Enloe Medical Center received the largest contribution to its Cardiovascular Care Center project.

During the hospital’s annual volunteer appreciation luncheon, Oct. 17, volunteers of the hospital pledged $500,000 to the project.

Enloe Medical Center is working toward a $17 million project to enhance cardiovascular care.

The donation from the volunteers will be collected over a five-year period and most of the proceeds will be acquired from the hospital’s gift shop. The rest of the expenses for the cardiovascular campaign will come from the hospital’s operating funds

“[Everybody on the board] have all had people in their lives who need or experience cardiac care,” said Director of Volunteer Services Roseanna Galindo-Kuhn. “They recognize that this is a huge gift to the community.”

Another large donation was received by The Chuck and Sharon Patterson Charitable Fund which donated $250,000 last May.

The donation was put toward the construction of the project. The Pattersons donated to Enloe because it gives something permanent and beneficial to the community.

The need for heart care is increasing because heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

“Cardiovascular disease kills more than 6,000 people a year,” said the foundation’s Director of Advancement and Communications Jolene Francis.

The Cardiovascular Care Center will double the holding capacity for the medical center and some of the improvements will include:

• Three procedure rooms
• 10 bays for patient care
• a diagnostic treatment room
• Lounge and meeting rooms for doctors and families

Many of the current heart care physicians working at Enloe are close to retirement so the center will help employ more physicians.

A patient and Chico native Lena De Valle thinks that the addition of a cardiovascular center would be a significant enhancement to the hospital.

“A center would improve the already great service that Enloe has offered the community,” De Valle said. “I think it’s great that the volunteers have not only given their time but are helping to fund the project.”

Marrion Charissa Cruz can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.