Hitting the streets to 'Fill the Helmet' for burn survivors
Central California firefighters and Community Medical Centers join forces for the seventh annual Fill the Helmet fund drive for burn survivors from 7 a.m. to noon on Sept. 26.
Fill the Helmet volunteers will accept donations from motorists at the following locations:
- Fresno: Shaw/Blackstone, Friant/Audubon, Palm/Herndon, Blackstone/Herndon
- Dinuba: Alta/El Monte
- Kingsburg: Draper/Marion
- Porterville: Henderson/Prospect
- Reedley: Manning/Reed, 10th Street/I Street
- Sanger: Bethel/Jensen
“What began on a single street corner has grown to many locations in cities throughout the Valley,” said Chuck Leach, Fresno City fire captain and Fill the Helmet creator. “It is important that we support our burn center for the crucial services it provides to the community. Every dollar counts, so come out and help us Fill the Helmet for burn survivors.”
Fill the Helmet proceeds benefit patients treated at Leon S. Peters Burn Center at Community Regional Medical Center – the only round-the-clock, fully staffed burn center between Los Angeles and Sacramento. Last year Community performed more than 9,300 burn therapy procedures and nearly half of those treated were children.
In April 2007, the burn center relocated to its new home in the Leon S. Peters Burn Center on the 58-acre Community Regional Medical Center campus in downtown Fresno. This state-of-the-art facility offers more space for inpatient and outpatient burn care as well as increased privacy for patients and their loved ones. The new Leon S. Peters Burn Center features 10 intensive care burn patient rooms, a dedicated burn operating room, an outpatient burn treatment center and a hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit.
“This is an exciting time for the burn team because we know how much the new Leon S. Peters Burn Center will benefit our patients,” said Sandra Yovino, registered nurse and manager of Community’s burn center. “Thanks to a generous gift from the Leon S. Peters Foundation and those who contribute to Fill the Helmet, we will continue to provide top-notch burn care in an amazing new facility.”
This story was reported by Mary Lisa Russell. She can be reached at mrussell@communitymedical.org.