Partners In Health effort sets goals for VMC giving

Partners In Health effort sets goals for VMC giving

Partners In Health, the internal faculty and staff giving campaign, is under way until June 30.

The campaign supports Vanderbilt Medical Center's academic mission and is a way for faculty and staff to support the areas they are most passionate about. All funds stay within the Medical Center, and donors may direct funds toward a school, department or program of their choice.

“Supporting Partners In Health is a direct and tangible way to invest in ourselves,” said Carol Etherington, M.S.N., R.N., assistant professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. “It's a way of saying 'We believe, individually and collectively, in what we are doing to improve our institution, our local community and our global community.' The timing for such an investment could not be more significant.”

Etherington is serving as a faculty co-chair along with Corey Slovis, M.D., chair of Emergency Medicine, and Susan Wente, Ph.D., assistant vice chancellor for Research.

This is the first year that a representative from research has been included, and organizers hope this will increase awareness and participation in the campaign in all departments.

“Our goal is to see strong support from all groups at VMC,” Wente said. “We are renewing our efforts to gain support from faculty in basic science research. This is especially important to our mission. We hope to both fully engage their involvement, as well as develop mechanisms to provide them with support.”

“Due to the economy, it is more important than ever to consider giving — or giving more — to our Medical Center and meeting the goals and needs of its departments and divisions,” Slovis said.

The faculty co-chairs are asking for increased participation — 40 percent or more — from faculty and staff to maintain the $1.9 million in gifts received last year. In 2008, 38 percent of full-time faculty contributed $1.9 million through Partners In Health. Thirteen departments met or exceeded the 50 percent participation target.

New for the 2009 campaign is an expanded Web presence. Donors can visit www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/partnersinhealth to get more information on the campaign, track campaign progress, make a donation via credit card, set up payroll deduction, print out a donation form or learn how to do a stock transfer as a gift.

For more information, call the Partners In Health campaign office at 343-7531 or e-mail PartnersInHealth@vanderbilt.edu.