Our Mission & History

Through every philanthropic gift we receive, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center is able to make an impact in the life of our patients! For a look at our History from 1899, please click here!

Since its incorporation in 1979, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Foundation’s mission has been to conduct a development program for raising funds to further the objectives of Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. In the Hospital’s 105th year of service, the Foundation continues to play an integral part in providing the community with nationally recognized, high-quality medical services. PVHMC Foundation’s first full year of reported fund raising activity began in 1981, and in 1984 – only three years later - it raised more than $1 million for the first time.

In 1986, the Hospital wanted to better treat the leading cause of death in its community – heart disease. With a history of medical milestones in heart care, the Hospital, aided by the Foundation, opened the first comprehensive cardiac facility in the region – the Stead Heart Center, named in memory of Charles and Marion Stead. This Center of Excellence was the site of the region’s first open-heart surgery and cardiac catheterization. From 1990 to 1995, the Foundation undertook its largest campaign to date. $6 million was needed to provide the Hospital with enough funds to build a comprehensive, freestanding cancer center previously unavailable in the rapidly growing community. The Foundation surpassed its original goal, however, and raised another $5 million to equip the facility and begin an endowment for patient support services.

The Robert and Beverly Lewis Family, for whom the Cancer Care Center is named, made the success of the campaign possible. By the late 1990s, the Foundation was providing regular annual support to the Hospital for the purchase of the latest equipment in order to treat the diverse medical needs of the community. During this period, a variety of funds were established, including the creation of the Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center Endowment and the Stead Heart and Vascular Center Endowment, to supplement the support services provided to many different patient groups. This support was extended to include the Hospital’s medical library and community health conferences. In 2001, with a volatile stock market and slowing national economy, the Foundation began another campaign to fund a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory.

In 2004, after raising $8.6 million, the campaign was completed with the opening of the new laboratory and a dedicated cardiac surgery suite. This new facility allows cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to work more closely together, and to provide faster response in cardiac emergencies. While the Foundation has raised more than $42 million since its inception, there will be no shortage of fund raising opportunities in the years to come. The Foundation is in the process of planning for a major capital campaign in support of the Hospital’s $220 million Master Plan expansion. Other fundraising initiatives include purchasing the latest equipment for the NICU, providing funds for nursing education, and continuing to grow the Foundation’s endowment funds. There is an exciting future ahead for the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Foundation, but regardless of the course taken, it will based on a tradition of helping to provide the highest quality healthcare for our community.