Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute
Because of you... Because of you...
Philanthropy is a critical part of advancing cardiovascular care. Generosity like yours helps improve the lives of cardiovascular patients and their families, spread awareness, and contribute to vital research Your gifts support clinical research, equipment, community events, new technologies, and innovative treatment options.
Because of your partnership, Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute (SHVI) is making significant advancements in detecting and treating many forms of heart diseases SHVI provides our community access to top-ranked physicians, groundbreaking clinical trials, and the latest heart treatments.
This report showcases the profound impact we achieved together in 2024.
632 Donors came together to make a difference
71 heart transplants performed
100+ specialized physicians Your Gift. Your Impact. Your Gift. Your Impact. IN 2024
$1,038,000+ raised through your generosity
275,000+ patient visits
$2,732,000+ invested in cardiovascular care
44,568 new patients seen
Highest possible quality rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Patient Programs Patient Programs
Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute leads the way in cardiovascular medicine, surpassing traditional healthcare models to offer world-class patient programs Our integrated teams of physicians and clinicians work collaboratively across various sub-specialties to customize the most suitable treatment options for each patient, ensuring they receive not only the highest quality care but the right care.
Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute’s Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Health Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Health
Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute’s Center for Women's Cardiovascular Health offers specialized, integrated care to meet the unique cardiovascular needs of women at every stage of life. It is the first center in the greater Charlotte region to provide access to experts in spontaneous coronary artery dissection and fibromuscular dysplasia.
Because of donors like you, SHVI funded travel for six of its clinicians to attend the Cardio-Obstetrics Essentials: Team-Based Management of Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy conference in Washington, DC. This continuing education opportunity enables teammates to learn the most current recommendations for the evaluation, clinical management, treatment and risk stratification of people with – or at risk for – cardiovascular disease during pregnancy We are one of the very few women’s cardiology programs to offer a cardio-obstetrics clinic to pregnant women with cardiovascular disease, offering obstetric imaging and evaluation by the maternal-fetal medicine and cardiology teams, on the same day, in the same space.
Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute offers the only heart transplant program in the Charlotte region and was the first in the Carolinas to transplant a total artificial heart. The program offers top outcomes, including shorter hospital stays and some of the best transplant survival rates in the nation. For the treatment of advanced heart failure, we are in the top 10% in the nation for heart care, putting us on par with the best hospitals and healthcare systems in the country.
In 2024, donors like you directly supported SHVI’s Heart Transplant Program. You helped fund educational materials for patients, blood pressure cuffs, support groups, phyco-social services with counselors, and more.
Because of our generous community of donors, we provided vital support to our remote patient monitoring program.
The Perfect Care Initiative, launched in 2019, aimed to improve patient access and education while eliminating disparities in peri-procedural cardiac surgery care It ensured consistent, high-quality care across all locations using a personalized, patient-centered approach. Education, preoperative optimization, and postsurgical care are key areas of emphasis.
In 2023, the initiative expanded to include remote patient monitoring for over 1,500 cardiovascular surgery patients, resulting in a 37% reduction in 30-day mortality and readmission rates compared to a control group Since 2020, the Hypertension Bootcamp has helped over 1,250 patients manage high blood pressure through virtual health coaching, lifestyle changes, and medication optimization.
Many patients and families face financial barriers due to medical expenses, including the need for assistance with household bills, transportation, or temporary housing. Atrium Health Foundation is dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of community members, aiming to provide top-level cardiovascular care regardless of a patient’s financial situation Through philanthropy, we work to remove barriers to care and improve community health.
Thanks to your support, patients and families facing the most challenging circumstances received assistance.
The Gragg Center for Cardiovascular Performance advances heart health through personalized exercise guidance and innovative research With medically directed exercise protocols to enhance fitness through our Sports Cardiology Center, CPET Lab, and Cardiac Rehab Program, we develop new services to benefit all populations.
With philanthropic support, we expanded access to cardiac rehab services by providing supervised exercise and nutrition programs that significantly improved care and clinical outcomes. In 2024, SHVI awarded over $25,000 in program scholarships to 179 patients. This financial support allowed patients –who might not have otherwise been able to participate – to benefit from exercise prescriptions, educational resources, outreach programs, and personalized consultations in nutrition and stress management
This community event, which attracts nearly 1,000 runners and walkers each year to benefit Cardiac Rehabilitation programs, raised over $57,000 to support patient education, outreach, rehabilitation equipment, and patient scholarships
Thanks to the generosity of our donor community, SHVI supported a vital addition to its team –
Community Health Workers
These dedicated professionals support patients and families by addressing social determinants of health, leading outreach events, building relationships with strategic partners, conducting health screenings, and providing cardiovascular education Working closely with clinicians, they ensure comprehensive care and help connect individuals with essential resources.
Philanthropy supported The Heart Matters conference in October, a day of outreach and education on heart disease prevention for Black women The conference featured a panel discussion led by SHVI and Atrium Health physicians, guided meditations, healthy cooking demonstrations, group exercise classes, and more Heart Matters is an annual day of awareness, self-care, health education, creativity, and most importantly, fun!
Philanthropy is vital for advancing research, allowing the SHVI team to lead in cardiovascular care and research Our physicians conduct global and national clinical trials, developing innovative treatments and procedures Our research focuses on reducing costs and improving care quality By participating in and initiating clinical trials, we ensure patients benefit from the latest medications and devices.
Philanthropy has significantly advanced cancer therapeutics, enabling innovative approaches in cardio-oncology to minimize cardiotoxicity and improve outcomes. Donors like you helped to fund the CAPACITY Trial, enrolling 50 patients to study cardiac rehab for cardiac amyloidosis. The Dowd Foundation Center for Cardio-Oncology uses advanced imaging (CT, MRI) for early cardiotoxicity detection, adjusting treatments to prevent heart damage They also participate in a national MRI registry for amyloidosis, improving screening and diagnosis, with initial results published in the European Heart Journal for Cardiovascular Imaging.
