Cancer care promises kept to Four Seasons Resort, Foundations
Written by Phil Cerroni
Irving Healthcare Foundation (IHF) recently reported to Four Seasons Resort and Club, Stemmons Foundation of Irving and Hillcrest Foundation of Dallas about cancer care results made possible by funding these organizations donated.
“I was very pleased and proud to let our donors know that we’ve kept a promise to care for more than 120 new and more complex cancer cases in Irving in the last 12 months,” said IHF President John Drake. “We have been able to honor our pledges thanks to the new, specialized treatment equipment that they helped our hospital purchase.”
Baylor Medical Center at Irving’s Cancer Center saw 138 patients in the first year of using new Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and related equipment at the Irving Cancer Center. Hundreds of Baylor Medical Center at Irving employees joined the Four Seasons Resort and the Stemmons and Hillcrest Foundations in giving $550,000 toward the purchase of this equipment. Baylor Irving then funded the $800,000 from revenues after expenses toward the total cost of more than $1.3 million.
“Our hospital is so well run by Cindy Schamp and her team that we are truly blessed to have dollars remaining after regular expenses and the rising cost of charity care,” said IHF Chairman Brian Smith. “The latest figures I’ve seen show that many hospitals in our country have no available funds left over to buy equipment or pay for staff continuing education. That’s why gift dollars from the community are exponentially important to helping a local hospital. It’s why my colleagues and I enjoy serving on the Irving Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors; we love Irving’s only nonprofit hospital and want to help it however we can.
The Irving Cancer Center team at Baylor Medical Center at Irving has used the IGRT equipment for 1,809 procedures since September of last year. This means that each of the 138 patients had 13 visits, if averaged. This is much less than previous versions of radiation therapy available in our community, which could require daily visits for up to six weeks. Medical professionals now can deliver much higher doses of radiation more exactly. The result is greater destruction of tumors while healthy tissue surrounding it is spared.
“Four Seasons Resort and Club has been a faithful corporate friend to our foundation since 1992,” Drake said. “With this current year’s $100,000 pledge for new equipment and software, it will bring the Resort’s giving to more than $2.4 million. We know that Four Seasons as a company internationally has a vision for a world without cancer. We love working with the Resort here in Las Colinas to envision an Irving without cancer, too. How great to recognize the giving of Stemmons and Hillcrest Foundations too for their role in making cancer treatment better in Irving.”
Four Seasons Resort and Club is hosting a golf tournament on Oct. 22 and a 5k and 10k race on Oct. 27 to raise funds toward its 2012 pledge of $100,000. More information is available by calling Kyle Bryson at 972-579-4392.
Source: Irving Healthcare Foundation
