Partners for the greater good
With the Novant Health Foundation, MRA has ‘a seat at the table’
It was 1918 when what is today known as Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center first opened its doors. The hospital – much expanded in the ensuing 106 years – still stands on that 20-acre campus close to uptown Charlotte.
Just a year prior, Mecklenburg Radiology Associates (MRA) – the oldest radiology group in the Carolinas – was founded.
“We have been on staff at Presbyterian since the hospital opened,” said Shawn Quillin, MD, a diagnostic radiologist with MRA. “We have a tight relationship with Novant Health and obviously, a very long, shared history,” Quillin said. “We are partners. And we appreciate that MRA has a seat at the table.”
Further evidence of the strength of that partnership is seen in MRA’s – specifically, Quillin’s – involvement in Novant Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Novant Health. “The foundation works to make an impact on the community through raising funds for philanthropic activities like health equity programs and specific equipment purchases,” Quillin explained. “People who benefit from the Foundation’s work might be patients or Novant Health team members.”
Novant Health Foundation supports projects and initiatives that have a direct patient impact. The generosity of individuals, families, companies and grant-making institutions enable the foundation to assist Novant Health teams in their work to create a healthier future and bring remarkable experiences to life. Recent projects made possible for the Charlotte community through the foundation include The Novant Health Agnes Binder Weisiger Breast Health Center, The Kemp Bessant Support Center, and The Mobile Mammography cruiser.
Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation, one of six regional Novant Health foundations, raises between $10 and $12 million every year. Foundation operational costs are underwritten by Novant Health; this means all funds donated will go directly to the programs and initiatives for maximum impact.
Two decades of service
Quillin first got involved in 2003 when he joined the Foundation’s board. He has found it to be so fulfilling that he remained on the board through 2021. He has served on the Grants Committee and Development Committees and became Chairman of the 24-member Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation Board from 2015 to 2016, which turned out to be a pivotal time.
Since rolling off the Board, he’s joined – and currently chairs – the Ambassadors Council, which is, Quillin said, “for former board members who want to remain involved but to a lesser extent.”
The gift of a lifetime
During Quillin’s term as chairman, the foundation launched an ambitious campaign to raise funds for an outpatient multispecialty center in Charlotte. It was a mammoth undertaking, and it turned out to be the project that has meant the most to Quillin during his 20 years of service.
“We were charged with raising funds for the seven-story cardiovascular and cancer outpatient facility called the Novant Health Claudia W. and John M. Belk Heart & Vascular Institute and Agnes B. and Edward I. Weisiger Cancer Institute,” he said. “We initiated a capital campaign to raise money and ultimately built a 260,000-square-foot center that opened in October 2020. The building cost nearly $166 million, and we raised about $42 million of that, with the hospital system underwriting the rest.”
Quillin calls his involvement in the effort “probably the greatest civic contribution I will ever make in my life.”
“Whenever I pass the building, I take tremendous pride in seeing it,” he said. “Taking care of my patients is the most important thing I do. But as far as being a community member, I’m very proud of the work we did to make that center happen.”
To learn more about Novant Health Foundation – or make a donation – visit supportnovanthealth.org.
