The INTEGRIS Health Foundation will host its annual gala at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.
The INTEGRIS Health Foundation will host its annual gala at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Proceeds from this year’s event will support the INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital anchored in Oklahoma City but with statewide reach.
“Heart health in Oklahoma is a major concern,” said George Chrysant, M.D., the chief medical officer for INTEGRIS Health Cardiovascular Physicians. “Our mortality rate for heart disease is the worst in the country, but there are steps we can take to change direction.”
In March, INTEGRIS Health broke ground on a new heart hospital at the INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center, Northwest Expressway campus. With 209,000 square feet, the facility encompasses ICU beds, hybrid and traditional operating rooms, labs, testing areas and more.
“With our new heart hospital, INTEGRIS Health will be positioned to continue providing forward-thinking, cutting-edge care to Oklahomans throughout the state,” said Chrysant. “Our goal is to intervene faster around the state and prevent conditions before they become emergencies.”
INTEGRIS Health Foundation Vice President Skip Leonard added, “Most people don’t know the geographic reach of our cardiovascular physicians’ network. We have permanent locations in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Yukon, Enid and Ponca City. But every day, our heart physicians travel around the state to over 30 outreach clinics from Woodward to Altus to Hugo.”
“This gala gives us an opportunity to tell that story and galvanize our community around saving lives,” Leonard said.
Emceeing the 2022 gala will be Susan Powell, a native of Elk City who became Miss America for 1981 and has had a successful career in music and television. Powerhouse Oklahoma vocalist Chanda Graham will supply the night’s entertainment.
Gala information and registration are online at www.integrisgala.org. Sponsorships start at $1,000.
