$5.4M in expenses

Adventist Health White Memorial Charitable Foundation supports Adventist Health White Memorial (AHWM), a 545-bed, not-for-profit, faith-based, teaching hospital, which provides a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and diagnostic services to the communities in and near downtown Los Angeles. The hospital expanded its footprint with the acquisition of Beverly Hospital in Montebello in September, 2023. This makes Adventist health White Memorial the largest hospital in Adventist Health. One of the greatest assets an organization can possess is the trust of its community, both on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods.The care we give at AHWM follows our mission of living God's love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. We touch the lives of people at every point throughout their lifetime beginning with exceptional prenatal and maternity care. Our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is one of the few in Los Angeles for newborns in need of advanced specialized care. The AHWM Cleft Palate Program focuses on providing the surgeries and support for children with this birth defect, including restoring normal function with minimal scarring, dentistry, and speech therapy to help correct speaking difficulties. Mental and emotional health services are provided for all ages. In partnership with MAOF (Mexican American Opportunity Foundation) and other not-for-profit partners, Vive Bien at our Community Resource Center provides local seniors a place to connect as well as activities to improve health and fitness, and free expertise for MediCare and ACA health care sign-ups. Our partnership with TELACU Education Foundation to assist youth from our community to become nurses was cited previously as being instrumental in the hospital being recognized nationally with the Malcolm Baldrige Award. To illustrate how Adventist Health White Memorial and our Charitable Foundation works to strengthen and transform the community let us share the following story:When Isabel Guillen first felt the lump in her breast, she was 31 years old, nursing her youngest daughter, and certain something was wrong. But for nearly nine months, her concerns were brushed aside. Everyone told me I was too young for breast cancer, she recalls. I wanted to believe them, but deep down I knew something wasnt right.By the time she pushed herself to the emergency room in December 2019, her left breast had doubled in size. The diagnosis confirmed her fears: Stage III breast cancer. The day I was told, I honestly almost gave up, she says. I thought about my daughters the graduations, quinceaeras, weddings I might never see. I didnt want to leave them motherless.Her healing began at Adventist Health White Memorials Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center. A nurse practitioner named Kathy quickly recognized the urgency, moving mountains to get Isabel the care she needed, despite her lack of insurance. She literally took care of everything, Isabel says. Within two weeks, I had my surgery scheduled. They moved fast because they knew time was critical.Over the next months, Isabel underwent a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation under the care of Dr. Raymundo Romero and the Cancer Center team. It wasnt just medical skill that sustained her it was the compassion she felt every time she walked through the doors. They treated me with love and respect, she says. I wasnt just another appointment. I felt cared for as a person.Three months after Isabels cancer diagnosis, her own father was also diagnosed, but she knew exactly where to take him. I wanted him to have the same care I had, she says. Dr. Romero again became their doctor, guiding her father through treatments, infusions, and the emotional toll of the disease. When insurance wouldnt cover certain medications, the Cancer Center stepped in.They made his last days so comfortable, Isabel remembers. We couldnt have asked for more. White Memorial didnt just care for my father they cared for our family.Nearly 15 years after finishing her treatments, Isabel is thriving. She has watched her daughters grow into strong women, celebrated their graduations and milestones, and embraced her role as a grandmother a blessing she once feared shed never experience.Her survival has given her a mission: helping others find hope in their darkest moments. Follow your gut, she urges women. Push for the tests. Advocate for yourself, because no one else will do it for you. To honor her fathers memory and the community that lifted her up, Isabel founded the Chavelytas Pink Hood Cancer Foundation. The nonprofit supports women battling cancer and serves underserved neighborhoods in East Los Angeles.At the Cancer Center, she hosts events where patients receive makeovers, wigs, and encouragement. They come scared and quiet, she says. But they leave smiling, taking pictures, feeling beautiful again. Thats the impact I want to have to show theres life beyond cancer.Isabels story stands as a testament to resilience, faith, and the power of compassionate care.Im here because White Memorial fought for me when others didnt, Isabel says. They gave my father dignity in his final days and gave me the chance to live mine to the fullest. Now its my turn to fight for others.AHWM Charitable Foundation invites you to partner with us in building on our legacy of primary care and our unwavering pursuit of excellence in quality, innovation and service. For more information on the work that we do, please visit https://whitememorial.give.adventisthealth.org or look for us on Facebook or LinkedIn.