Car dealer shows heart

Enloe Medical Center’s fundraising campaign to build a dedicated cardiovascular care center got a quarter-million-dollar boost from a local family last week, according to a press release from the hospital.

The $250,000 gift, from the Chuck and Sharon Patterson Charitable Fund, also pushed monies raised for the heart health facility to more than $1 million. The new facility carries a $17 million price tag, and the Enloe Foundation—which oversees the hospital’s fundraising efforts—hopes to raise $5 million in charitable gifts over the next five years for the project. The remaining costs will be covered by the hospital’s operating fund.

The planned center, which will be built inside the hospital’s existing building, would more than double the hospital’s capacity for heart care, and include new procedure rooms, imaging equipment, bays for pre- and post-surgical care, meeting rooms and a family lounge. The hospital also hopes the new center will serve as a recruiting tool for heart specialists.

“We’re saying thank you to the people of Chico for their business at our dealership and tow company throughout the years,” said Chuck Patterson, who has owned a local car dealership since the mid-1960s.