News
Beebe Medical Foundation Names Honorary Chairs for the Best of the Beach Event
05/22/08
Beebe Medical Foundation is pleased to announce that business owner and attorney Alexander J. Pires, Jr., and his wife Diane Cooley will serve as Honorary Chairpersons of the 19th annual Best of the Beach Art Auction Dinner & Dance.
The net proceeds of this year's Art Auction will support the construction of an expanded Beebe Medical Center School of Nursing. The event will take place on Saturday, June 14, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. under a giant tent on the grounds of the Beebe Health Campus on John J. Williams Highway (Route 24) in Rehoboth Beach. Proceeds also will benefit programs of the Rehoboth Art League. Tickets are still available and can be purchased from the Beebe Medical Foundation office at (302) 644-2900.
Mr. Pires said he and Ms. Cooley are excited to serve as honorary chairs of this year's Beebe Art Auction because they strongly believe that nurses are critical to quality healthcare. "Nurses make the difference in our care," Mr. Pires says. "They are there for you when you are really ill and in need of hospital care. They are there day and night, hour after hour."
Mr. Pires, who hosts a dinner each year at The Rusty Rudder for Beebe nurses, said that nurses are the unsung heroes in the healthcare community. "Their work is hard and their hours are long," he said. "They do it because they care, and we are happy to show them that we appreciate their work."
Mr. Pires also emphasized Beebe Medical Center has a critical need for a new School of Nursing. "The building is old and not in very good condition. A new building will allow the student body to double from 30 students a year to 60 students. And we need to graduate more students to meet the need for more nurses."
Delaware, as well as the rest of the nation, is facing a nursing shortage. The Health Resources and Services Administration predicts that without aggressive intervention, the supply of nurses in America will be 36 percent below the level of need by 2020. This represents a shortage of more than one million nurses. In Delaware, there will be a 51% shortfall of nurses by 2020.
The Beebe Art Auction, which showcases works of many of the finest artists from the Mid-Atlantic Region, is the largest annual fundraiser for Beebe Medical Center, and has drawn 800 attendees to its evening of festivities that include a lively auction of memorable artworks, as well as dinner and dancing.
For tickets, please call (302) 644-2900 or visit www.beebemedicalfoundation.org
Beebe Medical Foundation was established in 1989 with the sole mission to raise philanthropic support for Beebe Medical Center. The Foundation is located at 902 Savannah Road, Lewes DE 19958.
Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org
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