Giving Back to Support Health Care in Our Community
Sandy Foell had already been volunteering for Sun Health Foundation when she got the news that she would need a major surgery. In the years that followed, she would need four more.
If she was uncertain about her health, she was sure about one thing: the quality of care she would receive.
Through her volunteer work, she already knew to expect top-notch medical care in her own backyard thanks to Banner Del E. Webb and Banner Boswell medical centers, both of which are supported by the community through the Foundation.
“Anybody who’s gone through anything serious like that knows how wonderful it is to be able to go in with confidence in the system, the physicians, the caregivers,” Sandy said. “That has meant so much knowing that and knowing it’s right here in the area.”
Sun Health Foundation serves as the philanthropic link between the community and Banner Boswell and Banner Del E. Webb medical centers as well as the Banner Sun Health Research Institute. The Foundation is also the driving force behind Sun Health’s community wellness and education programs and services.
Sandy has had first-hand experience with many of the institutions and programs through her support of the Foundation.
Serving Her Community
She retired to Sun City West in 1993 and dove into volunteering to give back to the community. The volunteer work has taken her from the hospitals to Life Plan Communities to wellness programs.
Through Sandy’s work in those settings, she has seen the need to remain social. It’s something that keeps her engaged in serving the community.
“Socialization is so important to wellbeing,” she said. “It’s helping me as much I hope I’m helping Sun Health.”
Over the decades, she has also seen plenty of positive change in the health and wellness landscape.
“It’s been wonderful to watch and see how they’ve changed and grown,” she said.
She has come to know the range of people delivering the care, overseeing a wellness program, teaching a class or assisting a resident. No matter the setting or need, she consistently sees the caring and expertise that goes into each job.
“These people really care about us, number one. And number two, they really know about people our age,” she said. “They like us, they care about us and they want us to be our healthiest.”
“Sun Health wants to do what the community needs.”
Personal Touch
Sandy has been struck by the breadth of health and wellness offerings in her own community, thanks to community support of the Foundation’s mission and work. In addition to volunteering, Sandy has made financial contributions to the Foundation and said she is reaping the benefits with care so close to home.
“I’ve worked with Sun Health Foundation raising funds to support these hospitals, never thinking I would be using that new and updated equipment,” she said.
But when she needed the expert care, it was there for her.
“The care that I received in the hospital was very personal,” she said. “I was treated as an individual…That really gives one confidence.”
Sun Health Foundation is a true partner with the community, Sandy said.
“Sun Health and the community work together,” she said. “What we provide for the hospitals is what they need.”
That may mean state-of-the-art medical equipment or upgraded emergency services or expanded offerings such as oncology services or women’s health care.
Close to Home
“It’s wonderful that the community is going to continue to have those facilities right near them,” she said. “With continued support of Sun Health Foundation’s work, there’s no doubt that residents will all benefit. I am totally convinced the Foundation is here because they want to see superior care for us.”
