Giving and Growing
By Emily Andras | Photo by Daymon Gardner
Employee and Physician Giving program provided her with a financial lifeline — one that she now donates to so that others can receive the same aid. Dr. Vu Vuong, a Senior Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology, has worked on Ochsner’s West Bank campus since 1997 and said his reasons for giving back to Ochsner are simple. “The people working here at our West Bank campus were, are and will always be ‘my people,’” said Dr. Vuong. “We work closely together to take care of our friends and neighbors — i.e. folks known in other parts of town as ‘patients.’” To Dr. Vuong, giving back to Ochsner is as natural as breathing. “It is simply an act of love—of taking care of one’s own family.” This is not an uncommon feeling among
“ I t i s simply an a c t of love” – Why O chsn e r
Ochsner staff members who choose to
e m ploye e s are g ivin g ba ck to t h ei r workp l a ce
give. Tamika Warmington Barfield, the Manager of Annual Giving for the Ochsner Health System, has seen the impact that
F
Employee Giving has on Ochsner — and or many, giving any amount of their hard-earned money back to their employers would seem like an absurd idea—but for Ochsner employees, paying it forward is part of what it means to work at the largest non-profit healthcare system in Louisiana.
The annual Physician and Employee Giving program, which began its 2019 drive
“Every day, Ochsner team members perform countless thoughtful acts that help the people around them,” said Tamika.
in August, offers Ochsner employees a unique chance to influence change by
Many Ochsner facilities highlight these acts
supporting growth and improvement in areas they are passionate about.
of giving through a Physician and Employee
Employees and physicians throughout Ochsner Health System donated more
Giving wall, which patients and families
than $2 million in 2018 to support everything from patient programs to employee
often stop to admire on their way in or
assistance. All of the money raised stays within the Ochsner system, which some
out of the hospital. “Our donors are more
employees cited as their primary reason for giving.
enthusiastic about giving when they see that
Donations don’t just come from the top: part-time technicians to the chief nursing officer give back to Ochsner. Patrice Stanford, a Patient Access Representative in Gynecologic Oncology at Ochsner Baptist, gives every year to honor how Ochsner has helped her. Patrice, who has worked at Ochsner since 2006, was forced to take an extended leave of absence due to illness in 2012. During the nearly 18 months she was recuperating, the
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on members of the community.
Summer 2019
employees care about where they work.” Four Ochsner employees — from all levels and departments — told us about why they choose to give to the Physician and Employee Giving program.
