Queen of the Valley receives $11M gift

[caption id="attachment_34641" align="alignleft" width="313"] Artist rendering of the acute care addition to Queen of the Valley hospital, which will be called the Herman Family Pavilion.[/caption]

NAPA -- Queen of the Valley Medical Center Foundation today announced it received an $11 million gift from the Herman family, the largest gift in the hospital's history.

The funds from Tim and Mary Beth Herman will support the "Crowning of the Queen" capital campaign, which aims to raise $30 million primarily for the hospital's new diagnostic and surgical pavilion, currently under construction. The campaign also supports development of the Peggy Herman Neuroscience Center and the growth of the Foundation's endowment. Queen of the Valley will name the diagnostic and surgical pavilion the Herman Family Pavilion in recognition of the gift.

"We are tremendously grateful to receive this transformational gift, which is also an investment in the future of health care in the Napa Valley," said Elaine John, medical center vice president for philanthropy as well as foundation president and chief executive officer. "The Herman Family Pavilion will help improve the lives of the people of this community for generations to come."

The $11 million gift is comprised of three donations:A $1 million two-for-one challenge to help fund the Peggy Herman Neuroscience Center.An initial $5 million to support the development of the hybrid operating room in the diagnostic and surgical pavilion.An additional $5 million to further support the pavilion.

With the most recent gift, the foundation has raised $21.8 million of the $30 million campaign goal.

Slated to open in fall 2013, the Herman Family Pavilion will house the region's first "hybrid" operating room -- an OR suite that combines the most advanced imaging capabilities with robotics and traditional surgery. The technology will aid physicians during the most difficult of surgeries, including complex cancer, heart and brain procedures.

"This gift is a remarkable example of the shared commitment the Herman family and Queen of the Valley have in advancing health care in our community," said Walt Mickens, hospital president and chief executive officer. "We are proud the Herman name will grace our facility and are tremendously grateful for their contribution that will help us continue the healing legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange for a very long time."

Tim Herman is a 26-year resident of Napa. In 1978, he launched Airprotec, a pollution-control company for the semiconductor industry. In 1989, the company merged with Innovative Engineering to form Delatech. He led this business for 10 years before choosing to sell it and retire so he and his former wife, Peggy, could spend more time with one another and their three children, Michael, Patrick and Danielle.

Longtime volunteers and philanthropists, Tim and Peggy Herman founded the Herman Family Foundation and the International Children's Dream Foundation, an organization that offers tools to young people to cope with life's big challenges.

In 2007, Peggy Herman suffered a traumatic brain injury after being thrown from her horse. At the time, there was no neurosurgery coverage in the Napa Valley. Mr. Herman then began working with Queen of the Valley to bring neurosurgery back to Napa. The Peggy Herman Neuroscience Center opened in spring 2011.

"There was nothing anyone could have done to save Peggy," Mr. Herman said. "But that experience really brought home how important it is to have a world-class medical center like the Queen here in Napa. I decided, since I had the financial resources, to do what I could to help the Queen continue to provide the state-of-the-art services we all depend on, even if we don't think about them every day."

In June 2011, Mr. Herman married Mary Beth Robinson, a sales executive for Napa Valley Marketplace magazine. Both have been major supporters of the hospital in finances and volunteerism.

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