Infusing Compassion into South Bay’s New Hospital
With the help of visionary philanthropic donors, the doors of the new hospital tower at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center will soon open to San Diego and its floors will be filled with healing environments, advanced technologies and skilled caregivers dedicated to the well-being of our community.
Helga Leonhardt, a German-born inventor, professor and nearly 50-year San Diego resident who pledged a donation of her Point Loma home through a planned gift said, “I want to bring people solace, peace and healing through my giving.”
After decades of commitment to advancing both communication and pharmaceuticals, as well as serving as a missionary in Africa and church volunteer, Leonhardt is making another meaningful mark as a philanthropic investor in Sharp’s newest hospital. The appreciation for technology in her life’s work inspired Leonhardt to give in support of the surgical unit. “I consider myself a futuristic person; a pioneer,” says Leonhardt. “When I saw the robotic surgical instruments so precise they can incise a grape, I knew that that was the area of care my donation was meant to support.”
But the human element of care is equally important to Leonhardt. “People are often fearful and full of anxiety when they visit the hospital, but I know I can help them – not directly, but through the Sharp HealthCare Foundation and its financial support of this important project. I am extremely grateful that I was able to donate my family home to support this project because now it is a part of me. It is my hospital.”
To learn more about leaving a legacy by arranging a planned gift to Sharp, visit www.give.sharp.com/planned-gifts.
To learn more about the new tower at Sharp Chula Vista, the Above and Beyond philanthropic campaign to help build the tower, visit www.sharp.com/chulavistaexpansion.
