Denver Health employs 8,100 people. From world-renowned trauma surgeons and clinical psychologists to certified nursing assistants and doctoral residents to paramedics and EMTs to translators and patient navigators to administrative assistants and security personnel to custodians and groundskeepers—every person who works at Denver Health is essential to operating the hospital’s main campus as well as the family health and school-based health centers located in nearly every neighborhood throughout the city.
To date in 2023, nearly 1,100 employees have donated more than $338,000 through Denver Health Foundation to support the health system’s mission: to provide all in our community with access to the highest quality, equitable health care regardless of their ability to pay, to educate the next generation of health care professionals serving our community, and to engage in research and community partnerships to better deliver the health care needs of our patients.
“Denver Health staff give so much of themselves every day in their jobs that any act of philanthropic giving is an incredible act of generosity,” said Nancy Tomb [pronounced Tom], Denver Health Foundation’s Manager of Annual Giving.
Tomb has worked at Denver Health Foundation for three years and became Manager of Annual Giving in 2022. Her role is to manage one-time and recurring small-dollar donations from the thousands of people who give to Denver Health Foundation every year. She also organizes and manages the annual Employee Giving Campaign.
“One of the reasons employee giving means so much is because Denver Health workers know intimately, through their daily jobs, how essential Denver Health services are to every single person in Denver, whether they’re a regular Denver Health patient or not,” explained Tomb. “Denver Health touches everybody’s lives.”
Denver Health employees have many giving stories to tell.
Rasulo Rasulo has worked at Denver Health for six years and is Refugee Care Navigator at Lowry Family Health Center. Rasulo has a panel of more than 2,000 refugee patients and enjoys helping them navigate the health care system, guiding patients to primary care, health screenings, preventive health services and programs, and educating them on other resource assistance.
“I particularly enjoy empowering patients to take their health care into their own hands,” said Rasulo. He speaks five languages—English, Maay Maay, Somali, Swahili, and Arabic—and cites a shared set of values, vision, and mission as his reason for working at Denver Health and supporting Denver Health Foundation.
Joan Polancic is Director of the Schools of Medical Laboratory Science and Phlebotomy and has been at Denver Health for nine years. She helped start the School of Medical Laboratory Sciences in 2015 and the Phlebotomy School in 2017.
“I love teaching and helping students learn and be successful in the medical laboratory science field and at Denver Health,” said Polancic. She gives to Denver Health Foundation because it provides an opportunity to support Denver Health patients and staff by funding vital educational and research opportunities and her students through scholarship funds.
Executive staff are also strong supporters of Denver Health Foundation, including Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne. When she was named to the position in 2022, one of Lynne’s first acts was to make a considerable gift pledge to Denver Health Foundation to support employee well-being and workplace violence reduction efforts, with a portion of the gift going to the RESTORE (Resilience and Equity through Support and Training for Organizational Renewal) program, which promotes increased and sustained mental well-being of the health care workforce.
“The mission of Denver Health has never felt more urgent or personal. It’s what is driving this increased support for Denver Health Foundation,” said Lynne. “I am so proud of our employees for the exceptional care they provide to patients and unwavering support for our community.”
This is only a fraction of the critical services Denver Health provides to the Denver community, and just a few reasons why employees give philanthropically to Denver Health through Denver Health Foundation to support the health system’s core mission.
Tomb emphasizes that anyone can give to Denver Health Foundation and that gifts come from all corners of the city and state, from across the country and around the world.
“Whether they’re visiting Denver or living here, if someone has a positive experience with Denver Health, they want to give back,” explained Tomb. “Many of our donors, including employees, are people whose lives were saved by Denver Health or who had a friend or loved one saved by Denver Health. They’ve had a personal experience and understand how vital Denver Health is to the safety and well-being of our community.”
Tomb was raised in Colorado and knows Denver Health’s importance first-hand: she receives her care at Denver Health and many important people in her life have received life-altering care at Denver Health.
“Denver Health truly is the beating heart of our city,” said Tomb. “If you live in Denver, Denver Health touches your life in some way, whether you realize it or not—from an ambulance arriving at the scene of an accident to the work of the Public Health Institute. The generosity and commitment shown by our employees in giving back is truly inspiring. If you want to make a positive change in Denver, let the generosity of Denver Health employees be your spark and join us in creating an impact.”
If you have questions about giving to Denver Health Foundation, please reach out to our Manager of Annual Giving Nancy Tomb at Nancy.Tomb@dhha.org. Visit Denver Health Foundation’s donation page to give a one-time or recurring gift today!
If you live in Denver, Denver Health touches your life in some way, whether you realize it or not—from an ambulance arriving at the scene of an accident to the work of the Public Health Institute. The generosity and commitment shown by our employees in giving back is truly inspiring.
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