Main Line Health receives $275,000 grant from The Wawa Foundation
Grant will fund new EMS ambulance serving Delaware County
Media, PA — For more than 40 years, Main Line Health EMS has been a trusted lifeline for the community, building a legacy of service that has saved countless lives and established itself as a regional leader in emergency care. The closure of Crozer Health last year significantly expanded the demand for emergency services across the area, requiring Main Line Health EMS to stretch its resources to cover a broader service region.
Today, The Wawa Foundation stepped forward to support Main Line Health EMS in addressing that need, announcing a $275,000 grant to the Riddle HealthCare Foundation to support the purchase of a new ambulance — an investment that will help ensure Main Line Health EMS can continue meeting the community's growing needs.
Main Line Health leaders expressed deep appreciation for their longtime community partner's generosity in helping meet the growing needs of Delaware County and strengthening the capabilities of Main Line Health EMS, based at the Riddle Hospital campus.
"Wawa has been an extraordinary partner of Riddle Hospital and our EMS in serving the needs of Delaware County for over six decades," said Riddle Hospital President Jim Paradis. "Whenever we have had an important project to improve our facilities, they've been there. We couldn't be any more fortunate."
"Wawa and The Wawa Foundation's longstanding partnership with Riddle Hospital is grounded in shared values of service, care and commitment to the community," said Liz Simeone, President, The Wawa Foundation. "We're proud to build stronger communities and serve those who serve here in our home of Delaware County."
Ambulance volumes have doubled in the year since Crozer Health closed. During its latest funding cycle, Wawa invited Riddle to apply for support, and the request for ambulance funding was enthusiastically approved. Shelly Buck, DNP, MBA, President of Ambulatory and Professional Services, Main Line Health, said a new ambulance will buttress its existing efforts to serve the region.
"We have increased emergency response support in the region through Main Line Health EMS, working closely with local agencies to provide coverage and ensure no community is left without critical, time-sensitive care," Buck said. "With The Wawa Foundation's timely support, we will be better equipped when patients need us most."
Wawa, founded in 1964, has supported Riddle Hospital — established a year earlier — throughout its history, including a 2017 ambulance donation and a $2.2 million contribution toward its recent $327 million campus modernization project.
Contacts
Larry Hanover
Communications Manager
Main Line Health
Office: 484.580.1186
HanoverL@mlhs.org
Monica Ricci
Wawa, Inc., Public Relations and Corporate Communications
Phone: 445.280.9635
Monica.Ricci@wawa.com
About Main Line Health
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the Philadelphia region and beyond. Main Line Health consists of five hospitals, seven health centers and over 150 medical practice locations. The System has more than 14,000 employees and over 2,100 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
At its core are four of the region's most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as one of the nation's premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. Main Line Health also includes Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, providing skilled home healthcare and hospice services; Main Line Health Centers, primary and specialty care, lab and radiology and other outpatient services located in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Devon, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square; and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research organization.
Main Line Health's medical staff benefits from a collaborative relationship including independent physicians, community healthcare professionals and hospital-based experts from Main Line HealthCare, the employed multi-specialty physician network of Main Line Health.
Main Line Health collaborates with top experts to deliver exceptional specialty care. Through our affiliation with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors and advanced practice providers care for pediatric patients at select Main Line Health locations, including the neonatal intensive care units at Main Line Health's four acute care hospitals, as well as Bryn Mawr Hospital's Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care, and trauma surgeons provide critical care to our patients. Through our affiliation with Sheppard Pratt — a nonprofit provider of mental health services, substance use, developmental disability and other comprehensive behavioral health support — patients receive compassionate care in a welcoming environment.
For more information, visit mainlinehealth.org and connect with us on social media:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/main-line-health
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About Riddle Hospital
Founded in 1963, Riddle Hospital provides comprehensive services, including orthopaedic, maternity, cardiovascular, cancer and stroke care, as well as emergency medicine and outpatient services such as imaging, audiology and sleep studies. Riddle Hospital, located in Delaware County, is known for providing advanced treatment options and innovative approaches, including cutting-edge technology for robotic surgery, cardiac and cancer care. Neonatologists from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia provide specialized newborn and neonatal intensive care in our Level II NICU. Consistently recognized for excellence in patient care, Riddle Hospital is a trusted healthcare provider in the region, known for its high-quality services and patient-centered approach.
About Wawa, Inc.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. with over 1,100 locations to date. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and pizza, an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. Forbes.com Ranks Wawa as #22 of America’s Largest Private Companies.
About The Wawa Foundation
The Wawa Foundation is an extension of Wawa’s commitment to making the world a better place by fulfilling customers’ lives every day. The Wawa Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities – and ultimately to help build happier, stronger communities. The Wawa Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger and everyday heroes through local, regional and national grants and / or in-store fundraising, through donation boxes and point-of-purchase scan materials. Since 2014, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have donated $200 million in grants to causes supporting health, hunger and everyday heroes.