The History and Purpose of the Wilmington Health Foundation

Wilmington Health Foundation was created in 2014 by Wilmington Health CEO Jeff James. A strong supporter of our community and an advocate of healthy lifestyles, he has spent years in the medical field and sees the impact of healthy lifestyles on the quality of care individually and community wide. Recognized nationally for his innovations in healthcare, beginning a foundation was a natural fit. Alongside him several physician leaders emerged; they have all been longtime supporters of our community health initiatives as well as various non-profits in the area. The Wilmington Health Foundation's goal is simple: empower people to make a difference in their lives.

​New Goals

Back in 2008, Wilmington Health went through the process of creating the seven strategic pillars that we now use to guide our strategic planning. At the time the "commitment to the community" pillar was discussed it was decided that we should develop our own non-profit foundation as a tactic. However, this tactic was never implemented because there was never a clear purpose for the Foundation that wasn't already being provided in the community.

​Finding a Purpose

We did not want to duplicate the efforts of others. It wasn't until we formed the accountable care organization Physicians Healthcare Collaborative that we found a purpose for the Foundation that we did not believe was being met in other areas of the community.

​Patient Engagement

One of the critical factors of any accountable care organization is its ability to engage its patients in their own healthcare. The more we looked into the concepts of patient engagement, the more the purpose of The Wilmington Health Foundation came into focus.

All of the activities and fundraising efforts of the Foundation are designed to further the engagement of our patients, their families, and the community in their own health. A perfect example of this concept of patient engagement is in the first program supported by the Foundation. The Foundation Board (made up of physicians and staff members) proudly supports the Family Fit Challenge, directed by J'nelle Ruscetti, MS, PA-C. J'nelle has done a great job engaging entire families to be more active and partake in proper nutrition.

Join us in our journey to make an impact in the Southeast.