Geisinger Health Foundation launches Beyond the Bricks campaign
$6M raised to date to support pediatrics and women’s health
“Throughout its first quarter-century, Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital has been synonymous with excellent care,” said Gary and Sandy Sojka, campaign co-chairs for Beyond the Bricks. “With philanthropic support, we will empower care providers as they address emerging concerns in pediatric medicine and work in our communities to combat growing problems. We hope you will recognize the importance of these and other pressing issues — and join with the pediatric and women’s health teams at Geisinger to make a difference for your friends and neighbors.”
The campaign aims to continue Janet and Sigfried Weis’ mission to provide the best care to children and families across the Geisinger footprint through the creation or expansion of programs and services that align with the campaign’s five guiding commitments:
· Protecting our children
· Enhancing care across our footprint through access and innovation
· Improving access to behavioral healthcare
· Caring for mothers and babies
· Promoting education and scientific inquiry
“At Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, we like to say that everything we do is about caring for children. These words define our purpose, and we strive to put those words into action every day,” said Frank Maffei, MD, chair of pediatrics at Geisinger. “These words also remind us that we can and must do more. How can we do more to protect our region’s most vulnerable children? How can we do more to better understand and impact complex pediatric disorders? How can we ensure that we are providing the most innovative and state-of-the-art therapies? With the help of donations and support, we will be able to respond to the evolving needs of our families and communities by providing exceptional family-centered pediatric care.”
The campaign has raised more than $6 million in early commitments from community members, companies and foundations. This includes a $1 million commitment announced earlier this year from local philanthropist Susan McDowell. Her support created a pediatric behavioral health catalyst fund that will launch projects and programs to promote innovation in the behavioral health care of children and adolescents.
To kick off the public phase of the campaign, the foundation hosted the Emerald City Ball on Sept. 10 at the Pine Barn Inn. Joining campaign co-chairs Gary & Sandy Sojka as speakers before the announcement were Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, Geisinger president and CEO; Dr. Maffei; Sandra Culbertson, MD, chair of Geisinger Women and Children’s Institute; and Ryan Brouse, a recent pediatric patient. The event raised nearly $300,000 for the campaign.
To learn more about Geisinger Health Foundation and to make a donation, visit geisinger.org/beyondthebricks.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.