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Fall Food + Wine Festival A new way to celebrate
Fall Food + Wine Festival
A new way to celebrate.
For some, autumn means pumpkin-flavored drinks and leaves falling. For us, autumn has always signaled that our Fall Food + Wine Festival was right around the corner. Each October, guests would join together on the grounds between the Parkway Grill and Arroyo Chop House to eat, drink, dance — and save lives: Their participation raised essential funds for Huntington Hospital Trauma Center, the largest trauma center in our region.
In 2020, we had to think differently about how we celebrate Fall Food + Wine season. We transformed the festival into the Fall Food + Wine Restival, a special fundraising campaign to carry on the spirit of the event by raising funds to support lifesaving trauma care here.
The campaign was a huge success, and in 2021, we wanted to keep the momentum going — while also adding a special twist for the campaign’s supporters.
Thus, Fall Food + Wine with a twist was born. We were excited to give our patrons a fun way to get a taste of festivals past, while avoiding the risks that come with attending large-scale events during the pandemic. Each participant who gave at the Chardonnay level or higher was treated to dinner and wine (in person or via pickup) compliments of our generous Fall Food + Wine vendors.
Once again, Fall Food + Wine supporters stepped up to help local trauma patients — raising a total of $230,000. Guests loved having the chance to enjoy the gourmet offerings they sampled in previous festivals.
These funds are crucial in our work treating patients with life-threatening injuries — work that has not stopped during the pandemic. Additionally, due to a hospital-wide strain on resources caused by COVID-19, these gifts are even more critical.
Funds raised through Fall Food + Wine with a twist help us offer outstanding care to patients suffering from severe injuries, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They help the hospital to invest in leading-edge equipment, train members of our community through the Stop the Bleed program, and provide advanced education for our trauma nurses and surgical residents.
This year’s patrons have shown us that Fall Food +Wine is more than an event. The essence of celebration and of giving that we feel each fall lives on through them. We thank our Fall Food + Wine with a twist donors for their generous support.
2021 Fall Food + Wine Committee
We are grateful to Fall Food + Wine Committee members for helping us celebrate the spirit of the Fall Food + Wine Festival in a new way. Thank you to the following dedicated community members for their involvement:
Janet Mayeda, Co-chair Nick Salata, Co-chair Linda Barker Rachel Barker Garrett Bell Karen Billman Brian Birnie Jamie Brady-Smith Carter Donaldson Pinky Lark Farnum John Haglund Anne Irvine Bailey and Brett Larson Bob Michero Lia Peterson Miller Blake Mount Cathy Simms Rob Terrazas
with a twist
2021
Vin de Soins Bienveillants
World-class trauma care.
Funds raised through the 2020 Fall Food + Wine Restival and 2021 Fall Food + Wine with a twist allowed us to purchase Belmont® Rapid Infuser RI-2s. This advanced equipment will be used in Huntington Hospital Trauma
Center to treat patients who have suffered massive blood loss. Community philanthropy is also helping us take our trauma care services to an even higher level of excellence:
It has allowed us to build a dedicated trauma surgery suite in our new surgery center, located above our Nan and
Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma
Center. This state-of-the-art operating room was specially designed to allow for prompt, streamlined care for patients with traumatic injuries. Thank you to our generous community donors for helping to save the lives of seriously injured patients in our region. We are truly grateful.
Meet our new Heart & Vascular Center.
Our medical director of cardiology, Azhil (Alex) Durairaj, MD, is deeply grateful for the community philanthropists who invested in the creation of our new Helen and Will Webster Heart & Vascular Center.
World-class heart care has a new home at Huntington Hospital.
We are pleased to share that, thanks to donor support, Huntington Hospital’s new Helen and Will Webster Heart & Vascular Center opened its doors in August 2021.
Our new Heart & Vascular Center is the most comprehensive and innovative facility for cardiac care in the San Gabriel Valley. It offers a full spectrum of cardiology services — including screening and diagnostic tests, advanced medical and surgical treatments, and cardiac rehabilitation and education programs — all under one roof. By offering related cardiac services in one centralized location, we have streamlined the care experience for patients. The modern and well-equipped center features: • Two catheterization suites outfitted with the latest imaging technology, enabling us to provide prompt, high-quality treatment to patients with potentially life-threatening heart problems. • An innovative catheterization and surgical hybrid suite that allows us to efficiently perform both minimally invasive procedures and traditional surgical intervention in one place. • A high-tech electrophysiology suite in which we can evaluate the heart’s electrical system and diagnose arrhythmias. • Six suites designed to accommodate a wide range of tests — including electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, treadmill stress tests and more — to help us diagnose complex heart conditions. • Eight private patient care rooms where our team can prepare and closely monitor patients.
Located directly above our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center, our new Heart & Vascular Center can be accessed by a fast one-minute elevator ride. This ensures patients in need of immediate treatment receive vital care as quickly as possible — helping to save lives. The new and larger space will also allow our hospital to increase the number of patients treated by 30%, so that we can heal more hearts.
Azhil (Alex) Durairaj, MD, medical director of cardiology
