Two Women from Robert W. Baird & Co. Spearhead Fundraising at Virginia Hospital Center Foundation
Arlington, VA (PRWEB) June 11, 2014 -- Nancy Popovich and Paula Poskon, two women financial professionals from Robert W Baird & Co., an international investment firm with a local office in Reston, Virginia, have launched a fundraising drive at Virginia Hospital Center.
Their mission is to fundraise for specific needs at Virginia Hospital Center related to women’s health and to bring women in the community together for education and support. Their first earmarked project is to fund needed software upgrades for the hospital's breast imaging equipment.
With an announced goal of raising $500,000 over five years, Popovich and Poskon launched the Women's Health and Empowerment Circle in May. The Circle provides a platform for women to learn about critical healthcare needs and the services and specialties provided at Virginia Hospital Center, as well as to inspire local women to support the Hospital and each other.
"The spirit behind WHEC’s mission is driven by its membership: women coming together, sharing stories, learning about health issues that are most important to us, and providing support for all women in the community with the best possible medical care," said Popovich.
At the opening event attended by more than 65 women, Popovich explained her motivation for starting the Women Health &Empowerment Circle: "My mother was a nurse and she died too young of cancer." In a Mother's Day posting on Facebook, she said: "Today I want to say thank you to my mom, Sally, for being my inspiration to do this and the courage to know I will succeed. Mom, you were the most amazing mother and nurse and I know you would be so proud of all that we plan to achieve."
Poskon, who had life-saving open heart surgery at the Hospital in 2007, said that “VHC represents healthcare as it should be – it’s not just about the result, but also about the experience. Baird’s motto is ‘Great Outcomes Done Well’ and that is exactly what I experience whenever I’m at the hospital. I’m not just a patient – I’m a member of the hospital’s community.”
Popovich and Poskon are following a long tradition of women’s activism in the community. According to Amy Hauser, the Foundation’s Development Director, Virginia Hospital Center was founded more than 70 years ago by a coalition of several Arlington women’s groups who together raised the funds necessary to purchase the land and start the building fund. "When women get together, great things can happen," she said.
Dr. Molly Sebastian, Associate Medical Director of the Reinsch Pierce Family Center for Breast Health at Virginia Hospital Center and featured speaker at the kick-off event, gave emotional remarks about how privileged she feels to be in a position to save women’s lives through early breast cancer detection and interventions. She expressed her gratitude to the women present for their role in supporting breast healthcare and praised her patients for the incredible impact they have on her.
For more information on the Women's Health & Empowerment Circle or to join the Advisory Board, contact Kelly Ferris at 703.717.4439 or Jessica Whirt Steinke at 703.717.4435.
About Virginia Hospital Center:
Virginia Hospital Center has provided medical services to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for 70 years and recently was named one of America’s 100 Top Hospitals® and 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics. These selections are based completely on objective, public data that measures performance excellence in clinical quality care, patient safety, patient perception of care, operational efficiency and financial stability. Virginia Hospital Center, designated as a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, is a 342-bed not-for-profit, teaching facility offering comprehensive healthcare and multiple, independently recognized Centers of Excellence including: Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery, the Reinsch Pierce Family Center for Breast Health, Neuroscience/Stroke, Oncology, Orthopedics (Total Joint Replacement Services), Bariatric Surgery, Palliative Care, Inpatient Rehab, Wound Healing & Hyperbaric, Emergency Services, Women & Infant Health and Urology. For more information, please visit http://www.virginiahospitalcenter.com.
Polly Elmore, PR Works,LLC, 804-794-3631, [email protected]
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