Generosity for Generations

In 2009, Carole Sachs never expected to be so moved at her local community service group meeting. That day, special guest speakers from Sharp HealthCare shared the incredible advances in technology for women’s health underway at Sharp.

A DaVinci Robotic Surgery System robot was acquired for general surgical use at Sharp Memorial Hospital, yet with Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns being one of the largest centers for women’s health in the western United States, the need for a robot was clear.

Within just a few weeks, Carole made an extraordinary gift to fully fund a new DaVinci robotic surgery system at Sharp Mary Birch, which was dedicated as the John and Carole Sachs Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery in February 2010.

So began Carole’s dedication to helping generations of patients and families. She became a champion of Sharp’s vision to be the best place to work, practice medicine and receive care. Within just a few years, along with her family, Carole provided the funds for the next generation of the robotic surgery system, enabling Sharp to be the leading provider of minimally invasive surgery in San Diego. Her philanthropy also helped provide training and experience for Sharp caregivers, improving skills and outcomes. 

During Sharp’s INSPIRE campaign, Carole provided leadership gifts for several projects at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, including the Senior Care Unit and the Center for Child and Adolescent Health; Carole has been a philanthropic partner in Sharp’s decade long transformation of San Diego’s largest and most comprehensive center for behavioral health. 

Envisioning exemplary care for older adults

Along her philanthropy journey, Carole took a great interest in the work being done at Sharp Memorial Hospital in geriatric health, including in the Emergency and Trauma Center. Under the leadership of Dr. Diane Wintz, trauma surgeon and the Sharp Memorial Hospital Geriatric Trauma Medical Director, the program has been remarkably successful, ensuring the utmost respect, attention, and commitment of Sharp HealthCare for seniors to feel empowered, cared for, and recognized for their special needs and value.

With the launch of the ENVISION campaign — a 10-year comprehensive campaign with a goal of raising $250 million in support of Sharp's $2 billion investment in San Diego's health care future. The opportunity was set for Carole to make one of the most important gifts in Sharp’s history — $6 million for ENVISION Sharp Metropolitan modernization and the creation of the John M. Sachs Family Center for Generational Health.

This transformational gift will support not only the expanded Cushman Emergency and Trauma Center at Sharp Memorial Hospital; it will also provide significant program funding to enable SMH to become one of the nation’s leading centers for care of geriatric patients, notably those who present in the Emergency and Trauma Center. 

The first phase of ENVISION Sharp Metropolitan modernization calls for an addition to the Stephen Birch Healthcare Center at Sharp Memorial Hospital. This addition will house the expansion of the Cushman Emergency and Trauma Center (which treats more than 100,000 patients a year) and new surgery and recovery units; adding 31 new treatment rooms/bays, a new CT room, 2 isolation rooms with direct access to the ambulance parking lot and an expanded quick-care pod.

Leveraging the expertise of current practitioners in the geriatric trauma program and healthy aging team, the aim of the John M. Sachs Family Center for Generational Health is to increase organizational competence related to senior care as well as focus on performance metrics such as decreasing re-admissions, increasing return to independence and decreasing length of stay.

The center’s core work will focus on returning patients to their homes, rather than skilled nursing or rehabilitation facilities. Patients will receive accelerated physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and cognitive therapy, and respiratory therapy during their stay all in coordination with the patient’s nursing and medical care. In addition to accelerated therapies, the center will incorporate sleep strategies to reduce the likelihood of a patient developing delirium.

Carole delights in knowing she can give back to the San Diego community.

If you would like to learn more about ENVISION Sharp Metropolitan modernization and how you can support healthy aging in San Diego, contact Shawna Fallon.