Leaders. Volunteers. Supporters. Innovators. For more than 30 years, Marv and Dee Ann Woodall have applied their personal and professional experiences to advancing life-saving technologies and life-changing opportunities at Doylestown Health. Jim Brexler, President and CEO, recently spoke with them about their continued involvement.
Dee Ann: I learned about the Village Improvement Association (VIA) when we first moved to Doylestown in 1985. Although I never expected to take an active role, I was impressed by their focus on our community and providing high quality and advanced healthcare services right here in Doylestown, so people wouldn’t have to travel to get the care they needed. I believed in the importance of that and over the years devoted my volunteer time to helping make that happen in various ways.
Marv: My career was spent in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, with Johnson & Johnson companies, where I worked for 37 years. As the President of J&J’s Interventional Systems (JJIS), I led our team that developed one of the most significant medical devices in recent history called balloon expandable stents. Today, stents are essential in life-saving procedures in cardiac care and endovascular therapies to open blocked arteries. I have great interest in advanced technologies here at Doylestown Hospital, most notably in the specialties of interventional cardiology, plus vascular and heart procedures.
Marv: Over the past many decades, I have been fortunate to work with so many dedicated colleagues, devoted physicians and nursing leadership to collaborate in the development of such transformational medical devices like stents and TAVR, which is an analogue of the original balloon-expandable stent. Our awesome TAVR team at Doylestown Hospital implemented this breakthrough, minimally invasive, procedure to replace a stenotic aortic valve, without the need for open heart surgery at the Heart Institute. To date, we have truly outstanding patient outcomes; and we’ve received national recognition as a leading heart care hospital in the U.S. The TAVR program here is very impressive—and extremely rare—for a community hospital to have this level of sophistication. Normally, this technology gets adopted only at academic centers and larger hospitals. We’re providing exceptional care right here in Doylestown.
Marv: Yes, interventional cardiologists at the Heart Institute use the interventional catheterization technologies to remove clots from the brain in stroke patients for whom technique and speed are critical. Patients are going from being paralyzed, unable to speak or otherwise debilitated to being fully functional shortly after their blood clot is removed. It’s wonderful how these medical device innovations are saving lives and restoring functionality for our patients right here in Doylestown.
Dee Ann: That we offer this at Doylestown Hospital is very important. People can be treated immediately. If they had to be flown all the way to a city hospital, time would be lost, and they might not do as well.
Marv: We think carefully about what to support and need to know that an organization can deliver on quality. When we were approached to help create the Chest Pain Center here at Doylestown Hospital, I said I would be willing to do it if the hospital was willing to get the certification first. That was essential to me as a donor. My request triggered a labor-intensive 3,000-page certification process. It focused on the “door-to-balloon” time—how fast a patient with chest pain can move from the emergency room to the catheterization lab for a stent procedure to correct a blood flow or blockage problem. They got the certification and are doing these procedures as well as any hospital I know. In fact, Doylestown Hospital’s average door-to-balloon time is 57 minutes; significantly better than the national average of 90 minutes. The clinical outcomes have been excellent. Yes, we are grateful for the opportunity to have supported the Chest Pain Center several years ago.
Dee Ann: We have always believed that education is essential. With Marv’s support, I founded the VIA Women’s Scholarship Fund many years ago. Recently we invested in the BSN 2020 initiative that provides funding for nurses to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree. The goal is for 80 percent of Doylestown Hospital nurses to earn advanced degrees by 2020. I’ve been a Doylestown Hospital patient and experienced firsthand how knowledge translates into exceptional care. The nurses here are extremely capable. They talk to you, listen and are very caring. It makes a difference.
Marv: Supporting BSN 2020 and other educational initiatives align with my interest in bringing advanced technology to the hospital. We can have all the technology we want here, but unless we have educated practitioners to implement it, the chances of success are minimized. So, while we support the formal education process for nurses, we also support practical knowledge from a medical technology standpoint. That means making it possible for staff members to travel to educational conferences and meetings where they can listen to enlightening scientific presentations about heart disease or other conditions. They learn what’s new, what works and what doesn’t work. Then they bring their new knowledge back to Doylestown Health, so we are always on the leading edge of the latest medical advances.
