Winiarski Family Foundation Announces $5.1M Gift at
Queen of the Valley’s Annual Generous Heart Fundraiser
On Saturday, September 25, 175 vaccinated guests gathered to honor Beth Nickel and to enjoy the exceptional hospitality for which Beth and Far Niente are widely known at Queen of the Valley Foundation’s 8th annual Generous Heart event. During the gala, the hospital announced a $5.1M gift from the Winiarski Family Foundation to create the Winiarski Stroke and Diagnostics Center immediately adjacent to the Emergency Department (ED).
The center will be a great enhancement in providing critical care for the 30,000 trauma, stroke and patients with emergent needs who are treated in the Queen’s ED annually.
“We are eternally grateful for the philanthropy of donors like the Winiarski Family,” said Terry Wooten, chief executive at Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center. “Their gift will reduce the time it takes to determine the extent and complexity of injuries and begin treatment. This state-of-the-art suite signals to the community we are committed to providing the highest quality of care to all our community members.”
The new center will include a GE Healthcare Revolution Apex CT machine, the only one of its kind in our region. This advanced technology will improve diagnostic capabilities and response times in the ED. The CT scanner’s location enables nearby ED physicians to be in close proximity when needed to attend to a critical patient who is being scanned.
“Most of us have used the ER at some point,” said Warren Winiarski in a video announcing the gift during the event. “I’ve personally made trips there and so has Barbara. Our employees have also benefitted by having around the clock access to emergency care. It requires sophisticated diagnostics in a hospital setting to give the best response to serious medical conditions—strokes, heart attacks, accidents—and the Queen’s ER has medical staff who are specially trained in critical care.”
“Napa Valley is our home,” Barbara Winiarski added. “We want everyone in our community family to have the benefit of the best technology available when they have an emergency. Queen of the Valley managed my care when I had a stroke—we are so grateful to have the hospital close by in our community.”
The beneficiary of this year’s fundraiser, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Fairfield, was Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center’s emergency services, a cause that has meaning to everyone who lives, works and visits the Napa Valley. Funds raised at the Generous Heart event will help support modernization of the Gasser Emergency Center through a refresh of the unit and creation of a designated “fast-track” area where lower severity ED patients can be treated.
“The acute care needs that require the level of expertise that a hospital provides are costly,” said Beth Nickel, the evening’s honoree and generous supporter of the Queen. “It was an honor for us to host this important event that will help our ER to be ready for any of us when we need it.”
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