Methodist Hospitals Foundation Hosts Nearly 400 at 2017 Mardi Gras Masquerade Benefit

Methodist Hospitals Foundation Hosts Nearly 400 at 2017 Mardi Gras Masquerade Benefit

{valpo}TEXT{/valpo}On Saturday, nearly 400 people gathered at Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville for the Methodist Hospitals Foundation's annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Benefit. The 2017 Masquerade Benefit was held and celebrated for the benefit of Methodist Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute in order to allow them to continue to provide the most technologically advanced and highest quality care for their patients.

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“Our Heart & Vascular Institute has within it a Heart Failure Clinic, and as we all know heart disease was the number one cause of death in the country,” said Judy Lindsey, Executive Director of the Foundation.

“Last year there were 50,000 patient visits to our Heart & Vascular Institute. Some of those individuals had hidden problems that they didn’t know and ended up needing immediate intervention,” Lindsey said in highlighting the importance of raising money for the Institute. “We’re hoping to raise around $110,000 and we had just under 400 registered to attend tonight’s event, which is just fantastic.”

Methodist Hospitals Foundation Board President, Heather McCarthy, echoed Lindsey in saying, “It’s so personally rewarding to see this event grow every year. I think we’ve really passed all of our goals this year in terms of, not only fundraising, but attendance here tonight.”

“I’ve sat on many boards in the region and I can say that this is the one that is most rewarding because of all of the collaborative efforts of everyone focusing on the mission of the Hospital, which is so important,” McCarthy added.

February is ‘Heart Month’ which makes the evening's celebration and fundraising all the more important. With the event’s fundraising efforts, Methodist Hospitals’ Heart & Vascular Institute is poised to reach more patients and provide immediate, more technologically advanced care.

“This plays a critical role in the caring of Northwest Indiana,” said Dr. Andre Artis, Medical Director of the Heart & Vascular Institute. “Heart disease is dear to our heart and the numbers are astonishing. Methodist has a commitment to investing in technologies and services, and the people needed to help us save lives and reduce heart related deaths in our communities. That is why we are all here tonight - to support the lifesaving efforts of the Methodist Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute.”

“One of the things that I’d like to start thinking about is how the rate of cardiovascular disease is going up,” Dr. Artis added when thinking about how the fundraising efforts will help the Heart & Vascular Institute. “Nearly 800K people now, as of the latest statistics, die per year, and one-third of the people who die, die of heart disease. Lake County probably has a higher rate so we’re in a particular location where we really need to do a little bit better and a little bit more for our patients. To that end, I’d really like to start thinking about disease prevention.”

Methodist Hospitals’ Heart & Vascular Institute pioneered an implantable heart failure monitoring system which detects deteriorating heart function before the appearance of symptoms. Advancing such great work is what proceeds from the evening’s event will be dedicated towards.

One special guest for the evening was Quinn Hochstetler, who benefited directly from Methodist Hospitals advanced technology when he collapsed at work, just two blocks away from Methodist Hospital.

“Being two blocks away from Methodist Hospital - I don’t believe it was luck,” Hochstetler said. “I believe the events were guided and preordained. I don’t know if any other hospital could’ve saved me, but I know this one did.”

Attendees of this year’s Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball were treated to dinner, drinks, a New Orleans Food Court, Cafe DuMonde Sweet Stations, music and dancing, a silent auction and live art entertainment, which was then auctioned off live.

To learn more about the work done by Methodist Hospitals Foundation, click here.