The VIA volunteers have always been determined to keep Doylestown Hospital an independent community hospital. We want to remain independent. That independence, combined with our smaller size, is an advantage because we can make decisions and adopt new methods quickly. We want to hold on to that. It’s part of fulfilling our commitment to providing the quality healthcare people need right here at home.
Dee Ann: Retirement is the only thing I know of that Marvin has ever failed to accomplish!
Marv: We plan to stay engaged and to enjoy living in this community. It’s a wonderful place for people of all ages. The schools are excellent and the healthcare system is superb. As we get older, we appreciate the Pine Run Retirement Community and the continuum of care that the VIA has created. We’re never leaving here.
As the philanthropic arm of Doylestown Health, the Doylestown Health Foundation raises funds to safeguard the future of excellence in patient care and improves the quality of life for all members of our Central Bucks County community and beyond.
Join us and make a gift today. For more information about Doylestown Health Foundation and giving opportunities at Doylestown Health, please call 215.345.2009 or email gifts@dh.org. Thank you.
Strengthening Community Health
Read about Pat and Alex Gorsky
Investing Together
Read about the Doylestown Health Medical Staff
Enduring Gifts
Read about Alice and Bob Vernon
Building Family
Read about John and Mike McManus
Deeply Rooted in Giving
Read about the Clark Family
Planting Inspiration
Read about Pine Run
Answering the Challenge
Read about the Boards of Trustees
Advancing Education and Innovation
Read Jim and Jean's Story
Boundless Gratitude
Read Andrea and Ed’s Story
An Extraordinary Journey
Read Howard and Lisa’s Story
Gifts of Wellness
Read Dr. Khanna’s Story
Uniting Faith and Philanthropy
Read Marge and Rick’s Story
The Road to Healthy Living
Read Fred Bean's Story
A Material Difference
Read Frank Terry's Story
Giving for All Seasons
Read Joyce and Bob's Story
Cultivating a Better Tomorrow
Read Barb and Tom's Story
A Continuum of Quality Care
Read Grey Warner's Story
A Home for Creativity and Inspiration
Read Sylvia Roman's Story
Mission Critical
Read the Critical Care Story
The Hands of Medicine
Read The Morel Family Foundation's Story
Something Worthwhile
Read Jean and Norm Leister's Story
Investing in Our Future
Read the One Vision Story
Gratitude for Outstanding Care
Read a Grateful Surgeon's Story
A Gift that Pays Dividends
Read John's Story
Designing Healthy Communities
Read the VIA's Story
A Grateful Gentleman
Read Bob's Story
Giving Goes Full Circle
Read Stephen's Story
Partners in Philanthropy
Read Jeanne and John's Story
Paying in Forward
Read Bill and Mary Lee's Story
Generations of Excellent Care
Read Pat and Carol's Story
A Mulligan for Life
Read Steve's Story
A Supermarket of Community Care
Read Joe' Story
Investing in a Winner
Read William's Story
Leaders with Heart
Read Marv and Dee Ann's Story
Pediatric Care, Close to Home
Read Helen's Story
The Ripple Effect of Giving
Read Herman's Story
Beating Breast Cancer and Helping Others
Read Debbie's Story
Honoring a Beloved Spouse
Read Jim's Story
It Takes a Village
Read the Hirschmanns' Story
We welcome the opportunity to connect with you and answer your questions.
Invest in the future of healthcare excellence for patients and families in our community.
Every gift makes a difference. Learn how yours can make the biggest impact.
HIPAA Privacy Practices | Website Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | 595 West State Street | Doylestown, PA 18901 | 215.345.2009 | © 2023 Doylestown Health Foundation