To members of the Circle of Friends, it's not
news that Queen of the Valley is a center of high-tech medicine. Nevertheless,
the crowd attending the reception for the QVH Foundation's annual giving
club was riveted by news of just how cutting-edge the Queen's heart
surgery program is. In a presentation titled "The New Age of Cardiac
Surgery,"
QVH Director of Cardiac Surgery Robert Klingman, MD, described some
of the innovative techniques already in use at the Queen's Heart Center,
including surgery performed on hearts while they continue to beat. He
also described new technologies that the hospital hopes to have in place
soon, including robotic heart surgery. The Foundation will be helping
the hospital pay for the advanced equipment required for this revolutionary
new way of repairing damaged hearts. 
(For
more on the Heart Center and its innovative programs, see page 5.) "People
were fascinated," reports Foundation trustee and Circle of Friends chair
Maxine Jacobs."It was a very exciting presentation and the audience
loved hearing about all about the amazing work that's going on at the
hospital." "I enjoyed the whole evening," agrees Circle member Virginia
Brenner, "especially having a chance to learn about the wonderful technologies
these physicians have now and the great skill involved. I was just amazed."
Almost 100 people attended the reception, which was held on Feb. 12
at Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, the new cultural
center that opened last November on First Street in Napa. After enjoying
sparkling wine and hors d'oeuvres, the group heard from Dr. Klingman,
who illustrated his remarks with slides showing surgical procedures.
"I thought some of the photographs of surgery that Dr. Klingman showed
might be too graphic, but everyone was really interested," Maxine says.
"People kept saying, 'My friend had that done!' and 'That's the procedure
I had!'" exciting presentation and the audience loved hearing about
all about the amazing work that's going on at the hospital." Members
of the Circle of
Friends give $300 or more to the QVH Foundation every year in response
to an annual solicitation. They also act as Queen of the Valley's unofficial
ambassadors in the community, which is why the Foundation offers Circle
members opportunities to tour hospital facilities and learn more about
programs such as the Heart Center. The reception, an annual event, gives
the Foundation a chance to thank 
Circle
of Friends members for their ongoing support of the hospital, which
continues to increase every year. Gifts from the Circle of Friends totaled
$88,000 in calendar 2001. Before 2002 was only a third over, Circle
of Friends gifts were already up to $108,000. Maxine points out that,
unlike special events, which require many hours of volunteer work and
upfront costs, the annual giving club raises substantial funds for the
hospital with almost no overhead. "The Circle is one of our best, lowest-cost
fundraisers," she says.
