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| Campaign Chair David Hartman, Overlook Medical Center President Alan Lieber, Overlook Foundation Executive Director Ann Oliva, The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Overlook Foundation Chair Steve Stone, and Atlantic Health President and CEO Joseph Trunfio. |
When Overlook Hospital celebrated its centennial in 2006, the Overlook Foundation marked the occasion by launching a $100 million effort – The Next Century of Healing: The Centennial Campaign for Overlook – led by Campaign Chair and Foundation Trustee David Hartman. Today, Overlook Medical Center has been transformed by the $110 million raised through the exceptional generosity of individuals, companies, foundations, hospital leaders, physicians, employees, and community organizations.
Gathering to celebrate this remarkable achievement, more than 150 donors listened as the Honorable Thomas H. Kean, honorary campaign chair, reminisced about publicly announcing the campaign back in May 2008: “When I was last with you, I announced that Overlook Foundation would seek to raise $100 million. More than a few that night were skeptical that we could ever come close to our goal. Overlook had never before raised more than $15 million for any project, and this was the fourth campaign the foundation had launched in the decade. Then, the worst recession in our country’s history struck. You can see the considerable challenges the campaign faced.”
The numbers, however, were encouraging as longtime donors joined with new donors and volunteers in supporting the vision of a major medical center that would meet the needs of those within our communities and beyond. In the end, 9,839 donors from 1,104 towns in 46 states contributed to the campaign, illustrating the broad range of Overlook’s reach.
Thanks to these gifts, Overlook now has:
- the Breast Center at Overlook;
- the largest adolescent eating disorders program in the state, one that has tripled in size in the last three years;
- the J. E. Reeves chair of medicine endowment;
- the Thomas Glasser Caregivers Center and the Thomas Glasser Board Room;
- the Schlesinger Initiative in Integrative Medicine for our oncology and neuroscience patients;
- the Jane W. and F. Chandler Coddington Jr. Patient Care Unit;
- a remodeled and updated Meri and Sol Barer Pediatric Unit;
- Liam’s Room for chronically or terminally ill children and their families;
- the new lobby and Centennial Life Garden in front of the hospital; and
- other endowments, programs and improvements that are enhancing the quality of patient care throughout the hospital.
In addition, Atlantic Health President and CEO Joseph Trunfio reported that $41.4 million was contributed by Overlook’s nonprofit parent to fulfill its promise to match, dollar for dollar, every gift given for construction or capital equipment purchases. This commitment has enabled Overlook to build and equip the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook and the Women’s Health Center. Other projects and purchases funded in part by Atlantic Health’s match include:
- new or renovated units on three floors;
- a second neurointerventional biplane suite;
- the 320-slice CT scanner;
- the da Vinci surgical robotic system;
- an endoscopic suite for the latest treatment of digestive disorders;
- a linear accelerator for radiation treatments; and
- the pediatric ambulatory care center.
A towering donor wall, unveiled at the October event, now graces the main lobby of Overlook Medical Center to commemorate the generosity of those benefactors whose gifts have funded myriad construction and renovation projects, innovative technology and programs, and the recruitment of national caliber physicians and researchers.
Yet, as the former two-term governor of New Jersey reminded guests, “This campaign celebrated 100 years of service, but it was really about Overlook’s future. Tonight we celebrate, but to sustain that future we must rededicate our efforts to ensure that the opportunity for health is available for all. We must renew a pledge to our children and grandchildren that this medical center will remain vital and innovative. We must rekindle that spirit of compassion and generosity that drives people of good will to organize for the benefit of others.”