HARTFORD FOUNDATION GRANT TO ENHANCE PATIENT EDUCATION AT HARTFORD HOSPITAL
June 04, 2012
HARTFORD – The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded an $80,000 grant to Hartford Hospital in support of the Tallwood Urology and Kidney Institute. The gift will create the Richard P. Garmany Urologic Patient Care Program at the Tallwood Urology and Kidney Institute.
The patient care program will provide enhanced educational materials for all patients coming to the Tallwood Institute. It will also help fund the expansion of the prostate support group and the creation of support groups for kidney and bladder cancer patients. The grants will expand the community outreach seminars, lectures, and assessment tools for patients undergoing urologic and kidney cancer surgery and create a survivorship program for patients who transition from active treatment to survivorship. This support will Okayalso allow Hartford Hospital to expand its outreach to primary care physicians by creating the Richard P. Garmany Lecture Series for Primary Care Physicians. And, to address the unique needs of patients with bladder cancer, the hospital will create a new postoperative patient assessment program for patients following surgery for bladder cancer.
“Richard Garmany always spoke of the wonderful care he received at Hartford Hospital, perhaps especially during his last few years of life. He developed some very strong friendships with his physicians, including Dr. Andrew Salner, medical director of the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center and Dr. Steven Shichman, medical director of the Tallwood Urology and Kidney Institute,” said David Polk, advisor to the Garmany Fund and former vice president of marketing at Hartford Hospital. “The work that Dr. Shichman and his colleagues are doing at the Tallwood Institute was a catalyst for this grant. Richard truly wanted to support all of the projects that Dr. Shichman is involved in. Richard recognized the skills of all of his caretakers at Hartford Hospital. We see the Tallwood Institute as an extension of the skills and talents that already exist within Hartford Hospital.”
Hartford Hospital sees a total of 30,000 urology patients annually. Seven hundred patients are admitted each year, with a primary diagnosis of kidney disease. Additionally, prostate, kidney and bladder cancer comprise three of the six most common cancers treated at Hartford Hospital. The World Health Organization projects a 75% increase in these kinds of cancer diagnoses by 2030. More than 20 million adults aged 20 years and older in the United States have Chronic Kidney Disease.
The Tallwood Institute at Hartford Hospital is the area’s only dedicated institute for urology and kidney disease. With a reputation of excellence in patient care and personalized coordinated care, the Tallwood Institute combines comprehensive urology and kidney care with sub-specializations all in one space.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents. The Hartford Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families and in 2012 awarded grants of more than $27 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.