Kirkwood Students Raise Money with ‘Haunted Hospital’

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A hospital has opened in Cedar Rapids, but it’s not the kind of place you’d want to be a patient.

The second annual Haunted Hospital, a fundraiser for respiratory therapy students at Kirkwood Community College, took place Saturday.

The Halloween-inspired event also occurred during Respiratory Care Week.

“It’s like a week of celebrating our profession. So sometimes our profession is misunderstood because we are confused with other professions,” said Liliana Hoffnagl, director of the respiratory therapy program.

“We are the lung specialists at the hospital. We work very closely with pulmonologists and cardiologists,” said Macy Espe, a first-year student in the program. “We work in different departments. NICU, ICU, med-surgeon, you name it. We are there.

Money raised at the event helps students attend the conference, which is part of the second year of the program.

Espe said these funds are needed.

“It’s not cheap. It’s not cheap to go to school, and it’s not cheap to go to these conferences, but it’s a great way for us to get more education and more hands-on experience working with the community. And that’s why we decided to do this event to raise some money,” Espe said.

Last year the fundraiser raised about $500. This year, students hoped to double that amount.