August 5, 2026 – At the end of May 2026, the JCF Hospital Foundation began a fundraising campaign to purchase five “smart” IV pumps for the Healthcare District. The community delivered. The Foundation received enough donations to not only fund the IV pumps, but to start saving for the next item on the Healthcare District’s equipment wish list: a patient lift for the acute and emergency departments. 

“The Foundation extends a huge thank you to Tom and Cathy Armstrong,” said Executive Administrator Miranda Wass. “Tom and Cathy donated the entire $13,800 necessary for the five IV pumps. What a gift! We are grateful to them for their generosity.”

Intravenous (IV) pumps, also called infusion pumps, are medical devices that precisely deliver medications and fluids directly into a patient’s bloodstream at controlled rates. They are used frequently in the emergency department and for in-patient care. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the Foundation’s continued support in bringing additional smart infusion pumps to our hospital,” said Peter Choi, PharmD, Pharmacist. “Smart pumps are an important patient safety tool because they use a built-in drug library with preset dosing parameters and safety limits that help our clinicians administer medications safely and accurately.”

“Since receiving our first 11 smart pumps in 2023,” stated Choi, “we’ve continued expanding this technology throughout the District. With the addition of five more smart pumps, we now have 24 in service, allowing us to retire older pumps that don’t offer the same advanced safety features.”

“The impact is already evident,” continued Choi. “Smart pump use has increased by 82% compared to this time last year, growing from 1,554 medication administrations to 2,837. As we continue expanding the use of this technology, we’re strengthening our culture of safety and helping ensure every patient receives the safest care possible.”

Last year, the John C. Fremont Healthcare District requested a $25,000 modern Hamilton T-1 ventilator from the JCF Hospital Foundation to replace old, outdated equipment in order to provide the best possible care to our community, and, through the Foundation’s fundraising campaign, the community delivered. 

The Foundation conducted an extensive, successful fundraising campaign last fall, resulting in the presentation of a check to the Healthcare District in December 2025. The Healthcare District received the life-saving equipment and put it into service on March 21, 2026.

“We appreciate this extraordinary, quick turn-around,” said Healthcare District CEO Stacey Kuzak. "We are grateful for the support of the Hospital Foundation and the community of Mariposa. Collaboration and partnership are key to our success as a District, and this is a great example."

“This will save lives,” said Savannah Dent, a respiratory therapist for the Healthcare District. “For many years, the top complaints patients have when visiting the Emergency Department involve respiratory health. A state-of-the-art ventilator is a crucial piece of equipment.”

“The hospital had an old, very outdated Zoll ventilator,” said Anna Duaro, a respiratory therapist at the Healthcare District. “It is like a brick cellphone from the 1980s that had an antenna to pull up to use. The Hamilton T-1 ventilator is like a smartphone. It is intuitive and has many more capabilities than what the hospital had. This new ventilator will help us provide the best possible care to our community.”

The cost of the ventilator was $25,000. Purchasing this was only made possible by the generosity of many people. 

With sincere appreciation, the Foundation would like to recognize: 

Major supporters: Glenn and Kathy Sutherland, and Rick Roeche
Large donors: Mariposa Chamber of Commerce, Steve and Rosemarie Smallcombe, and Cathi Boze
The many community members who gave smaller gifts. 

With everyone pulling together, we created a powerful impact for patient care.