MOVING THE PAST FORWARD - PROVIDENCE HOOD RIVER
BURIES A TIME CAPSULE DURING NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK

May 7, 2009

HOOD RIVER, Ore. - As a kick-off to National Hospital Week, May 10- 16, and in celebration of employees past, present and future, Providence Hood River will dedicate and bury a time capsule to preserve this moment in history. The time capsule will be dedicated and buried at 2 p.m., Monday, May 11, 2009, near the front entrance to the new hospital addition on 12th Street.

With the burial of the composite time capsule, three feet square by one foot deep, the hospital will preserve memorabilia, books, medical supplies and photos that capture the spirit of health care and our community for the next generation. It will be opened 50 years from now in 2059.

Inside are a variety of items submitted by Hood River County School children and Providence Hood River staff representing a broad spectrum of health care and community life, with more than 100 items included.

Contents include poems written by Mid-Valley Elementary School students, notes to themselves in the future from Hood River Middle School students, commemorative photos, issues of current and historical Hood River News editions, hospital grand opening memorabilia and numerous health care related items from Providence Hood River employees.

Samples of time capsule items include:

A letter to myself in the future from a Hood River a Middle School student
Dear Future Me:
Right now I am in seventh grade. Mr. Radley and Mr. Sprague are some my favorite teachers. I am playing football, basketball and baseball. I also snowboard. The latest phone is the iPhone. Lately there has been an economic crisis. What is the technology like now days?

Wishes for the future from Mid Valley Elementary students
In the future I wish that there would be less pollution on the earth. I also wish that everyone could have health care and a home to live.

For the future I want to see flying cars. I don’t want to see pollution. I want to see more houses being built for poor people. I don’t want to see graffiti on school walls. I want to see more trees being planted.

In the future I would like to see people helping each other, people recycling everything possible and everyone being happy.

Poem and an illustration of the Columbia River, fish, eagles and Mount Hood by a Cascade Locks Elementary School student
On the banks of the Columbia where the sternwheelers roam,
is a place where our friendships and minds are grown.
Where learning is forever and the eagles sing their song,
and we help one another when things go wrong.
Cascade Locks is the place to be,
Cascade Locks Elementary!

Teddy bear given by Providence Hood River Access Services Department
Given to children who come in for surgery helping to make their experience less frightening and to ease their way.

Hood River News 100th Anniversary editions and hospital grand opening tabloid
Showing future residents what life and health care was like in Hood River 100 years before and during 2009.

“Burying this time capsule during National Hospital Week is a wonderful way for us to celebrate the dedication of health care workers, past, present and future,” said Ty Erickson, chief executive of Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital. “Together with our community, we celebrate the past, honor the present send forth our hopes for a healthier future.”

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Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital is part of Providence Health & Services, the state’s leading health system and largest private employer. Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital is a full-service, critical-access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department. Providence offers a wide range of health care services in the communities of the Columbia River Gorge through its clinics, care centers and senior living facilities.