C O V I D - 19
Response Report
Dr. Kara Geren, an emergency room physician at Valleywise Health, prioritized her family during the pandemic. Dr. Geren lived in an extended stay hotel for two months, away from her husband and two young children, to protect their health and safety.
Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. FRED ROGERS
Reflecting to early 2020, we never could have anticipated what the past six months would bring. A world where families reorganized their homes for work, school and family life, where businesses shut their doors or changed their strategies to survive, and where the presence of a public health system supporting the most vulnerable – would be more visible and needed than ever before. Through an inspiring community response since March, our Foundation has provided record levels of support and impact funding to Valleywise Health. New individuals and community organizations stepped up to help our front-line medical heroes, many of them learning about our public teaching health system because of the pandemic. Emergency grants, from supporters throughout the Valley, helped ensure our hospitals and clinics were equipped with the life-saving resources to take on COVID-19. In lieu of our annual golf tournament and Legacy Circle events in March, we launched a PPE donation drive, and in April, we took a chance – charting new territory – with one of the region’s first virtual fundraising events, Night of Heroes. You responded, with record funds raised – and an unprecedented impact. Your cards, letters, videos, sewn masks, donated meals and financial contributions continue to make a difference for our medical and first-responder “helpers.”
We thank you for stepping up – and helping.
Sincerely,
Nate Lowrie
CEO Valleywise Health Foundation
Kate Fassett
VP of Development Valleywise Health Foundation
Valleywise Health’s Role
in the pandemic
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Valleywise Health has delivered on its mission - exceptional care, without exception, every patient, every time, and was recently named an IBM Watson Health Top 100 Hospitals. From quickly transforming its Pediatric Emergency Department into the first intensive care unit for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, to launching in‐house COVID-19 lab testing and increasing telehealth capabilities, Valleywise moved swiftly to protect the health of each and every one of us – regardless of the neighborhood we call home. Valleywise acquired the Cepheid GenExpert, providing COVID test results in 45 minutes, allowing for less use of PPE for patients and providers while waiting for results. Valleywise also initiated an extensive telemedicine program in the matter of days and has now performed more than 80,000 telehealth consultations – representing nearly half the system’s visits since March. Working with District Medical Group physician, Dr. Michael Do, Valleywise filmed and distributed COVID-19 information videos in 10 languages to serve the Valley’s diverse refugee communities. Now with more than 150,000 collective views on YouTube, the videos helped educate communities about the pandemic in culturally relevant, understandable ways. Valleywise doctors and staff also created COVID-19 programming for local radio stations and newspapers in both English and Spanish. We were among the first in the state protecting patients and providers with visitor restrictions and, through generous community support, implemented video visitations for patients — especially for end‐of‐life care. Our leaders collaborated with national, state and local officials to obtain protective equipment and supplies for health care professionals statewide and partnered with Central Arizona Shelter Services to provide a safe place for discharged homeless patients to recover.
Going virtual
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Going virtual meant Valleywise Health Foundation’s Night of Heroes generated more money at less cost, and in the process, it multiplied its audience. The entire April 23 fundraiser was live-streamed so viewers around the world – literally, 10 countries – could bid and contribute to the public teaching health system that served the greater Phoenix area for more than 140 years.
On April 23, Night of Heroes 2020 began its first virtual event broadcasting on YouTube Live. Guests learned about Isabella’s miraculous recovery, Valleywise heroes taking on COVID-19, and engaged in a friendly team fundraising duel. Thanks to generous donors and a pivot to virtual events, Night of Heroes reached thousands, in lieu of reaching 300 seats at the in-person event from years past. The documentary “Isabella” has exceeded 1,800 YouTube views with the event live broadcast streamed more than 1,400 times. In its first live-broadcast event, the Foundation raised $225,000. For the first time for many during the pandemic, our viewers felt a glimmer of hope again.
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As it became clear, however, that we would not be able to hold an in-person event this year, we decided to convert the night into a virtual live streamed event for invitees and others. The results exceeded our expectations and raised a record $225,000 – significantly more than last year’s total – for the new Arizona Burn Center and COVID-19 emergency needs in the county. The online nature of the event also enabled us to reach a far larger audience of potential donors than our original venue would have accommodated, and our cost-per-dollar raised fell to 24 cents, well below the national average of 50 cents for in-person events.
Philanthropy News Digest
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The Virtual Experience: Event organizers produced a short documentary, “Isabella,” and shared the link with an invitation to register to attend the event. They hosted the live broadcast on their original event date, April 23, from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. from Inspired Media 360’s studios and used a new live-giving platform, Fund Duel with the help of emcee Karie Dozer and auctiontainer Letitia Frye.
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Supporting
our front lines $14,000 worth of webcams and headsets donated by Logitech and Walmart 60 home blood pressure monitors donated for high-risk pregnant moms 50 individuals and organizations donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 40 individuals and organizations donated home sewn masks
18,000
masks donated by Chinese Americans COVID-19 Relief AZ
1,100 3-D printed earguards from Estrella Mountain Community College 1,500 3-D printed face shields and 200 safety goggles by Northrop Grumman 132 restaurants across the Valley supported health care heroes with meals Including Little Caesars, who donated nearly 700 pizzas dispersed to all our VH locations. K O’Donnell’s Sports Bar & Grill donated 200 meals to the main hospital campus. Circle K truck stopped by our campus 5 times to donate free hot and iced coffee to our healthcare workers.
2,000 meals donated to Valleywise Health employees from A Night in the Valley sponsors
1,300+
thank you cards sent for Valleywise Health healthcare heroes!
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It takes a village
Valleywise Health Foundation has exemplified such resilience amidst the trials of this pandemic. Their quick actions to implement strong supports for hospital staff is a testament to the value of unrestricted grant funds at this critical time. Mary Jane Rynd President and CEO Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
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Nearly $1,000,000 awarded in emergency grants and major gifts. $500,000
New donors and significant gifts truly made an impact on the future of patient care at Valleywise Health.
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
$52,500
Arizona Community Foundation
$50,000
Thunderbirds Charities
$50,000
CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Company
$50,000
BHHS Legacy Foundation
$50,000
Pakis Family Foundation
$50,000
Centene Management Company LLC
$43,000
Execute to Win / Lee Benson
$40,000
Delta Dental Foundation
$25,000
F2 Family Foundation
$25,000
Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation
$20,000
Albertsons Companies Foundation
$16,300
AZ Indian Hotel Owners
$10,000
Sherloq Solutions
$10,000
T.W. Lewis Foundation
$7,500
Stivala Family Foundation
$7,000
Walmart Inc.
$5,000
Northrop Grumman Corporation
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Coming to work during COVID-19 and walking down the tunnel to enter the hospital, at times made me feel isolated from my family, friends and community. Receiving recognition and support from the outside community gave me strength to care for our patients and inspiration to continue. It put a smile on my masked face and brightened my day. It meant the world to the nurses knowing the community recognized the hardships and sometimes the fear that came from just going to work in the hospital. Although I'm not able to personally thank all those who donated to support us, please know we are so grateful!" Suzanne Buchanan MSN, RN, CCRN
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#RiseTogether
The fight
is not over
To make a direct impact toward COVID-19 relief, visit ValleywiseHealthFoundation.org/COVID-19.