Holy Name Press Releases

Holy Name Auxiliary Raises $10,000 for Hospital's Villa Marie Claire Hospice

January 8, 2009

Teaneck, NJ On behalf of the Central Auxiliary of Holy Name Hospital, Auxiliary President Ginny DeGreef presented a check for $10,000 to Michael Maron, Holy Name Hospital President/CEO and Charles Vialotti, M.D., Director, Radiation Oncology, at its end-of-year meeting in December. The gift will help underwrite the development of the hospital's Villa Marie Claire Hospice in Saddle River, NJ.

Auxiliary members held year-round cake sales and raffles, a holiday sale, and a tricky tray luncheon at the Glenpointe Marriott to raise funds for the Villa, which the group chose as the latest beneficiary of their philanthropy after a field trip there in April.

"The ladies were so excited and enthusiastic," recalls Karen Chapman, Director of Volunteer Services and hospital liaison to the Auxiliary, "that we found the courage to make a commitment, and we were successful." The Auxiliary has since pledged to raise another $10,000 to benefit the hospice, which will feature 20 inpatient beds and a 14-bed family support center. It will be the only facility of its kind in Bergen County.

Set on 26 pastoral acres in Saddle River, the Villa Marie Claire will set the standard for compassionate end-of-life care, under the direction of Dr. Vialotti. Providing day-to-day care to patients and families touched by irreversible illness, the Villa's palliative medicine program will focus on symptom control, quality of life, and patient and family communication, with a wide range of physical, social, psychological and spiritual services.

"At present, much end-of-life care is weighted toward technological interventions that can be painful, unnecessary and alienating," explains Dr. Vialotti. "Hospice restores dignity, self respect and control over the patient's life. It gives families the opportunity to have their final memories of their loved one framed by positive experiences."

# # # Holy Name Hospital is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, acute care community hospital located in Teaneck, New Jersey. Founded and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1925, the hospital is now a comprehensive 361-bed medical center offering leading-edge medical practice and technology, administered in an environment rooted in a tradition of compassion and respect for every patient. Affiliation with the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System brings further advantages to our Bergen County community, including access to clinical trials, highly specialized physicians, and expanded opportunities for professional medical education. # # #