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When Heather Reed, Executive Director of the IRMC Healthcare Foundation, asked Dr. Nazneen Billimoria to join the Foundation’s Board, she received an immediate “yes.” “From my standpoint as a physician who sees the value in the Foundation’s Board member sees the wide-ranging value of IRMC Foundation’s mission "Being part of the Foundation and helping to better the care of our patients for preventive care and for cancer is a big deal to me. To be part of the foundation that directly impacts the work I do is gratifying to me." DR. NAZNEEN BILLIMORIA Multiple Perspectives
work, I absolutely had to join,” says Billimoria, who specializes in general surgery, breast surgery and robotics at Indiana Regional Medical Center.“The Foundation has been so instrumental in advancing the care we give to our patients.” Front Line Perspective Billimoria is on the front lines when it comes to witnessing the Foundation’s impact. For instance, the da Vinci surgical robot that was purchased in 2017, with help from the Foundation, allowed IRMC physicians to do more minimally invasive, complex surgeries with improved visuals, such as colon resections and acute gall bladder surgeries. Billimoria explains that the trend in medicine is moving from big, open procedures to more minimally invasive. The da Vinci instrument allowed IRMC to stay on par with tertiary centers. Patients spend less time in the hospital and are recovering sooner. “Based on my experiences, I felt I absolutely had to join the board,” Billimoria says. Donating to the Cause In addition to contributing to the collective input on how donations should be allocated, Billimoria is an active donor herself. Many of the donations the foundation has received, including her own, have gone to the advancement of the IRMC Comprehensive Breast Care Center. In a way, her involvement facilitates a wonderful positive feedback cycle.
“Being part of the Foundation and helping to better the care of our patients for preventive care and for cancer is a big deal to me,” Billimoria says.“To be part of the foundation that directly impacts the work I do is gratifying to me.” Recent additions include updating IRMC’s satellite breast care stations to include 3D mammography, which provides a higher level of accuracy in detecting breast cancer than a conventional 2-D screening.With the Foundation’s donations, 3D mammography is now an IRMC standard and played a key role in IRMC receiving the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. Other breast care donations include surgical equipment such as an advanced specimen imager. Instead of a surgeon removing tissue during breast cancer surgery, then running it down to pathology and waiting for the report, the machine takes images of a specimen right on site.The surgeon can send it to the radiologist and a discussion between the surgeon in the operating room and the radiologist can confirm that the correct area is targeted.
Community Connections Being part of the foundation is another way Billimoria connects with the community.The foundation and the board are comprised of people within the community at large, who are invested in the community, and want the hospital to succeed.They get the rewarding experience of seeing the direct impact of the work IRMC has on people. “That’s the wonderful thing about working in a small community,” Billimoria says.“Your patient population are the people you’re running into all the time at the post office, grocery store and around town. I’ll often hear, ‘You took care of me, a friend, a family member,’ ... there’s always a connection. That’s true for everyone who works here.We’re invested in this community together.” Billimoria has served on the board since January 2019. She loves her role and plans to remain a board member as long as she’s able. “As long as I can be helpful, I’m happy to be there,” she says.
IRMC HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION 2022 DONOR REPORT 3
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