Funding will support the pediatric intensive care unit in the new Valleywise Health Medical Center opening in April 2024
(PHOENIX – March 12, 2024) – Brandon B. and Paige Rafi have pledged a $500,000 gift to Valleywise Health Foundation to support the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the new Valleywise Health Medical Center, scheduled to open in April 2024.
As the public teaching hospital and safety net system of care for Maricopa County, more than 70 percent of Valleywise Health patients are financially vulnerable, many with nowhere else to turn in a crisis. Valleywise Health cares for more than 1,000 pediatric patients receiving acute and intensive care each year, with some facing the most complex and challenging injuries and diagnoses.
The Brandon B. Rafi and Paige Rafi Pediatric Intensive Care Unit will revolutionize the exceptional care provided by Valleywise Health pediatricians, nurses and other health care professionals with state-of-the-art facilities and technology specially designed for pediatric patients.
“Paige and I are honored to make this multi-year pledge to Valleywise Health for the pediatric intensive care unit,” said Rafi, founder of the Rafi Law Group. “This new facility and its caring and committed medical professionals mean children and families across the Valley will have access to quality healthcare, regardless of their financial means.”
Rafi continued stating, “Healing our children is an act of hope and we are proud to invest in the health and well-being of our community’s kids.”
Designed with the child and family in mind, all patients in The Brandon B. Rafi and Paige Rafi Pediatric Intensive Care Unit will have their own rooms and bathrooms with natural light and ample space for parents to stay with their children.
“Not only will this beautiful new space transform the patient experience with private rooms and their family nearby, but it will also allow our medical team to prioritize both physical and emotional healing from illness and trauma with new technology and private, quieter spaces,” said Jodi Carter, M.D., Department Chair, Pediatrics at Valleywise Health.
The unit will also include two playrooms, one for young children and another for adolescents and teens, all staffed by the specially trained Child Life team.
“As parents, we know how it feels when your child is sick and in need of medical assistance,” said Paige Rafi. “We have been blessed with excellent doctors and are grateful that other families will, too, thanks to the new pediatric unit at Valleywise Health.”
“We are immensely grateful to Brandon and Paige for their generous commitment to the children in our community who are facing some of the most challenging and heartbreaking situations,” said Valleywise Health Foundation Chief Advancement Officer Kate Fassett. “The overwhelming philanthropic support shown to the health system by the many generous community members, like Brandon and Paige, has been crucial to the continued sustainability of the mission of Valleywise Health. We are honored and grateful for their support.”
“Throughout many years of working with Brandon and his team, his connection to the community has always been clear,” said Valleywise Health Foundation Board Member Dave Pugh. “His commitment to family and community aligns perfectly with the mission of Valleywise Health.”
This generous gift was made as part of Valleywise Health Foundation’s $50 million ALL IN Campaign, culminating at the end of 2023, exceeding our goal in raising over $54 million. with the opening of the new 10-story Valleywise Health Medical Center, currently under construction and scheduled to open in April 2024. The new acute care hospital at 2601 E. Roosevelt Road in Phoenix will replace the current teaching hospital opened in 1971.
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About Rafi Law Group:
Rafi Law Group is Arizona’s premier personal injury law firm, committed to providing unmatched legal representation and personalized attention to clients. With a team of 23 skilled attorneys and 260 dedicated professionals, the firm strives to secure justice and fair compensation for those who have suffered injuries due to the negligence of others. Rafi Law Group is founded on the idea that when people need legal help after being hurt in an accident, finding reliable, compassionate, and knowledgeable legal counsel should be stress-free, no matter the time of day or the complexity of the case.
Rafi Law Group supports a variety of nonprofit organizations through Rafi’s Hope, the firm’s community engagement initiative.
For more information about the firm, visit https://www.rafilawgroup.com/.
About Valleywise Health Located in Phoenix, Arizona and named one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the nation by IBM Watson Health in 2020, Valleywise Health has a proud tradition of being the public safety net health care system with a mission and commitment to serving the underserved. Valleywise Health consists of Valleywise Health Medical Center, Arizona’s only public teaching hospital, a Level I Trauma Center that treats adults and children and Arizona’s only nationally verified Burn Center serving the entire Southwestern United States. Other services include the McDowell Healthcare Center, the largest provider of HIV primary care in Arizona, the Refugee Women’s Health Clinic, three behavioral health hospitals, and a network of eleven community health centers located throughout Maricopa County. To learn more, please visit www.ValleywiseHealth.org.
Valleywise Health Foundation is the Phoenix-based 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to providing financial support for critical patient and program needs at Arizona’s public teaching health system, Valleywise Health. Named Arizona Business Magazine’s AzBusiness Angels Healthcare-Focused Nonprofit of the Year in 2020 and in 2021, key funding areas include, burn survivorship care, innovative behavioral health programs, and teaching tomorrow’s health care professionals. The Valleywise Health mission is to provide exceptional care, without exception, every patient, every time – regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. More than 70 percent of Valleywise Health’s patients are financially vulnerable. To learn more and donate, visit Valleywisehealthfoundation.org.
Contact:
Kate Fassett
Valleywise Health Foundation
480-688-2657 or kfassett@valleywisehealthfoundation.org
Contact:
Abbie S. Fink
HMA Public Relations for Rafi Law Group
602-957-8881 or afink@hmapr.com