A Legacy Gift With Lasting Impact: The Hayden-Harman Foundation’s Million-Dollar Gift Will Ultimately Help Countless Community Members Fight Chronic Disease

In 2002, the Hayden-Harman Foundation helped establish the Norville Breast Care Center at Alamance Regional Medical Center (ARMC), honoring Phoebe Norville Harman’s parents, who exemplified the importance of helping others. Now, a million-dollar gift from the Hayden-Harman Foundation honors Phoebe and her historied support and advocacy for breast cancer patients. 

The legacy gift puts into motion a number of exciting steps forward in our commitment to help community members fight chronic disease.

The Norville Breast Care Center will be relocated and expanded. The gift and the subsequent move to the Grandview Specialties building on the ARMC campus comes at a critical time. Cone Health has plans to expand heart and vascular care with a $34.2 million project; the Hayden-Harman gift allows us to get started sooner and plan collaboratively for both breast and heart and vascular care. 

According to ARMC President Mark Gordon, pictured above (left) with Patrick Harman, executive director of the Hayden-Harman Foundation on the day the gift was announced to the staff at the Norville Breast Care Center, these kinds of chronic diseases are increasing dramatically in Alamance and surrounding areas. “We’re outgrowing our footprint in both buildings pretty quickly, so expanding breast and heart and vascular care at the same time allows us to respond to the growing needs of our community. It’s always our goal to bring the highest-quality health care to Burlington. More options and more advanced care means more people can access the care they require right here.” 

The Cone Health Cancer Center at Alamance Regional is also a part of the conversation. “The cancer center has always been a phenomenal part of our service delivery here at Alamance. All three facilities address chronic diseases in our area. They’re interconnected.”

Here are some examples of what patients can look forward to as part of Cone Health’s plan to expand simultaneously:

• New and expanded heart care services, more interventional radiology offerings and redesigned breast care facilities.
• A new CT scanner with specialized cardiac capabilities, a new cardiovascular lab and a new interventional lab. 
• Increased assistance with accessing mammograms and lymphedema therapy essentials.

“Many impacts ripple throughout a patient’s life when they are diagnosed,” Gordon says. “A lot of things change — your ability to work, to support your family, have an income. Your physical appearance, your spiritual needs, your ability to go out in the world. For some community members, the increased expenses around treatment and medications can even affect their ability to afford food or pay their mortgage or rent. We want to make sure our patients have what they need to heal and return to their work and their lives.”

Renovations are expected to begin summer 2022, an accelerated timeline made possible by the Hayden-Harman Foundation.