“Everyone does what
they can to make this
a better world,” said
CalvertHealth Foundation
board member Marianne
Harms, “and I am so
grateful that I have been
able to participate in
a small way to make
our breast center a
focal point of health
care for women in our
community.”
Since the CalvertHealth Sheldon E.
Goldberg Center for Breast Care opened
in 2010, it has changed the landscape
of how breast care is provided.
The center brings together in one
convenient location a multidisciplinary
team of breast health experts with an
experienced navigator backed by the
latest technology like lower-dose 3D
mammography – designed to detect even
the most subtle signs of early cancer.
In the last decade, thousands of
supporters both in the hospital and
the larger community, have given more
than $1 million to oncology programs
at CalvertHealth, including the breast
center. Harms’ major gift in 2016 enabled
the breast center to add exam rooms,
enlarge its library and expand access for the community. Proceeds from the
foundation’s annual black-tie gala helped
the breast center to acquire the latest
stereotactic breast equipment as well as
a dedicated breast ultrasound unit. This
technology reduces wait times and provides
superior imaging quality for making
diagnoses and performing biopsies.
Thrifty Ladies, a thrift shop
run by CalvertHealth volunteers, is
another group that has made significant
contributions to the breast center. It has
donated $175,000 since it opened in 2014
in the Dunkirk Marketplace. “They are
truly volunteering from the heart and
do what they can to help,” said
Susan
Stevens, director of patient experience
and volunteer services at CalvertHealth
Medical Center.
Since it began in 2010, as a way of honoring their friends
who had died of cancer, the annual
Pink & Blue Tournament,
hosted by The Cannon Club (formerly Old South Country Club)
has raised more than $173,500 to assist patients with prostate
and breast cancer at CHMC. According to
Theresa Johnson,
who oversees the CalvertHealth Foundation, these funds have
played an important role in expanding CalvertHealth’s genetic
testing and cancer navigation programs.
Two years ago, proceeds from this event were used to purchase
new clinical recliners for patients to use during chemotherapy
treatments. “Our patients spend a lot of time in those chairs and it
really enhances their comfort and has made a tremendous impact
in their quality of care,” said medical oncologist
Dr. Arati Patel.
The
30th Annual CalvertHealth Benefit Golf Classic held
in May raised more than $92,000 to support the new financial
oncology navigator, who works closely with patients and family
members to help ease any worries about treatment costs and
insurance processing.
Other special events continue to be a powerful and healing
force for area residents confronting cancer as well as their
families and friends.
The Spotlight Music Series showcases
talented performers who believe strongly in giving back to their
community. The popular fundraiser, created by the late foundation
board member Robin Henshaw, is an enduring tribute to her
indomitable spirit. (
Visit CalvertHealthFoundation.org/Events-Foundation
for more information).
On the first Saturday in October, a sea of pink-clad supporters
will once again surge into Solomons for
CalvertHealth’s 10th
Annual Breast Cancer 5K Run/Walk. The sense of unity and
common purpose are as pervasive as the positive energy of the
participants. They come in groups, big and small, young and old,
from as far away as Ohio and North Carolina to remember those
who lost the battle, to celebrate those who survived, to encourage
those who continue the fight and to support the breast center.
Hundreds of local residents have benefitted from the
lung cancer screening program that was created in 2017. A
five-year pledge of $165,000 from the
DeCesaris/Prout Cancer
Foundation helped fund this vital effort. The goal is
to detect this deadly disease before symptoms can appear when
treatment can be more effective.