The Service League of Greenville has pledged a $2 million endowment to sustain programs and services within ECU Health Cancer Care. The endowment matches the Service League’s $2 million gift to ECU Health Cancer Care in 2015.
“Our mission is to ‘minister to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy through various projects, which benefit the hospital and community’,” said Danette Pugh, president of The Service League of Greenville. “We are so fortunate to have ECU Health Cancer Care here in eastern North Carolina, and we are blessed to be able to fulfill our mission by sustaining cancer programs and services for the foreseeable future.”
Through philanthropic support, ECU Health Cancer Care has been able to provide the following programs and services:
- Patient resources, such as financial assistance for gas, food, electricity, prescriptions, transportation and child care for those patients who qualify at the federal poverty level;
- Patient navigation program which helps remove any barriers to care, assures seamless care delivery and refers patients/families to needed resources;
- Diagnostic procedures, including mammograms, bone scans, colonoscopies and lung CT scans;
- Oncology outreach, including community screenings, early detection and prevention programs, as well as educational/awareness programs;
- Survivorship and support programs, such as retreats for cancer patients, as well as nutrition, exercise and equine therapy programs. Also, complimentary wigs are offered to those who are unable to afford them otherwise.
In eastern North Carolina, 19 people are diagnosed with cancer every day, with eight passing away every day in ECU Health’s 29-county region. The mortality rates in eastern North Carolina are 15 percent higher than the rest of the state because too many cancers are being detected in later stages. ECU Health is on a mission-critical journey to change all that—to transform cancer care in the region.
ECU Health Cancer Care at the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower on the ECU Health Medical Center campus serves as the hub to provide cancer care in Greenville, as well as deliver cancer care throughout the region. Cancer care in eastern North Carolina is driven by this vision: to prevent the incidence of cancer whenever possible, diagnose the disease in its earliest stages, and ensure that every patient with cancer receives world-class care without leaving the area.
“It is truly remarkable that over $4 million dollars raised by The Service League in pursuit of our mission to envision a life without cancer came in small increments selling candy, coffee, flowers and gifts from the gift shops, cafés and vending machines,” said Dr. Emmanuel Zervos, executive director of ECU Health Cancer Care, and professor and chief, Division of Surgical Oncology at the Brody School of Medicine. “The dedication and commitment of The Service League to this region is the secret ingredient that makes eastern North Carolina such a special place. The Service League has been with us since day one, and we look forward to continuing our partnership to serve the region.”
Since opening in 2018, ECU Health Cancer Care has:
- More than 60,000 new outpatient registrations
- More than 42,000 outpatient clinic visits
- Recruited top specialist oncology physicians from all over the country
- Over 30,000 infusion patients treated
- Over 6,000 PET scans completed
- 1,2000 support and survivorship programs hosted
The league is celebrating its 83rd year of service. The organization operates several amenities throughout ECU Health Medical Center, including the Coffee Shop, the gift shops, all vending services, and two freestanding Starbucks coffee operations—known as the Coffee Corner and the ECHI Café. The group was also monumental in helping fund The Service League of Greenville Inpatient Hospice, which provides inpatient medical care in an environment that meets the emotional, spiritual and comfort needs of patients and their loved ones during a terminal illness. The group also helped fund the construction of The Service League of Greenville Interfaith Chapel.
All profits from the league’s hospital operations are donated back to the hospital through the ECU Health Foundation. Through the years, The Service League’s total commitment to ECU Health Medical Center is more than $13 million.
Media contact: Beth Anne Atkins, director, communications and donor relations, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
