Caring for Our Community ... With You
2024 Impact Report
Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation
You Are the Caring Tradition
Every dollar you donate stays local to help patients, families, caregivers, and community members. Together, we are fighting cancer, feeding hungry children and families, and creating opportunity for the caregivers who are there for us. We are tackling our community's most pressing health challenges and working toward a future where everyone has access to the care they deserve. Below are a few stories of lives you touched this year. Thanks to you, we live in a community of caring, and that knowledge alone is healing.
Bruce McClelland, Cancer Survivor
"I trusted my treatment team. I was always in good hands."
To beat an aggressive form of prostate cancer, Bruce leaned on state-of-the-art medicine and the support of compassionate caregivers. (Read more about Bruce's story here.) Every year, friends like you make possible life-saving cancer care programs for the more than 1,300 people diagnosed here annually. You provide free screenings and prevention programs for more than 600 people; personalized follow up, and nutrition and exercise counseling for patients fighting cancer and recovering after treatment; free wigs, scarves, and prosthetics; and thousands of palliative care visits for people without insurance coverage.
Sharon Parnagian, Orthopedics Grateful Patient
"I will never forget the kindness and compassion of the nurses and clinicians who helped me through. They listened, prayed with me, and answered all my questions."
Sharon wasn't expecting two hip replacements in a single year, but she's walking without pain now and is truly grateful to the skillful, compassionate nurses who helped her through. To help people like Sharon rebound and recover, our nurses and clinical staff rely on community generosity for scholarships and educational support; earn-to-learn programs providing immediate access to jobs and professional opportunity; and advanced practice opportunities, so that nurses can follow their passions through specialized training in areas such as cancer and palliative care.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Providers
"This camp has given me the opportunity to see what my future career can look like." Camp Participant
To improve the health of our community, Sentara Martha Jefferson introduced nearly 1,400 local students to healthcare careers through field trips, summer camps, junior volunteer programs, and educational events made possible through community support. Second graders in Albemarle county learned that there are many careers beyond being a doctor or nurse at a hospital, while middle- and high -school students from all five surrounding counties got a hands-on introduction to the many good playing, rewarding healthcare job opportunities. Students also learned that scholarship support is available through the Haden Nursing Institute and the Center for Clinical Education to open the door to these career pathways.
Diana Webb, Community Engagement Coordinator
"These kids give you so much hope for the next generation of healthcare professionals."
This year, community support introduced hundreds of local young people from all backgrounds to careers in the healthcare field. The fun kicked off with 400 Albemarle County elementary school kids and their stuffed animals touring the hospital in the spring. Middle schoolers from Louisa and Fluvanna counties spent a week practicing everything from CPR to stroke safety as part of the Health Science Career Camp, and 10 teenagers from the Boys and Girls Club of Southwood suited up for a bilingual experience of job opportunities in the OR and ICU. Programs like these improve the health of our community, while introducing a new generation to good-paying, rewarding careers in the healthcare field.
Sentara Martha Jefferson Early Learning Center
"This project improves health for all in our community by enabling our dedicated, local healthcare workers to remain in the workforce, caring for our community." Kimberly Skelly, Executive Director, Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation
This year Sentara Martha Jefferson broke ground on a new Early Learning Center on the hospital’s campus. In partnership with the Piedmont Family YMCA, the center will accommodate 148 children up to age five. Our local team members will have priority for the available childcare slots, with costs assessed on a sliding scale. Knowing that their children are safe and close will translate directly into peace of mind for our team members, enabling them to devote their full attention to providing the highest possible standard of care for our patients and the community.
Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle
"It's so easy to get intimidated by the system and end up tolerating things you shouldn't. People shouldn't have to suffer." Jenette Parker, Literacy Volunteers tutor
In 2024, Sentara Cares grant funding helped dozens of organizations here at home in our community address urgent community health needs. Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle used Sentara Cares grant funding to support English-language learners motivated by health and wellness goals. Grant funding made possible health-focused materials and training workshops for tutors like Jenette, who is helping her student find relief from chronic pain by learning to describe symptoms, read prescription labels, and understand test results.