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Evening of Wine & Roses Raises $298,000 for Glendale Memorial’s Chest Pain Center

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wine-and-roses

Santo Polito, MD, Glendale Memorial Heart Center Medical Director, with wife Joanne

The Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center is promoting its Chest Pain Center and to begin its expansion, the Center held the 23rdAnnual Evening of Wine & Roses on Oct. 10 to raise funds for the growing cause. The event catered to 700 people and raised nearly $298,000 for the Center.

Heart disease is still the No. 1 cause of death among Americans, and the Chest Pain Center is working hard to eradicate this statistic. Per year, more than five million people visit a hospital with chest pain, and of those, 10-15 percent are diagnosed with a heart attack.

“They come in, they’re afraid, they’re scared, and they have a right to do that, because we’ve been preaching for years that if you have a chest pain, don’t hesitate,” Dr. Santo Polito told LA’s The Place. “We created this entity so people have a place to go and feel comfortable, and if they don’t have a heart attack, then it’s better mentally for them to know, ‘My heart’s okay,’ rather than putting them in the hospital for a couple of days.”

Wine-and-Roses

Glendale Fire Chief Harold Scoggins; Jarret Anderson, CHW Board Chair & prominent Glendale attorney; and Mark Meyers, president, Glendale Memorial Hospital

Polito serves as the Medical Director of Cardio Vascular Services and has been with the hospital for 43 years. The Chest Pain Center was started a year ago, and now, it is rapidly growing and needs funds for more beds.

“We’ll be the first and only nationally accredited Chest Pain Center in Los Angeles.” Polito revealed, explaining that patients of all ages visit the Center.

“You come to our chest pain center, you’ll be immediately admitted, and within 20 minutes, we can tell you whether you’ve had a heart attack or not,” Polito said. “That’s the whole idea—quickly diagnose—If you don’t have a heart attack, we make sure psychologically that you know that.”

Wine-and-Roses

Jack Youredjian, founder of Western Drug; Onkarjit Marwah, MD, Glendale Memorial Cardiologist; Haig Youredjian, president of Western Drug

The evening began with the Taste of Tuscany Reception and Silent Auction, which included cocktails and appetizers, along with some pleasant music and mixing and mingling.

The Four-Course Gourmet Experience followed, which was created by Italian chefs of Los Angeles, and each course was paired with a specific wine.

First course was Spinach Salad prepared by Far Niente Ristorante’s Antonio Guberti and paired with a white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Vagnoni 2008. The second course was a Wild Mushroom Risotto from Chef Celestino Drago of Drago Centro and paired with a Rosato, Chianti Castello di Ama Rosato, 2009. Next came main course Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb from Fabio Viviani (“Top Chef”) and paired with the red wine variety Aia Vecchia, “Lagone,” IGT Toscana 2007. Last but not least was a Tiramisu Capuccino from Chef Drago and assorted Italian pastries from Eagle Rock Italian Bakery. The dessert wine was Badia a Coltibuono, Vin Santo 2004.

Wine-and-Roses

Center: Larry Cimmarusti, Vice Co-Chairman of Glendale Memorial Health Foundation, with Daniel Goodwin, MD, Glendale Memorial Cardiologist, and his wife Annie.

Every attendee was able to enjoy the charm of the evening’s host, Larry Cimmarusti, lively music from the band Splash and a live auction mastered by radio personalities Mark Wallengren and Kristin Cruz of KOST 103.5 FM.

All net proceeds from the event benefited The Chest Pain Center at Glendale Memorial Hospital.

Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center’s mission statement ensures that caring and compassion are two primarily sources to improve the health and quality of life for the people they serve. For more information, visit www.glendalememorial.com.

About the author

Mandy Rodgers