Guests at MedCentral’s fourth annual Heart to Heart Gala were seeing red Saturday night at the Kehoe Center in Shelby as they gathered to celebrate MedCentral’s excellence in heart care.
Every corner of the second floor ballroom was decked out in red drapery, red centerpieces, and bathed in red light. The guests themselves added to the décor in floor-length crimson gowns and bright red ties.
According to Carrie Kemerer, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist for MedCentral, the theme of red is a nod to February being Heart Disease Awareness month – an appropriate cause to highlight as the gala is thrown to celebrate the excellence in heart care through the MedCentral Heart and Vascular Institute.
“And I love to see people excited and dressed up,” added Kemerer. “February can be so gloomy and this gives everyone something to look forward to.”
Kemerer said the gala hosted approximately 250 guests Saturday evening, a mix of MedCentral employees, volunteers, and members of the public. She noted there was a large crowd of physicians present Saturday evening, most of them members of MedCentral’s nationally ranked cardiac program.
“It’s easy to promote when you’re nationally ranked,” said Kemerer.
One guest physician in attendance was Gary Ansel, M.D., from Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. Ansel and his wife Andrea were in attendance not only to represent OhioHealth, which MedCentral will officially merge with as of March 1, but to celebrate the accomplishments Ansel’s old friend, Dr. Gregory Eaton.
“Dr. Eaton and I go way back, we did our cardiology fellowship together,” said Ansel. “So any excuse to see my old friend again is great.”
Eaton was one of three honorees at Saturday night’s gala, including his wife and fellow cardiologist Mary Alton, M.D., and Steven Nelson, M.D., whose specialty is cardiac electrophysiology. All three MedCentral cardiologists are making return appearances on the Best Doctors In America List, which represents the top five percent of physicians in the nation. Kemerer noted three out of five of MedCentral’s doctors to make the Best Doctor List were cardiologists, another nod to the excellence of the program.
As medical director of MedCentral’s Heart and Vascular Institute, Eaton addressed the crowd Saturday night and shared his excitement to join forces with OhioHealth and better serve the community.
“OhioHealth was a great opportunity for us and it’s a great opportunity for our community,” said Eaton. “I’m really excited because I think it’s really going to transform the care we provide in our community, and equally importantly revitalize Richland County and its surrounding areas from an economic development standpoint. When you get back to it, that’s what it’s all about: making the community better, both in healthcare and economically.”
Gregory Eaton, M.D. was one of three honorees at Saturday night’s gala, including his wife and fellow cardiologist Mary Alton, M.D., and Steven Nelson, M.D., whose specialty is cardiac electrophysiology. All three MedCentral cardiologists are making return appearances on the Best Doctors In America List, which represents the top five percent of physicians in the nation. Kemerer noted three out of five of MedCentral’s doctors to make the Best Doctor List were cardiologists, another nod to the excellence of the program.
