Norm and Karen Carlson Receive Ambassador Award

Pictured: LIz Semaan, executive director, BHF; Norm and Karen Carlson; Terry Morrow, president BHF; Rachel Worgess, board chair, BHF

Bronson Health Foundation (BHF) Board of Directors recently presented Norm and Karen Carlson with the John and Kay Polzin Ambassador for Healthcare Award. The award honors those who work tirelessly to make this region a better place to live, and who do so with no intent or expectation of recognition.

In 2016, Norm and Karen had an idea of having a Farm to Table Dinner to benefit Bronson Children’s Hospital. The dinner has grown year after year, with nearly 500 people attending in 2022, and raising more than $138,000. Proceeds from the event have supported a range of projects selected by the Carlsons including NicView cameras for families with babies in the NICU as well as resources and meals, enhancements to the family kitchen and playroom at Bronson Children's Hospital and to Bronson LakeView pediatric spaces and much more.

New Technology Benefits Bronson's Youngest Patients

Many patients in Bronson Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit benefit from using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to provide respiratory support to help with lung development.

Thanks to donors, NICU staff can now monitor the amount of air pressure babies are receiving through an external monitoring device. The patient care team will be alerted if there are any issues with the equipment such as leaks or inadvertent disconnection. This allows for a correction to be made quickly to prevent the level change from impacting the baby. It's another important example how donors are directly helping to advance the health of our youngest community members.

Good Neighbor Campaign Results

A huge thank you to everyone who helped us raise more than $231,000 during our annual Good Neighbor Campaign! The support provided by our generous donors will have such a meaningful impact on our patients and families. We are so grateful to the individuals, families, organizations and businesses who partner with us!

Honoring Our New Emeritus Board Members

Pictured: Terry Morrow, president, BHF; Michele Marquardt, board member emeritus; Dennis DeHaan, board member emeritus; Rachel Worgess, BHF board chair; Bill Manns, president and CEO, Bronson Healthcare

Following a decade and a half of dedicated service on Bronson Health Foundation’s Board of Directors, Michele Marquardt and Dennis DeHaan were both recently honored as new emeritus board members.

Marquardt and DeHaan were recognized for their ongoing commitment, passion and steadfast leadership. “Michele and Dennis were instrumental in helping lead the transformation of Bronson Health Foundation so that it could become the vibrant, impactful and critically important and necessary partner that it is today in helping Bronson deliver exceptional healthcare to our region,” says Foundation president, Terry Morrow.