Falls Church, Va.-based Inova Health System's Heart and Vascular Institute received a $75 million gift from real estate magnate Dwight Schar and his wife, Martha Schar.
The institute will be renamed Inova Schar Heart & Vascular, according to a May 23 news release from the health system. The gift will allow the organization to launch programs for heart disease prevention and early detection, including increasing capacity of outpatient centers, deploying wearable technology and scheduling more telehealth appointments. It will also help the institution hire more Black physicians, nurses and technologists, Chris O'Connor, MD, president of the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, told The Washington Post on May 23.
This is the second large donation the Schars have given, the first being a $50 million gift to the cancer research institute in 2015.
"Wealthy people can go wherever they can get the best treatment," Mr. Schar told the Post. "The overall population doesn't really have that choice, so by being able to provide the access, the affordability and the quality locally, it's a gift to the community."