As we approach year-end, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to those who do so much to support our hospital. I’d like to recognize those I work with daily who demonstrate a deep commitment to our hospital – the board members, leaders, physicians, and staff. I also want to express my gratitude to our community which stepped up this year to pass the parcel tax, which is so important to our financial health.
There’s one other group I’d like to acknowledge, one that does not see the spotlight very often, yet plays a vital role in our stability, and that is our wonderful Foundation. I’m not overstating things to say the hospital would not be as state-of-the-art as it is in so many areas without the efforts of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation.
I am incredibly grateful to the Foundation board members who volunteer their time on many levels each month, with their advisory council members who provide valued counsel, and of course to our Foundation team including our executive director, Dave Pier, who has done an excellent job since assuming the role two years ago.
The Foundation’s mission is to cultivate community support and raise funds for our hospital, and in this they do an outstanding job. It’s important to note that the funds the Foundation raises are not typically used for hospital operations. Rather, its focus is on funding capital improvements in the form of new equipment and technology that help SVH improve patient care and better serve Sonoma Valley.
Here are some of the ways the Foundation has supported the Hospital in the past two years:
- It raised funds to purchase a state-of-the-art Stryker Surgical System which has drawn rave reviews from our surgeons for its ability to give them and the surgical team more control, improving outcomes and safety.
- It purchased a new 3-D Mammography Unit, that will be operational shortly, which is shown to significantly increase breast cancer detection and reduce call backs for rescreening.
- It funded the purchase of a number of pieces of equipment, such as new infant warmers and fetal monitors for The Birthplace, and a new hysteroscope that enhances OB/GYN procedures.
- It continues to support Project Pink, a program to ensure that uninsured and underinsured women in our community have access to mammograms without any cost to them.
The reality, of course, is that the Foundation serves as a vehicle for community support and would not exist without the extraordinary generosity of our Valley. Knowing this, and experiencing this support in the form of donations both large and small, is a humbling and gratifying experience.
So, let me say thank you to the Foundation and the wonderful community that supports its efforts to make sure our Valley enjoys first-rate hospital and health care services.
May your holidays be filled with gratitude and joy, and my best wishes for a wonderful new year.
In good health,
Kelly
Kelly Mather
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sonoma Valley Hospital