Tradition. Trustworthiness. Transformation. Three words that, in many ways, sum up the past, present and future of Summa Health.
Tradition: From our first patient seen in 1892 at the original modest Akron City Hospital on East Market Street to where the expansive, multifaceted Summa Health System stands today – 127 years later – our commitment to care for those in need never has wavered.
Trustworthiness: Our promise to be there when you most need us and provide you the highest quality care has never changed over all those years.
And now it is time for a transformation that will take Summa Health far into the future and continue to build on the strength of our past.
To that end, Summa Health is joining with leaders across the community in the campaign for Summa Health, “Caring for You … Then, Now, Always.” With a goal to raise $75 million — the most ambitious philanthropic endeavor in Akron healthcare history — supporters of the campaign will drive the next generation of innovative care in Northeast Ohio.
Progress toward this transformation already is well underway with a bold plan that will enhance the patient experience and empower clinical excellence across the health system. These essential investments — a new state-of-the-art patient tower on Summa’s Akron Campus, significant renovations and improvements at Summa Barberton, establishing endowed clinical chairs, endowing symposia, and much more — transcend the health system’s pledge to provide the highest quality, compassionate, local care.
To enhance the patient experience, we are…
- Transforming the Akron and Barberton campuses to create modern facilities and expand surgical capacity
- Creating private rooms that promote healing and improve the patient experience
- Providing program support for integrative medicine, healing arts, supportive care services and wellness
- Acquiring state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostic equipment
- Offering additional programs and services for the underserved in our community
To empower clinical excellence, we are…
- Establishing endowed clinical chairs to recruit and retain top physicians
- Endowing symposia and lectureships to advance clinical education
- Investing in research and innovation to catalyze discovery and advance patient care
- Elevating clinical education to train the next generation of physicians, nurses and healthcare providers for our community
- Expanding fellowship training opportunities to build a physician recruitment pipeline
Leading the way with gifts that have totaled more than $25 million of the $60 million raised to date are community leaders Ann and the late David Brennan, Pam and Gary B. Williams, M.D., Yvonne and Richard Hamlin, Nancy and Vincent DiGirolamo, the late Basil Smith, M.D., Vanita and James Oelschlager, Dee and Rennick Andreoli, the Verna Hancock estate, Patty and Phil Kaufmann, the FirstEnergy Foundation and the Lehner Family Foundation.
Campaign Chair Rennick Andreoli, a leading community philanthropist, will guide the public phase of the campaign. “Summa has been here for more than 125 years,” Andreoli noted, “and we need to ensure that it remains an exceptional resource for our community.” Andreoli is president and CEO of RDA Hotel Management Company.
Honorary Chair Ann Brennan led the campaign through its quiet phase. “I want the best healthcare for my children and grandchildren – and their children and grandchildren,” she said. “That’s why I support Summa Health now and always.”
“I was raised in Akron and am proud to have spent most of my professional life at Summa Health,” added Cliff Deveny, M.D., Summa Health president and CEO. “I want to see our region succeed, and having a robust, community-focused health system is essential to that.”
For details on how to make a difference and help Summa Health enhance patient care and empower clinical excellence, visit the campaign website, www.summahealth.org/caringforyou, or call 330.375.3159.