With the Hoops Family Children’s Hospital (HFCH) welcoming a pediatric oncology nurse educator to its staff, the Huntington automotive dealer who helped make that possible said he was ecstatic to learn the hospital had received a $100,000 grant from Hyundai Motors.
“Any time we can bring in something that’s going to help the community we’re going to do that,” says Sam Miller, owner of Dutch Miller Hyundai, one of a dozen dealerships his family operates in five states.
Awarded in late 2022 through Hyundai Motors’ “Hope on Wheels” program, the grant funds will cover salary, benefits and educational materials for the new nurse educator position.
About a decade ago, Miller and his brother Chris were involved in obtaining a similar Hyundai grant for the children’s hospital at Charleston Area Medical Center. When Sam received a note about last year’s program, he contacted Bradley Burck, who leads the fundraising often for the Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation to suggest
they apply.
“We didn’t have to do a lot of work,” Miller said of the short timeframe between the notification and the award. “The stars aligned and sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”
“The nurse educator will help guide patients and families during cancer treatment, as well as write and refine policies and procedures,” said Paul Finch, MD, chief of the pediatric oncology department and an associate professor the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. He said the position will elevate the care given to young cancer patients.
“As it stands now, a nurse may have two to four patients on a given shift, so most of their time will be spent delivering care and completing documentation,” Dr. Finch said. “Time available for additional training on a new medication or treatment regimen can be limited. Training each staff member will be more effective in a one-to-one or small group setting.”
The team at Hoops Family Children’s Hospital is thankful to Sam, Chris and the whole Dutch Miller family for their heart for the community.
“They called out of the blue and said, ‘You should apply for this,’” Burck said. “And here we are, $100,000 later, with the ability to hire this specialized nurse and be able to help families in our region who are going through a frightening time.”
As the father of four children, ages nine months to seven years, Miller said it hits home to know that a cancer specialist could benefit any parent in the
Tri-State Area – including himself.
“It could be me,” Miller said. “I could be that father. It could be one of my children. That would be devastating for us. To impact someone who could be in that position of needing this help feels good. On a scale of one to ten, it’s an eleven. It’s totally important. It impacts the people and children of the community and provides a lot of jobs. It’s huge.
