Fall/Winter 2018201828

Rhode Island Hospital honors its champions at annual President’s Pursuit of Excellence Dinner

On November 15, Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital president Margaret M. Van Bree, MHA, DrPH, hosted more than 550 guests at the Rhode Island Convention Center for the President’s Pursuit of Excellence Dinner. The signature event celebrated Rhode Island Hospital’s accomplishments of the past year and honored local community champions for their selfless contributions.

From left: Margaret M. Van Bree, MHA, DrPH, President of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital; James “Jamo” Carr, Jr., President and CEO, H. Carr & Sons, Inc.; Sarah Sinclair; Richard Goldberg, MD, MS; Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr., Chairman of the Lifespan Board of Directors and the Rhode Island Hospital Board of Trustees; and Roger N. Begin, Chair of the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.

Lifespan Cancer Institute to help establish
national research center

The National Cancer Institute with the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative has announced that the Lifespan Cancer Institute (LCI) will be among six cancer programs nationally participating in a program to study whether having patients electronically report their symptoms can decrease hospitalizations following surgery or chemotherapy. LCI’s participation in this study will be led by Don Dizon, MD, director of medical oncology at Rhode Island Hospital.

Lifespan, Brown medical school name Athena Poppas, MD, cardiology chief

Cardiologist Athena Poppas, M.D., FACC, FASE, has been named chief of the division of cardiology for Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals, as well as The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Poppas has served as interim chief since June 2017. She also is director of the Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute, which includes Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals and multiple offices around the state.

A new approach to extracting blood clots
holds life-saving promise

Physicians at Rhode Island Hospital’s Comprehensive Stroke Center are pushing the limits on treating what would typically be deadly or debilitating clots, and 74-year-old Rosetta McCall is among the fortunate patients who’ve benefitted.

McCall woke up with symptoms of stroke, including a nondescript “strange feeling,” inability to properly use her right hand for tasks like taking her morning shower and impaired speech. She spent that morning by herself, going about her usual routine, even driving herself to an appointment near her Riverside home.

A Lifespan blog: The evolution of heart surgery

When people think about heart surgery, it is usually the idea of “open heart surgery.” This surgery is considered invasive. It not only includes a large incision in the chest, but also, the heart is stopped and the patient is put on a heart-lung machine during the procedure.

In the last two decades, great advances have been made in the field of minimally invasive procedures. Treating the heart is no exception. Minimally invasive procedures involve small incisions, through which surgeons can use a camera and robotic surgical tools that allow for greater precision.

There's still time to make your year-end gift

As both Rhode Island’s largest hospital and only Level 1 trauma center, Rhode Island Hospital reaches every corner of the Ocean State and beyond. As 2018 comes to a close, I hope you will consider making an unrestricted year-end gift of $250 or more and join our 1863 Society.

Annual unrestricted gifts form the bedrock of philanthropy that allows us to serve everyone who comes through our doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Please know that a gift of any amount will be greatly appreciated.

Making a charitable IRA rollover gift is easy!

If you are 70½ or older and need to take a required minimum distribution from your IRA in 2018, the Charitable IRA Rollover can be a great way to make your annual gift (up to $100,000 per year). You can make your gift directly through your IRA and it will count toward your annual required minimum distribution from your individual retirement accounts.

To learn more, please contact John F. Garcia, Planned Giving Officer, at (401) 606-4615 or John.Garcia@lifespan.org.

Planned Giving offers many options to help you make a charitable gift while deriving financial benefits. Learn more about Planned Giving

Rhode Island Hospital Foundation, PO Box H, Providence, RI 02901 • Phone: 401.444.6500  Fax: 401.444.8235  • Email: RIHGiving@lifespan.org