Top of the pageMarch 4th, 2010
Heart Institute of the Cascades integrates programs with CHC Heart Services
Bend, OR - On Tuesday, March 2, the Heart Institute of the Cascades’ Board of Directors voted to move the nonprofit organization’s programs under the operations of Cascade Healthcare Community’s Heart Services program.
“By integrating our programs with CHC’s Heart Services, we will reduce costs and ensure the viability of these important community programs for the long term,” said Dr. Bruce McLellan, chairman of the Heart Institute of the Cascades Board of Directors.
This decision comes amidst a strategic planning effort to evaluate the Heart Institute’s priority programs.
“The board’s goal is to keep various clinical trials running along with key education and outreach programs such as the Annual Cardiovascular Medicine in the Cascades Conference and Kids@ Heart, a regional childhood obesity prevention initiative,” stated Dr. Bruce Brundage, Heart Institute founder and board member. “The obesity epidemic threatens to wipe out twenty years of advancements we have made in reducing the burden of heart disease and other chronic conditions. This integration, along with more efficient operations, will result in a stable funding base for Kids@Heart and other important programs.”
“The board continues to believe in the importance of improving heart health through community education and action,” McLellan said. “By making this decision, we can ensure that every dollar raised to support heart health will go directly to the important programs the Heart Institute launched, rather than to overhead costs. The board felt that this would be the best stewardship of foundation and public dollars.”
The Heart Institute of the Cascades is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1999 with a mission to improve heart health in the Central Oregon region. Currently the board is made up of representatives from Heart Center Cardiology, Cascade Healthcare Community and public community members. The Board will continue to meet in 2010 to ensure a seamless transition of the research and community programs to Cascade Healthcare Community. Donor stewardship and fundraising responsibilities will be assumed by the St. Charles Foundation.
