Valley Health Foundation Logo

Valley Health Foundation
(formerly VMC Foundation)

From inception to a healthcare icon

Challenge

PRx, as it was then known, was engaged by the County of Santa Clara to support its health services mission to residents of the County through Valley Medical Center (VMC), the area’s public hospital. The hospital, like most public health care institutions in the 1980s, was seriously underfunded, and PRx’s founder and CEO saw the need for a non-profit foundation that could provide not only funds for medical service expansion, but budget for effective marketing of VMC’s excellent medical care. This was one of the first nonprofits in the US that served a public hospital.

The VMC Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that raises private donations from the community to benefit the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) and the entire Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System. VMC is the largest and busiest hospital in Silicon Valley, and the only one that provides care to all, regardless of ability to pay. The Foundation’s activities help fund the purchase of equipment and funding of programs that improve quality of care and access to treatment.

Strategies & Tactics

  • PRxDigital’s founder and CEO, worked with VMC and the County Board of Supervisors to outline the structure and function of a not-for-profit organization, including developing by-laws and recruiting the first members of the governing board.
  • the VMC Foundation in Silicon Valley. One of the first nonprofits serving a public hospital, the VMC Foundation has raised more than $80 million since its inception in 1988, supporting a full range of vital health programs and services. PRxDigital undertook a successful campaign to engage a broad swatch of the population in Santa Clara County to contribute to the foundation. 
  • Once VMC Foundation was operational, PRxDigital has worked for decades to brand the organization, create and implement fund-raising campaigns and market the hospital’s medical services, using graphic design, publicity, target networking, video production, social media and event planning and implementation.

Results

  • One of the first nonprofits serving a public hospital, the VMC Foundation has raised more than $80 million since its inception in 1988, supporting a full range of vital health programs and services. To launch the Foundation, PRxDigital undertook a successful campaign to engage a broad swatch of the population in Santa Clara County to raise funds and spread awareness.