Jane Bowers, the Campaign Coordinator for the $4 million Humane Society of Catawba County Capital Campaign, spent an afternoon scouring the warehouse at Frye Regional Medical Center for any items that would benefit the new Humane Society.  Lobby chairs, printers, rolling carts, fax machines, anything that the Humane Society could use was hoisted on to a truck bed for transport to its new home.  Frye Regional Medical Center, a supporter and sponsor of the Humane Society of Catawba County, donated these items for use in the new facility.  “Frye is committed to helping the community,” says Denny Bruns, CEO of Frye Regional Medical Center.  “We believe the Humane Society is an important asset to Catawba County and we are dedicated to the success of the new facility.” 

To date, HSCC has generated $2.6 million of a $4 million goal to build and furnish a no-kill shelter, spay/neuter clinic and education center in Hickory’s Fairgrove Business Park, plus an endowment to pay for the facility’s general operation costs.  The society is requesting cash donations and in-kind gifts of equipment and furniture. The new Humane Society facility will provide better conditions for animals and staff than the existing shelter. The education center will offer programs for children and adults, on pet care and animal first aid. The low cost spay / neuter clinic will be the heart of the facility as it will help cut down on the number of unwanted pets. It will service the public from Avery, Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Iredell, Lincoln and Watauga counties, in addition to Catawba.

The new facility is expected to open Fall 2006.  Construction will begin by the end of this year.

Frye Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet North Carolina, is a 355-bed acute care facility located at 420 North Center Street in Hickory.  The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Catawba County since 1911.  The hospital’s main campus includes a comprehensive heart center and cardiopulmonary rehab, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, pediatrics, center for neurosciences, cancer center and women’s pavilion.  Frye has several extended campuses to serve families throughout the area, including Frye Wellness and Education Center, which houses the Center For Diabetes Self-Management Care, perinatal education and community wellness classes; South Campus for psychiatric services; Viewmont and Tate Surgery Centers; Vein and Wound Center/Infusion Care; Unifour Pain Treatment Center; Piedmont Therapy, offering sports and industrial rehabilitation; an urgent care facility; FryeCare, an outpatient diagnostic facility; Alexander Campus, which provides 24-hour emergency care along with diagnostic and laboratory services and infusion care; plus HealthPoint, which provides extensive industrial services and programs to employers.

Frye Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.  To learn more about the hospital, visit www.fryemedctr.com.