HERA Foundation Awards Toledo Hospital 2008 Community Grant

(March 21, 2008 — Carbondale, CO) The Toledo Hospital (TTH) is one of four 2008 HERA Foundation Community Grant recipients and will receive $1,000 for its new massage pilot program for ovarian cancer patients.

TTH will collaborate with the Victory Center, a local non-profit aimed to “nourish and comfort the mind, body, and spirit during the fight against cancer,” providing services for patients in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. TTH will use the grant money to start a pilot program, which will provide massage therapy services to ovarian cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy in the outpatient setting.

“Massage is a useful, non-invasive addition to standard medical care which has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, pain, nausea, and fatigue,” say Debra Reis, Healing Care Program Coordinator. The pilot program aims to utilize massage in conjunction with chemotherapy to manage treatment-related side effects, and to create an atmosphere of caring and wellbeing.

The project provides services for 160 ovarian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to increase relaxation and comfort, and decrease the stress response related to treatment. TTH will, in turn, use the evaluation data to support future funding opportunity and promote the benefits of massage for ovarian caner patients.

The HERA Foundation awards four 501(c)3 organizations a year with a seed grant of $1000 to provide funding for programs that aim to improve the quality of life for women with the disease or to raise awareness in new ways.


About The Toledo Hospital
As an integral part of ProMedica Health Systems, we are a valuable community resource, providing comprehensive health services with expertise and compassion and improving the health of those we serve through prevention, education, and superior services.

About the HERA Foundation
The HERA Foundation is a registered 501(c)3, whose mission is to stop the loss of mothers, daughter, wives, sisters, partners, and girlfriends from ovarian cancer by empowering women to take control of their health, empowering the medical community to find new directions in ovarian cancer research and empowering communities to provide support. For more information visit www.herafoundation.org. To schedule an interview with HERA Foundation founder Sean Patrick, please call 513.304.5835.


HERA Seven Summit Circle Sponsors: Black Diamond, BlueWater Ropes, Climbing Magazine, Evolv, Fox River, MadRock, Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia, REI, SIGG, Stonewear Design, The Northface, and Williamson Printing Corporation.