by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Nearly 100 staff members, volunteers and board members of St. Vincent’s as well as community leaders, gathered Tuesday at the River House in Riverside for a dedication ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Gary and Nancy Chartrand Heart and Vascular Center Clinic Building and the River House.
Jonathan Mahar, president and CEO of St. Vincent’s, began the ceremony by welcoming attendants and introduced a host of community members and volunteers who helped make these new buildings possible.
“We wouldn’t be here today if not for the kindness and generosity of these folks,” he said. “For each and every one of you who has given yourself, St. Vincent’s thanks you.”
Sister Cora Anne Signaigo, with the Daughters of Charity, continued the dedication by symbolically releasing a hundred butterflies to represent the conclusion of the medical center’s “Building a Healthier Community Campaign.” The campaign raised $35 million towards a five-year, $70 million expansion project at the medical center, which also included the Mary Virginia Terry Cancer Center and the Gary and Nancy Chartrand Heart and Vascular Center.
The Gary and Nancy Chartrand Heart and Vascular Center Clinic Building and the River House, a two-story facility that will serve as the new home to the Spirituality Center, the new residence for the Daughters of Charity and the Mike Davidson Family Overnight Guest Suites for patients, families and friends, were the final components of the project.
After the butterflies were released, Reverend Bishop Victor Galeone, with the Diocese of Saint Augustine, presided over the blessing and dedication. Senior Vice President of St. Vincent’s HealthCare Foundation Jane Lanier recalled the growth that St. Vincent’s has experienced over the last century.
“The ‘Building a Healthier Community Campaign’ was a huge success,” said Lanier. “St. Vincent’s excellence depends on the support of this community through philanthropy. We brought in new friends to improve medical care in centers of excellence that are nationally recognized.
“Who knew that 91 years ago when the Daughters of Charity came to Jacksonville to care for the sick and the poor, that St. Vincent’s would become the crown jewel for medical care in this region.”
Also at the event were namesakes for the new Vascular Center Clinic Building. Gary Chartrand, chairman and CEO of Acosta Sales and Marketing Company and wife Nancy, a longtime community volunteer, donated an undisclosed amount last January to contribute to the funding for the 55,000 square-foot clinic that houses classrooms, physician offices and the CardioPulmonary Rehabilitation Center.
The center opened its new location in January of this year, allowing patients with chronic lung diseases and patients who have undergone various types of heart interventions start to build and maintain a better quality of life through education and lifestyle changes.
“Our reason for contributing is not because of any family ties to St. Vincent’s but because we believe in St. Vincent’s and they really support the poor,” said Nancy Chartrand. “We’re just so very fortunate that we were in a position to help the community and St. Vincent’s in this way.”
St. Vincent’s was founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1916 to provide health services to the sick and the poor of north Florida. Today, St. Vincent’s serves more than 25,000 in-patients a year, about 50,000 for outpatient surgery and invasive procedures and more than 60,000 people in its emergency room.