World class.
An evening of fun, Joe Jonas and DNCE making music, a boogie-down dance-a-thon from the Wayne Foster band and vocalists, and knowledge from People You Should Know. Four hundred fifty tigers and lions in black tie and stunning gowns participated during the annual Caritas Gala that raised $600,000 for the Providence Saint John’s Health Center at the Beverly Wilshire.
Caritas is Latin for justice, goodwill and love for all.
Our tigers and lions stand tall for the Mother Ship in Santa Monica. Yes, that Mother Ship, a not-for-profit institution founded by the Sisters of Charity in Leavenworth in 1942, transferring last year to the Providence Saint John’s Health Center to impressive support. The Mother Ship has looked after Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Nat King Cole, Maria Shriver, Katie Holmes, all nationalities and races in our Westside community and elsewhere.
Welcomed by Foundation President Robert Klein, produced by Paul Fagen and hosted by Saint John’s and the Irene Dunne Guild (named in 1993 for the beautiful, five-times Oscar-nominated actress), the Gala’s People You Should Know included Dr. Lawrence Piro. The globally renowned oncologist presented his patient and honoree, Wendy Goldstein, a survivor of breast cancer, with the 2015 Caritas Award. Wendy heads the Urban A&R division at Republic Records, overseeing the careers of Ariana Grande, Sage, Enrique Iglesias, and others. Her proud nurses, Dawn Simms and Mary Beth Watson, dined with BHC’s Marcia Hobbs and Yuki Takei at our table, savoring the excellent menu of tomato and burrrata salad, followed by poached sea bass (thank you, James Cutfield, the Beverly Wilshire’s longtime director of catering).
Raylene and Bruce Meyer were honored with the 2015 Spirit of Saint John’s Award. As were Merle and Peter Mullin. A handsome foursome of People We Should Know, whose diverse philanthropies continue non-stop. The awards were presented by president Donna Tuttle whose introduction for the honorees was flawless.
Founder of Meyer Pacific, the family real estate planning company, Bruce presided for 35 years over Geary’s, among our finest retailers in Beverly Hills now managed by nephew Tom Blumenthal.
Bruce is a major collector of vintage race cars and motorcycles and much involved in the great Petersen Automotive Museum. Raylene’s charities are profound, from the Children’s Hospital, the Los Angeles Music Center, the Los Angeles, Junior League, the 2015 Children’s Festival, which she co-chairs, and others.
Merle and Peter Mullin’s generosity remains unending, Peter being a trustee of Providence Saint John’s Health Center for 15 years. He and Merle’s contributions created the Health Center’s Mullin Plaza and Mullin Gardens. They support the Los Angeles Music Center, International Guggenheim Museum, the Art Center of Design, the Petersen Automotive Museum, the National Trust of Italy, the Davis School of Viticulture and Enology, plus more.
Merle and Peter offered their vast kingdom of an estate in the Scottish Highlands, complete with a prized chef and staff, to four couples for a week. The auction fetched $50,000.
“Saint John’s will always answer God’s call,” declared Peter Mullin, “on behalf of those who come sick and frightened ‘to know me, care for me, and ease my way.’”
Adds Andy Trilling, vice president for Principal Gifts, “For nine years in a row Saint John’s has achieved the highest distinction from Healthgrades for being one of the nation’s best hospitals, placing it in the top 1% of hospitals nationwide out of 4,500 hospitals evaluated.”
Andy bows to Saint John’s world-class physicians. Cardiologists Dr. John Robertson and Dr. Paul Natterson; melanoma specialist Dr. Mark Faries; pulmologist Dr. Gil Kuhn (“one of the finest”); GI Surgery and research expert Dr. Anton Bilchik; surgeon Dr. Maggie DiNome, researching freezing tumors as an alternative to surgery; urologist Dr. Timothy Wilson, one of top six surgeons who has vast experience with minimally invasive, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted urology oncology, also robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.
Also: Dr. Santosh Kesari, the world-class neurology oncologist working alongside Dr. Daniel Kelly, director of the brain tumor program, which attracts patients from around the world. They can removebrain tumors through the nose with an endonasal “key-hole” approach!
Equally grateful we are with these latest milestones, summed up by Saint John’s chief executive Marcel Loh, who informs that the new branding for the Providence Saint John’s Health Center says it all: “A place you can believe in.”
Milestones include:
Physician retension and recruitment to grow cardiology, uro-oncology, medical oncology, OB/GYN neuroscience, primay care, hospitalists.
Added three new robots in surgery to support minimally invasive surgery.
One of the first in the world to do the Watchman procedure for cardiac patients.
Added new EMR.
Brought all wages and salaries to market.
Signed a new three-year nurses’ contract.
Continued our planning for our South Campus.
Finished recruitment of my senior leadership team.
Successful Joint Commission 3-year survey.
Have a Saint John’s delivered world-class granddaughter!
Congratulations, Marcel!