The Heineman Foundation of Charlotte, Inc.
Since its establishment in 1943, the Heineman Foundation of Charlotte has been engaged in medical research, while pursuing a wide variety of educational and humanitarian projects. Throughout the second half of the 20th Century the Heineman Research Laboratory, located on the campus of Carolinas Medical Center, was the only facility in Western North Carolina engaged in cardiovascular research.
More recently, with institutional research activity having been transferred to Carolinas Medical Center‚ Cannon Research Center, the focus of Foundation activities has shifted to local and international humanitarian projects, primarily medical assistance. The latter involves sending medical teams overseas, in partnership with Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, to provide clinical and technological expertise. In addition, the Foundation supplies medical equipment to third world countries, as well as training their healthcare providers.
The Heineman Foundation‚ activities have been greatly enhanced by a cooperative relationship with Carolinas HealthCare System, one of the country‚ largest non-profit systems, which currently encompasses 33 affiliated hospitals and a broad range of other facilities and services. This partnership allows the Foundation to access a wide variety of equipment and materials that no longer serve System needs, but which are serviceable in areas that lack comparable resources. For example, in July 2010 the Foundation equipped a pediatric burn care unit in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, using equipment salvaged when Carolinas Medical Center-Lincoln moved into a new facility.
Occasionally equipment requires repair by local technicians or a manufacturer. The Foundation has been able to acquire factory trade-ins with many usable years, and this equipment is in turn shipped to those who need it the most. Foundation leaders believe that every dollar spent refurbishing equipment yields a very significant return-on-investment in terms of value received.
In addition to sending material assistance, the Foundation often sends volunteer physicians, technicians, nurses and hospital administrators to counterpart institutions to provide on-site training. These efforts are complemented by opportunities for recipient providers to visit CMC for extended familiarization tours. These visits provide valuable opportunities to observe and study new clinical procedures and advanced medical technology.
Recent activities include placing four cardiovascular diagnostic facilities (heart catheterization laboratories) in countries which had none. The Foundation also placed three fully equipped intensive care units in public hospitals and outfitted one hospital with computers. Other projects include upgrading hospital data systems; equipping indigent outpatient clinics; establishing a clinical consultation network with U.S.-based counterparts; establishing a transplant service; and sending surgical teams to perform and teach complex congenital heart procedures. A final area of focus was increasing the efficiency of emergency services.
The Heineman Foundation of Charlotte is proud of the fact that all earmarked funds are fully dedicated to Foundation-supported projects. The Foundation does accept donations; however, there are no fund-raising costs and administrative expenses are covered in full by endowment funds.