PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation has created a $1 million endowment to fund continuing education opportunities for hospital employees who care for patients with brain and spine problems, including stroke, brain tumors and traumatic head injuries.
The Miller Endowment is created in honor of Jay D. Miller, M.D., a retired neurosurgeon and former Medical Center trustee.
“We are thrilled that the endowment will be named for Jay Miller, one of the most distinguished physicians in southwest Washington,” says Josiah (Sy) Johnson, CEO of PeaceHealth’s Columbia Network, which includes PeaceHealth Southwest in Vancouver and PeaceHealth St. John in Longview. “This endowment will help ensure that our neuroscience caregivers are trained to the highest possible level and can deliver the best possible care to our many brain and spine patients.”
Lee and Connie Kearney of Vancouver provided the $200,000 lead gift for the endowment.
“We made this gift because of our deep respect for Jay and his lifetime of contributions to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center,” says Connie Kearney, a member of the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation Board.
More than $400,000 has been contributed to the Miller Endowment in advance of today’s public announcement. Fundraising will continue throughout 2015, culminating in the Neurosciences Gala to be held, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2015 at the Vancouver Hilton.
The Miller Endowment is part of a $10 million Neurosciences fundraising campaign currently underway. The campaign already has raised $3 million to create a dedicated Neurosciences Center on the 6th floor of the PeaceHealth Southwest’s Firstenburg Tower, which will be named for lead donors Thomas and Sandra Young. The Foundation also plans to raise $6 million to renovate its Neuro Inpatient Rehabilitation Center on the fourth floor of the Mother Joseph Building.
For more information about the neurosciences campaign, call PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation at (360) 541-3656.
