Our Donors’ Impact

2023 Impact of Giving

In 2023, more than 2,300 donors invested $10.7 million in Virtua’s programs and services. Together, we were able to advance health equity, grow our mobile platform, foster education for nurses and health care workers, enhance a broad range of clinical programs…and more!

Your Generosity Matters

We are deeply grateful to our philanthropic partners for making health and wellness a priority. Thanks to their generous support, Virtua is addressing the most serious health needs of our community and providing care for our patients…mind, body, and spirit.

408

hospitalized patients aided through the Patient Care Fund to ensure they can continue to get healthy at home.

765

cancer screenings provided by Virtua’s Mobile Health and Cancer Screening Unit team from August-December.

43585

times our Eat Well team supported people with the food they need to be healthy.

Advancing Health Equity with Vital Screenings

In spring 2023, we launched the Mobile Health and Cancer Screening Unit, which is the newest member of our growing mobile health fleet. This 40-foot vehicle features leading-edge 3-D mammography, an exam room, and a welcoming and patient-friendly registration area. Our team of clinicians and community health workers who operate the unit visit local businesses, places of worship, and community centers to provide access to potentially life-saving cancer screenings. From August through December 2023, the mobile team attended 37 screening events and screened 500 women, 79% of whom were uninsured, for various cancers. We are deeply grateful to lead philanthropic partner Aetna Better Health of New Jersey and all of our founding donors for making this vision a reality.

765 cancer screenings were provided including 335 mammograms.

Doubling Services and Reach for Local Children

In 2023, the Joseph Lacroce Foundation pledged $1 million in support of Virtua’s Pediatric Mobile Services, making it possible to greatly expand this program which it first helped to launch in 2018 with an equally generous gift. Thanks to their generosity, as well as the support of other philanthropic partners, we will be able to purchase a second vehicle that can help meet the overwhelming demand for services. The program’s care team travels to schools, daycare centers, and other community gathering places to provide a range of health screenings and vaccinations to children ages 6 years old or younger. When the second van launches in mid-2024, the impact on area children and families will grow by leaps and bounds.

6,017 children received free screenings with 23% referred to additional services. 

 

Caring for the Mind, Body, and Spirit

The generosity of our donors helps provide critical resources for patients in need, enabling us to care for them in mind, body, and spirit. Here are a few of the ways their support had an impact in 2023:

784

patients with breast cancer and their families supported through our Breast Care Comfort Fund.

276

bags of food given to patients in cancer treatment who are experiencing food insecurity.

500

children and adolescents received behavioral health services at Virtua’s CASTLE programs.

141

patients with cancer received salon services and a free wig at the RCCA Hair Boutique.

Gratitude has a Lasting Impact

Each year, we are deeply touched by patients, families, and community members who make gifts to Virtua to express their gratitude. In 2023, nearly 100 clinicians, colleagues, and teams were honored through The Lasting Impact Project for the difference they made. The kindness of our donors has meant the world to us. And their generosity will have a lasting impact for years to come!

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Growing Our “Food as Medicine” Platform

Through philanthropy, Eat Well continued to grow in 2023. At the Eat Well Food Farmacy, 1,972 patients received nutrition education and free food, which is the highest number of patients we’ve served in a single year since the program began in 2018. Thanks to a generous grant, we held 16 “tandem” events featuring our Eat Well mobile units as well as our other mobile units to provide convenient access to nutritious and affordable food, in addition to health screenings and education. Virtua proudly partnered with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to bring the Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store to communities in Atlantic City. We also expanded our annual Thanksgiving turkey and produce giveaway to serve families in Atlantic City — all thanks to our philanthropic partners.

1,198 preventive health screenings provided market-side.

Developing the Nursing Workforce of the Future

At Virtua, we recognize the importance of educating new generations of nurses and building a health care workforce that can meet the needs of our community today and for the future. Together with our philanthropic partners, we are helping to reduce financial barriers for both current and aspiring nurses and address the critical staffing shortages that are affecting health systems nationwide. In 2023, generous donors funded nearly $100,000 in nursing scholarships.

41 scholarships given to Virtua nurses and Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing students.

Together, we are building a healthier South Jersey!

The generosity of our philanthropic partners is remarkable, and it has propelled us forward in building healthier communities for all. In the full 2023 Impact of Giving Report—Transforming Health Care Through Philanthropy, you can read more about the many ways our donors’ gifts are supporting the health and well-being of our patients and neighbors.

Read the Full 2023 Report