At a St. Luke Hospital Foundation benefit dinner Saturday, hospital CEO Jeremy Armstrong tried to give benefactors an idea how important local philanthropy is to the hospital.

For the hospital’s recent expansion and renovation, local donors gave about $200,000. To put that in perspective, that would pay for 1.5 patient care rooms, half of the expanded physical therapy department, or 9,523 nursing hours, Armstrong said.

The benefit dinner attracted 90 guests, foundation executive director Roger Schroeder said. Funds raised at the event will help purchase a new digital mammography machine. The current equipment is fully functional, but a new machine would add extra capabilities.

Donors gave a little over $4,600 at the dinner, Schroeder said Monday. He was still calculating the expenses of the benefit, so he didn’t know what the net proceeds were.

“I thought it was a success,” Schroeder said. “We had multiple compliments on the food, the entertainment, and evening.”

He said it was just as important that guests enjoyed themselves as it was to raise money at the event.