On Wednesday, November 6th, Heywood Hospital donors and sponsors of the Watkins-Faust Open, Heywood Hospital's annual golf classic, gathered together to celebrate this past year's tournament success and to learn about the progress of the Heywood Hospital Surgical Platform. A total of $1.5M has been raised from the previous two years' tournaments as well as a community of generous donors.
After opening remarks from Heywood Healthcare President & CEO Win Brown, a presentation was given to donors that provided details on the necessity of the new platform, current developments, as well as an anticipated construction schedule.
"Surgical volume has increased 28% this past year alone, with surgeries scheduled daily from 7:00am well into the evening,'' said Rozanna Penney, CRNA, VP of Perioperative Services.
Heywood Hospital's new Surgical Platform will increase access to leading-class surgical care by offering a highly efficient and expanded operating platform. Additionally, the expansion of surgical care will drive business development and employment opportunities in the region, ensuring the strength and viability of Heywood Healthcare as an independent, community-governed provider.
After the presentation, donors were invited to view the donor wall, located in the hospital's Surgical Day Center, where it will stay as a temporary home until the surgical platform is built. A special plaque was made to honor the donations given in memory of Lawrence "Larry" Lukasavicius, the uncle of local business owner James Kraskouskas. An emotional presentation on the story and memory of Larry Lukasavicius was given by Mr. Kraskouskas.
Attendees were then brought to see the 2019 Heywood Golf Classic Leaderboard, which prominently displays 2019 sponsors. The Leaderboard is located in the Heywood Hospital Lobby.
The Watkins-Faust Open, Heywood Hospital's Golf Classic named in honor of Chris Watkins and Dr. James Fuast, has been a staple of Heywood Healthcare's summer, for the past 27 years. The Golf Classic has underwritten a wide variety of Heywood initiatives and services, including oncology, surgical day care, endoscopy, the Diabetes Center of Excellence, various capital projects and an array of behavioral health and suicide prevention initiatives.
The 2020 Watkins-Faust Open will be held Monday, June 15th.