The story of Alex G. Spanos
The gift
In December 2001, nationally recognized businessman and philanthropist Alex G. Spanos, Mercy General Hospital and Mercy Foundation announced Spanos' lead gift commitment of $15 million toward a $40 million capital campaign to build a state-of-the-art Heart Center on the Mercy General campus. Spanos' gift is the single largest donation in Dignity Health history and one of the largest in Sacramento.
Inspiration and vision
For years, Mercy General's cardiac program has consistently been a leader, both locally and nationally, in providing quality care and above average outcomes for its heart patients. That is why, in August 2000, Spanos chose to have his coronary artery bypass surgery at Mercy General.
"I wanted to have the best people in the best program performing my open heart surgery," said Spanos. "During my stay at Mercy, I received the best care from both physicians and staff. So, when I heard about the hospital's plans to further enhance their services, I felt compelled to support the project."
Excellence - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
The standards set forth by Mercy General place it in an elite group, having been recognized by organizations like Solucient, Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross of California and HealthGrades. Awards received include 100 Top Hospitals: Regional Benchmarks for Success, 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals for Cardiac Intervention and 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success. In addition, Mercy General was one of just two California hospitals (the only one in the greater Sacramento area) to be listed in Solucient's 2006 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success report.
Mercy's heart program maintains its leadership status through continued participation with national data registries including American College of Cardiology/National Center for Data Registry, National Registry of Myocardial Infarction and Society of Thoracic Surgeons, which help establish national standards for cardiac care and measure patient outcomes. Mercy's commitment to exceeding those standards has earned us widespread recognition, topping several national lists.
Mercy's around-the-clock cardiac care includes rapid chest pain assessment and treatment, state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs, cardiac surgery and rehabilitation, and trademarked disease management programs such as CHAMP® for congestive heart failure patients. The Alex G. Spanos Heart Center will house all aspects of the program including surgery, post-surgery intensive care, cath labs, outpatient cardiac diagnostic services and cardiac rehab, ensuring the program continues to provide these essential services to heart patients who come from throughout California and beyond.
