North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) is proud to partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to sign up children at birth. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends children, birth to 5-years-old, a brand new book every month at no cost to the families. NARMC Auxiliary volunteers now visit patient rooms, give them a bear along with information about Imagination Library. The volunteers can sign up the child immediately.
(L to R) Dawn Brown, BSN, RN, OB Director, Gina Rudder, NARMC Auxiliary, Ken Savells, Boone County Imagination Library, Mary Pledger, NARMC Auxiliary, Vicky Cannady, NARMC Auxiliary
Kendall Michael Goulet with his parents, Payton Goulet and Amber Zabel
NARMC OB Staff pose with bears provided by the North Arkansas Medical Foundation.
An average of 472 babies are born at NARMC yearly from more than 25 counties in Arkansas and Missouri. Recently, Kendall Michael Goulet, son of Payton Goulet and Amber Zabel, was the first baby to receive a bear and to be signed up through the NARMC and Imagination Library partnership.
“Reading is an important part of development for children. We are proud to be able to help families sign up to be a part of this program early on,” said Dawn Brown, BSN, RN, NARMC OB Director.
Volunteers are able to sign up families who live in Boone and other surrounding counties in Arkansas and Missouri. The bears are provided by the North Arkansas Medical Foundation. Families can also sign up for the Imagination Library by visiting www.narmc.org.
About NARMC
NARMC is an innovative, non-profit healthcare system consisting of a central hospital in Harrison, Arkansas, and 18 clinics serving the rural communities of North Arkansas. More than 850 NARMC employees work together to provide a comprehensive range of healthcare services. As one of the Top 100 Rural Hospitals in the nation according to the Rural Health Policy Institute, NARMC has earned numerous 5-Star ratings from Healthgrades and consistently ranks high in patient satisfaction in Press Ganey ratings. A three-time recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Quality Achievement Award, NARMC is committed to providing the best in care, close to home.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until they begin school, no matter their family’s income.
After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world.
Dolly’s home state of Tennessee pledged to pursue statewide coverage in 2004 and global expansion was on the horizon. After the United States, the program launched in Canada in 2006 followed by the United Kingdom in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019. Information from www.imaginationlibrary.com.