bailey House Annex.
2007 - PinnacleHealth Auxiliary 10th Year Anniversary
2007 - Announced in May a pledge of $1.5 million in support of the Strengthening the Lifeline campaign for the new Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Emergency Department of the PinnacleHealth Harrisburg campus.
2008 – Changed name of the Harrisburg Hospital Coffee Shop to Hidden Door Café.
2009 - Allocated $10,000 to the Nurses’ Alumni Association Scholarship Fund in celebration of Harrisburg Hospital School of Nursing’s 100th-anniversary campaign.
2009 - Paid off the $300,000 pledge to the Helen M. Simpson Rehabilitation Hospital to support the Family Activity Center, Therapeutic & Healing Garden Center, and the Physical/Occupational Therapy Gym.
2010 - Partnered with Dauphin County Technical School for Bailey House Beautification Project.
2011 - Donated $150,000 during the Club PHantastic Presents a Night at the Museum towards the Strengthening the Lifeline campaign bringing the to-date amount raised to $750,000.
2012 - Donated $150,000 from the sold-out event Club PHantastic Presents Star Light, Star Bright, Shine for a Child Tonight to benefit PinnacleHealth’s Children’s Fund.
2012 - PinnacleHealth Tech Services finished the Bailey House Beautification Project in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our home away from home for patients' families.
2013 - Celebrating 125 Years of Service: 1888–2013.
2013 - Donated $25,000, proceeds from 2012 Chic PHantastic Fall Fashion Show and Luncheon, to the WomanCare Mammogram Voucher Program. During the event, Michael Young, CEO, announced that PinnacleHealth would match our donation, bringing the total contribution to $50,000 in support of uninsured or underinsured women.
2013 - Partnered with Capital Blue Cross to underwrite a full-color children’s picture book entitled Healthy Habits With or Without Diabetes. The book gives children tips on how to make better decisions about eating and physical fitness.
2013 - Received a $10,000 donation from The Hershey Company to benefit Bailey House made possible by a Hershey employee volunteering at Bailey House.
2013 – Donated $300,000 to support the Auxiliary’s pledge to the Harrisburg Hospital Emergency Department and children being served throughout PinnacleHealth. Proceeds from the 2013 Club PHantastic gala “Many Hands, One Mission”, contributed to this donation.
2013- Club PHantastic signature event was awarded Harrisburg Magazine Readers’ Choice
2014 - Pinney's Readers program initiated with the mission of providing medical staff new and gently used books to be given to children at well-child appointments to advise parents about the value of reading aloud to children.
2014 – Partnered with the American Literacy Corporation and Capital BlueCross to underwrite an activity book to accompany the Healthy Habits With or Without Diabetes book distributed to local schools and health fairs.
2014 – Created a Tranquility Garden at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at the Rocco and Nancy Ortenzio Cancer Pavilion with the proceeds from the 2013-2014 signature events: Chic PHantastic Fall Fashion Show and Club PHantastic Spring Gala.
2014 – Donated two sculptures to the PinnacleHealth West Shore Hospital. The PinnacleHealth logo created by Boris Kramer is displayed at the hospital’s front entrance. “Transcending Tides” created by Jeff Kahn is located adjacent to the Emergency Department entrance.
2014- Relocated the Fredricksen Outpatient Center Gift Shop to better serve patients and guests visiting the PinnacleHealth West Shore Hospital.
2015 – With two record-breaking fundraisers the Auxiliary supported the Nationally Accredited PinnacleHealth Breast Care Center with $180,000 to build a pleasant environment for patients to be treated and to support many of the programs associated with the Breast Care Center.
2015 – Bailey House re-opened 121 Washington Street after a brief closing for renovation. Thank you to the former Harrisburg Hospital Auxiliary for a gracious donation to support this renovation project.
2015 – Auxiliary donated a tree to the Tranquility Garden in honor of the one-year anniversary of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at the Rocco and Nancy Ortenzio Cancer Pavilion.
2016 - Supported the “Space to Grow, Room to Heal” Campaign to expand child services within the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute with a $130,000 donation.
2016 – Paid off a $1.5 million pledge for the Harrisburg Hospital Emergency Department.
2016 – Proceeds from the Chic PHantastic Fall Fashion Show supported the purchase of four Mamava Lactation Pods within the hospitals at Harrisburg, West Shore, Community General Osteopathic, and Polyclinic. These units provide a place for nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies or pump their breasts in quiet privacy with the necessary accoutrements provided.
2017 – Thanks to a generous gift from the estate of Eunice R. Milliron the Bailey House annex underwent a major renovation including the addition of first floor bathrooms, an additional bedroom, central air conditioning, painting, safety, and storage improvements.
2017 – Donated $121,000 to the “Space to Heal” Campaign 5th-floor expansion at Community General Osteopathic Hospital.
2017 – The Auxiliary supported the Emergency Department with a donation to provide needed equipment for expansion of the Telemedicine program expanding access to top-quality care in a timely manner, and in many cases, for members of our outlying communities who are often at a disadvantage as a result of their physical condition or their location at a distance from health care facilities and personnel.
2017 – Auxiliary Board of Directors voted to donate $25,000 to support renovations of the Chapel at Harrisburg Hospital.
2018 - The Bailey House Endowment was created to fund a self-sustaining investment vehicle to support its long-term mission. The goal is to ensure Bailey House remains a 24-hour facility, providing families free lodging while their seriously ill loved ones are hospitalized.
2018 – The 40th Anniversary of the Children’s Health Fair welcomed over 800 third grade students from urban, suburban, and rural school districts in the greater Harrisburg area to UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg to learn about healthy habits.
2018 - Partnered with the Central Region Literacy Council to produce Rock-A-Bye Baby Readers for families at UPMC Pinnacle highlighting the impact of reading on infant and child development.
2019 – Celebrated the 130th Anniversary of the Auxiliary with a dinner reception.
2020 – Donated $15,000 to support the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation COVID-19 Crisis Fund to purchase video monitors, iPads, and other needed supplies during the pandemic.
2020 – Presented the first-ever Virtual Children’s Health Fair to allow students across the region to view the annual program from home, due to social distancing restrictions during the pandemic.
2021 – Paid off Labor of Love pledge.