Memorial Statue Sparks Debate
Memorial Statue to Carol Bates at MHP’s Serenity House (CRI Image)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A memorial gift given to Mahaska Health Partnership sparked a debate this week about the hospital’s gift receiving policy.
The statue in the lobby of MHP’s Hospice Serenity House is a memorial to Carol Bates, a longtime supporter of hospice, a non-profit that cares for the terminally ill. Bates would eventually use hospice services herself as she battled the cancer that took her life in 2010.
“Carol Bates was a big part of this community. She gave of her time, her energy to a variety of things in this community, Hospice house being just one of them,” says Jim Hansen, Chairman of the MHP Board of Trustees.
The statue was donated by Joe Bates, Carol’s husband and owner of Oskaloosa’s Bates Funeral Chapel, along with Michael Sytsma, who runs the funeral home now. But some say the statue is promoting more than just Carol’s memory.
“The plaque contained some advertising for Bates’ funeral home and complaints were raised as to whether that was an appropriate spot for that to be,” says Hansen.
Sytsma’s wife Stacey presented at MHP’s Board of Trustees meeting Monday to share her feelings about the dispute over the statue.
“Joe Bates found a way to pay tribute to his wife and give back to Hospice at the same time by offering the beautiful statue in Carol’s honor that could also be viewed by others in their darkest days. We’re not asking for the statue to remain as the gift is not appreciated. What we do ask is that moving forward you put more weight on the decision you make by looking at policy,” says Stacey Sytsma.
The board did take a look at the policy and added a new section to its by-laws.
“We established a committee where we’d review all gifts and suggest how they’re handled,” says Hansen.
But what about the memorial statue? It was removed from Hospice house following Monday’s meeting. Michael Sytsma says he thought that’s what the board had asked. But after the removal, Bates funeral home and Mahaska Health Partnership reached an agreement that the statue can be returned to its spot at Hospice if the plaque no longer mentions Bates Funeral Chapel.
Michael Sytzma of Bates Funeral Chapel declined an on-camera interview with CRI but did tell us he’s happy the statue will return as a lasting tribute to Carol Bates.
