Contact: Linda Frizzell, Skagit Regional Health Foundation Executive Director, 360-428-2140

The Skagit Regional Health Foundation Board of Trustees and staff are pleased to announce that they recently received a $3 million contribution to its Cardiac Cares Capital Campaign from an anonymous couple. The donors, one of whom has received care in the Cardiac Catheterization Labs at Skagit Valley Hospital, reside locally. This is the single largest gift the Foundation has received in its 35-year history.The donor said “I told my cardiologists that they have kept me alive for more than 25 years now, and for that, my wife and I are very grateful.”

For patients experiencing heart disease, unusual heart rhythms or vascular issues, the cardiac catheterization labs located at Skagit Valley Hospital are the likely destination as the place where interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists and interventional radiologists provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment. The $6 million project will upgrade the catheterization labs’ equipment with the latest in cardiac imaging services.

The Skagit Regional Health Foundation had an initial campaign target of $3 million to help fund the $6 million project in partnership with Skagit Regional Health. Thanks to the generosity of the community and this donation, the Foundation will far exceed their initial campaign goal and be able to donate more than $4 million to fund the project.

Campaign Chairman Travis Coulter said, “Important healthcare projects like this one are funded by individuals, families, businesses, service organizations and special events. The community support of this campaign has been humbling and admirable. This gift from a local couple reaffirms the ‘why’ we live here. If the gift was five dollars or $3 million, it matters, and the Foundation is so very grateful.”

Nearly 3,600 patients from 15 different zip codes received care in the labs this past year.