LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Sutter Lakeside Hospital Foundation announced the kickoff its 2013 Heart Health fundraising appeal on Feb. 1, the first day of National Heart Month.

The foundation’s appeal will focus on raising $85,000 to purchase a new Philips IE33 Vision Echocardiogram and complementing software.

Echocardiogram technology is routinely used to diagnose, manage and monitor patients with possible heart diseases and remains the most common cardiology diagnostic test.

“Lake County has the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest rates of diagnosed heart disease in the state,” said Dr. Diane Pege, director of Medical Affairs at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We also have the highest occurrence of hypertension. The echocardiogram that we currently use was purchased over ten years ago. We want to offer our patients the latest technology available, particularly as heart disease is so prevalent in our community.”

While Sutter Health is financially strong, every hospital is tasked with making responsible spending and medical technology is notoriously expensive.

“As our community and staff witnessed last year, Sutter Lakeside had to make a lot of difficult financial decisions in 2012,” said Krista Touros, Sutter Lakeside’s chief finance officer. “And while being affiliated with the Sutter Health system is advantageous for us in so many ways, no health system has an endless supply of funds. That’s why the matching grant program that’s available to Sutter’s smaller hospitals is such an advantage for Lake County.”

 Sutter Health gives the communities their hospitals serve the opportunity to work together to raise money for items that are relevant to their particular area, offering a guaranteed match up to a certain dollar amount if donors can gather funds by a set deadline.

Foundation Board Chair Dr. Mark Buehnerkemper, explained, “Sutter’s matching grant program has a solid, successful history in our community. We funded the Mobile Health Services Unit with the help of a matching grant from Sutter back in 2008 and our Stroke Telemedicine equipment was purchased with a matching grant, as well. Our Mobility Park was the result of a successful matching grant fund drive and proceeds from the 2012 Women’s Imaging campaign will purchase a new DexaScanner and a MammatomeÒ Breast Biopsy system for the hospital’s Imaging Department this summer.”

Cash and pledges to the Heart Health fund drive must be committed by Dec. 31, 2013, pledges are payable through Dec. 14, 2014.

If you would like to make a gift to the Heart Health restricted fund, please visit www.sutterlakeside.org/giving and click on “Ways to Give” or call Rebecca Southwick in the Foundation Office at 707-262-5121.