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HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION NAMES 2020 WETZEL COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS FOR HEALTH ACCESS ADVOCACY

November 16, 2020
Honorees, including philanthropists, volunteers and health professionals, will be recognized at December 2 virtual event
 
 
Healdsburg, November 16, 2020 - The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County (HCF) announced today that Sue Campbell and John McKinney will be honored with the Wetzel Community Leadership Award as leaders in healthcare philanthropy at the Foundation’s annual Wetzel Awards. Nurse and healthcare mentor Yudith Vargas Dominquez will be honored as well with the Spirit of Wetzel Award, which recognizes emerging leaders for their commitment to health equity and social justice. This year the ceremony will be held virtually on December 2, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Community members who wish to join the Healthcare Foundation in honoring Sue, John and Yudith can register for the free event at bit.ly/2020wetzelawards.
 
Each year, the Wetzel Community Leadership Award is given to highlight individuals who demonstrate a commitment to improving healthcare in our community. “Sue Campbell and John McKinney have been working diligently on behalf of the Sonoma County community with many different organizations for many years,” Healthcare Foundation board chair Scott Hafner said. “They are emblematic of fellow citizens who wake up each morning and ask, ‘what can I do to make our world better?’”
 
Together, the couple has supported the Foundation’s mission since their move to Healdsburg in 2006, lending their time and talent to ensure health access for everyone living and working in the Healdsburg area. Along with her philanthropic contributions, Sue has served as an executive board member of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District. For years, Sue has worked in this position to support Healdsburg District Hospital financially and most recently was involved in developing the strategic partnership with Providence St. Joseph. This partnership was recently approved by voters through the passage of Measure BB and will ensure the hospital remains a Critical Access Hospital for the next 30 years. Sue is also a board member with the American Association of University Women, and helped start the local GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) program.
 
Like Sue, John is deeply involved with the community. He served as a board member and is the current treasurer for Alliance Medical Center. He also volunteers with Canine Companions for Independence and is an advisory council member to the Sonoma Land Trust. Both Sue and John donate their time to the local Boys & Girls Club, Healdsburg Forever, and Farm to Pantry.
Melita Love, founder of Farm To Pantry and one of last year’s Wetzel Award recipients, is thrilled to see Sue and John honored. “They know that healthy food is key to good health for us as individuals and for us as a community; through their generosity of gleaned produce year after year, they have provided thousands of servings of fresh apples, pears, persimmons, peaches and blood oranges to those with limited access to healthy food.”
This year’s recipient of the Spirit of Wetzel Award, Yudith Vargas Dominquez is the newly appointed Director of Nursing for OLE Health and is committed to bridging the gap for the underserved and most vulnerable individuals in our area. Born in Mexico, Yudith immigrated to the U.S. when she was three. She was inspired early on by an uncle who was a physician in Mexico and felt strongly about providing health access to the community in which he grew up.
 
Since her youth, Yudith has volunteered and worked to provide healthcare to other immigrants and to individuals with limited access to care. At age 14, she began volunteering with Santa Rosa Community Health and today she continues to give her time and share her professional experience as a nurse to the Latino Health Forum and Los Cien. Both organizations provide educational opportunities and create dialogue with the goal of increasing health access, civic engagement, and leadership development within the Latinx community.
 
This year’s Healthcare Foundation Wetzel Awards event is open to the public and will be held live via Zoom and simulcast via Facebook Live and Youtube. Speakers will include event sponsor Katie Wetzel Murphy, board chair Scott Hafner and executive director Kim Bender. Additional testimonials will be shared by David Anderson, MD, Healdsburg District Hospital board secretary; Daisy Cardenas, Mental Health Talent Pipeline recipient; Terry Leach, health attorney and registered nurse; Karissa Moreno, executive director of the Center for Well-Being; Paige Mazzoni of Canine Companions for Independence; and Wanda Tapia from the Latino Health Forum.
 
About Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County
The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County is the only funder exclusively focused on health in the northern region of Sonoma County. It is the leading proponent for creating healthier communities and relies on donor contributions to fund its work. The Healthcare Foundation has three focus areas for its grantmaking: health access, mental health and early childhood development. Founded in 2001, the Healthcare Foundation has invested more than $26 million to build a healthier region for all who live, work and play here.
For more information, visit healthcarefoundation.net.
Contact:
Kim Bender, Executive Director
info@healthcarefoundation.net, (707) 473-0583