Donor Spotlight: Neil Horning, MD

­­Every gift positively impacts the live-saving work performed every day at MercyOne. As a physician, Neil Horning, M.D. sees firsthand the impact a donation has on patients.

Dr. Horning has served as a pulmonologist and critical care physician at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center for more than 20 years. As part of the Critical Care Service, he cares for some of the sickest and most critically-ill patients in the central Iowa region.

“I really value the comradery between the different medical and surgical specialties, nurses, pharmacists, PCTs, respiratory therapists, and the other support staff,” said Dr. Horning. “We are able to work together as a team to place the patient at the center of everything we do.”

Critical Care at MercyOne Central Iowa offers a wide variety of state-of-the-art, life-saving services for life-threatening conditions such as stroke, septic shock, trauma, respiratory failure, and heart attacks. The Critical Care Service not only cares for patients’ medical needs, but also provides spiritual and emotional support for patients and their families with our Pastoral Care and Palliative Care services.

In addition to providing a vital service for our community, the critical care team also serves as a great resource for all other patient care areas at MercyOne Des Moines and West Des Moines Medical Centers and the MercyOne Medical Group (clinics).

“Treating critically-ill patients requires state-of-the-art equipment and a large number of highly trained staff to care for every individual patient in the hospital’s multiple critical care units,” said Dr. Horning.

“The donor support MercyOne Des Moines Foundation is able to provide helps fund vital services, technology, and equipment used to care for patients and helps support, hire and retain qualified staff. In addition, caring for critically-ill patients can be very physically and emotionally draining for the nurses and staff at the bedside. The donor support from the MercyOne Des Moines Foundation helps provide services for our critical care nurses and staff to help them manage the stress of their demanding work and focus on their well-being.”

As a donor, Dr. Horning sees how philanthropy helps our providers have access to the equipment and support they need so they can provide the best care possible. Dr. Horning encourages others, fellow MercyOne colleagues and members of the community, to support MercyOne and the vital, life-saving working being done through the Critical Care Service and other services lines.

“I was inspired to give, and I encourage others to give to MercyOne and the Critical Care Service line in particular, because I see the tremendous impact of the state-of-the-art work that is done for our patients within the Critical Care Service,” said Dr. Horning. “It’s incredibly meaningful knowing that my gift is impacting the patients we serve every day.”

“One of the best reasons to give to MercyOne is being able to see the result of that generosity, every day at the bedside, helping patients and their families.”

For more information on how you can support patients and families through Critical Care, please contact Vice President of Philanthropy at MercyOne Des Moines Foundation, Joan Bindel, at JBindel@mercydesmoines.org or 515-643-8020.