Putnam Hospital Honors Carmel Native for Volunteerism
By Anna Young
The Putnam Hospital Foundation honored Carmel native and longtime hospital trustee Joseph DiVestea during their annual Moonlight Ball celebration on Saturday.
Throughout the annual gala, hospital officials gathered to pay homage to DiVestea’s commitment to community service and his continuous leadership and commitment to Putnam Hospital Center. After volunteering in the Putnam for more than 30 years, and working and volunteering with the hospital for nearly 16 years, DiVestea said receiving the hospital’s recognition was very special.
“I’m really excited,” DiVestea said. “I’ve really enjoyed all my time here watching our system grow and it’s going to continue to grow.”
DiVestea is currently the treasurer of the Health Quest Board of Trustees. He previously served on the Putnam Hospital Center Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2007, serving as its chairman for two years.
Gala co-chair Karen Fleming praised DiVestea for his hard work stating that he has been instrumental in expanding and improving the hospital.
“I’m just so happy he’s honored,” Fleming said. “He certainly deserves it. He’s put a lot of time and effort and love into this hospital and it deserves to be recognized.”
DiVestea was also honored for his work in expanding the hospital property to accommodate patient, visitor and employee parking. DiVestea said the expanded lot is a gateway to a hospital that is a great resource for the community.
“I’ve always tried to give back in everything that I’ve done,” DiVestea said. “I had eye cancer 15 years ago that Putnam Hospital helped me through, so I give back every chance I get certainly with both our dollars and our time to try to make a difference.”
The Putnam Hospital Center Foundation also commemorated the transformation of the hospital’s emergency department during the gala. The 8,400 square-foot expansion to the current 8,600 square foot facility includes 11 additional private specialty treatment rooms, a new nurses’ station, a larger waiting room and support amenities, along with separate ambulance and pedestrian entrances to improve patient safety and flow.
The $9 million expansion will increase the facility to 27 treatment rooms with state-of-the-art equipment improving the efficiencies of the emergency department with a goal to enhance the patient experience when utilizing the hospital’s services.
“We have wanted that emergency room for a long time and we couldn’t be more excited to see it coming to fruition,” Fleming said. “It was so thought out and so planned by all the board. It’s really going to be spectacular.”
