ATLANTA – With more than 600 guests in attendance, the 2^nd Annual White Coat Grady Gala raised $866,000 for the Grady Health Foundation this past weekend. The money raised was a solid repeat performance of the inaugural event in 2011. A black-tie dinner and awards ceremony held at the Georgia Aquarium, the fundraising event also honored Atlanta’s Healthcare Heroes who support Grady. Toasts and standing ovations were given as the honorees accepted their awards and their inspirational stories were told through video tributes. Recipients included:

• Ada Lee and Pete Correll Healthcare Legacy Award | Mr. Tom Bell  – Credited for raising $320 million for Grady, Pete Correll explained that without Mr. Bell, the doors of Grady would not be open.
  
  
• Senior Sage Award | Dr. Alfred W. Brann – Pioneered neonatal and perinatal care around the world, even while battling cancer. His mother died while giving birth to him and he dedicated his life to his practice.
  
  
• Next Generation Healer Award | Dr. Tamara R. Espinoza – Dreamed of becoming a veterinarian as a child, but chose a career as an emergency medicine physician instead, specializing in traumatic brain injuries.
  
  
• Inspiring Mentor Award | Dr. Ken L. Wilson – Served at Grady and in the military in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. A real-life hero who, while in the Middle East, started a program that provided shoes to Afghan civilians.

The event was co-chaired by Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher along with June and Michael Tompkins. WSB-TV Anchor, John Bachman was the emcee. Notable business leaders in attendance included: Philanthropists Ada Lee and Pete Correll, Grady Health System President & CEO John Haupert, Delta VP Tad Hutcheson, FDHA Chair Tommy Dortch and many more.  Funds raised at the event will go towards new equipment, technology, and medical research for Grady Memorial Hospital, the metro region’s premier Level 1 Trauma Center and largest public hospital in the southeast.

The Grady Health Foundation is once again counting on support from the community. A tribute video shown at the Gala, created by Turner Broadcasting, has been nominated for a People’s Telly Award. To help Grady Health Foundation and Turner earn a spot among their peers, click the link and rate the video with a “thumbs up”: http://www.youtube.com/tellyawards?x=jkoimRwpFls.

The Gala was presented by The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority in conjunction with Delta Air Lines, AdCare Health Systems, Alston + Bird, The Coca-Cola Company, General Electric, Kaiser Permanente, King & Spalding, Turner Broadcasting, Ada Lee and Pete Correll, AGL Resources, Coca-Cola Enterprises, The Marcus Foundation, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power, Norfolk Southern, ICE, Regions Bank, WSB, AT&T, Chamberlin Edmonds, Compass Group USA, Inc., EPIC Systems, James Starr Moore Foundation, June and Michael Tompkins, Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher, SKANSKA, Waffle House Foundation and Yancey Bros. Co.