When Julie Nadel reflects on her childhood, she remembers her parents writing checks for charities. “It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized the many different ways of doing philanthropy,” she remarks. “You can give your time if you don’t have money, deliver food to a food bank. You can tutor or coach someone. It’s not only measured in currency.”
Julie has spent most of her life offering her time, talent and treasure. When she founded and ran a major Los Angeles catering and event company, she worked with numerous hospitals and non-profit organizations. She instilled the value of giving back into her two daughters by requiring they donate their server paychecks from fundraisers. She and her late husband, Jack Nadel, also a successful entrepreneur as well as a decorated World War II combat veteran who flew 27 missions over Japan, sought out opportunities to donate and actively become involved with organizations. “We were very good partners because our strengths were in different areas,” comments Julie. “He was a big idea person and my strength is in the execution.”
From their first interactions with Sansum Clinic, Julie and Jack’s inquisitive nature led the couple to discover projects that needed financial support. Conversations with the CEO, Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, turned into a renovated lobby in the Clinic’s multi-specialty center on Pueblo Street that now bears their name. They also upgraded the waiting areas for the surgery and gastroenterology departments, and fully remodeled the OB/GYN building in honor of Dr. David Raphael. Along with the “treasure” to fund these plans, Julie invested her time, personally overseeing every detail to ensure an enhanced patient experience. She also coordinated Sansum Clinic’s successful 90th anniversary luncheon in 2011, and managed the Clinic’s first-ever gala featuring Jay Leno in 2013. “Julie takes leadership by example to a whole new level,” affirms Dr. Ransohoff. “She doesn’t just help with projects, she owns them, bringing vision and drive to everything she touches. We are honored she has chosen us to benefit from her many talents.”
In 2015, the Nadels established and funded the community’s first Prescription Navigator Program. This pharmacist-led medication therapy management program ensures the safe, effective, and appropriate use of medications by Sansum Clinic patients. The program, under the direction of licensed pharmacist Rania Shenoda, PharmD, has significantly reduced the percentage of patients returning to the hospital due to unintended drug interactions.
While Jack passed away in 2016, Julie is celebrating his 93 years of life by carrying on their philanthropic work. With the opening of the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in September of 2017, Julie created the Elly Nadel Music Therapy Program, named for Jack’s late wife who was a musician. This treatment has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety for cancer patients as well as their families and caregivers. Classes and private sessions led by music therapist Saiping Lin, MS, MT-BC offer extra support and care for those managing their disease.
Julie’s ongoing talks with Dr. Ransohoff about programs or services that can provide the most positive impact have resulted in everything from a new dictation system where physicians can complete their charts from any location, to blanket warmers in a surgery center, to a replacement for an antiquated phone system. These types of gifts don’t always translate into an en-graved plaque somewhere. “Few understand the importance of investing in a seemingly mundane area like infrastructure, but it serves a critical role in helping us take good care of our pa-tients,” notes W. Warren Suh, MD, MPH, FACR, Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Radiation Oncologist.
“I believe in Jack’s theory ‘Find a need and fill it,’” states Julie. She often leverages her personal and business contacts for the greater good, always focused on the goal at hand. “There is no i in team,” Julie adds. This fall, a request from Julie to Bright Event Rentals resulted in a complimentary tent to house Sansum Clinic’s drive-through flu shot operation. “Her gifts have touched every corner of the organization, pushing it closer to its promise to provide every patient with an exceptional experience,” describes Karen Handy, Sansum Clinic’s Vice President of Operations.
During a college internship, while at the University of Pennsylvania, Julie weighed organs in the autopsy ward of her local community hospital in New York. Declining her mother’s advice to marry a doctor instead of becoming one, in 1967 she applied to medical school along with her first husband. They both got accepted but the household budget could only afford one tuition. Julie let go of her dream, but her love of medicine endured. A current example of this inspiration coming to life is the Women’s Council, created by Julie and Bobbie Rosenblatt. Julie and Bobbie work closely with the Directors of Marketing and Philanthropy, Jill Fonte and Dru Hartley, to educate the community about timely health issues, to bolster the Clinic’s position as the leader in local healthcare, and to enhance relationships with patients and donors.
Along with her non-profit work, Julie keeps busy with Spanish lessons, virtual bridge tournaments and visits with her granddaughters. She manages her own medical challenges like she does her passion projects: marshall a team, push through and stay determined and resilient. “You can go down the rabbit hole and not come out or you tell yourself ‘I am going to be strong and get through this’,” she muses. Julie hopes that the next generation of young philanthropists will pick up the torch and find ways to collaborate to support medical excellence in our community. “We all get sick and need medical care. We all have problems and the only way to solve them is to come together and help each other,” she concludes. “I feel blessed and lucky to be part of Sansum Clinic and a team that makes a difference.”
Photo Captions:
- Philanthropist Julie Nadel with Rania Shenoda and Saiping Lin.
- Bobbie Rosenblatt & Julie Nadel of the Sansum Clinic Women’s Council.
- Julie Nadel (center in pink scarf) with Dr. Marjorie Newman (second from right) and the panelists from the May 2019 Spring into Good Health event hosted by the Women’s Council of Sansum Clinic. Drs. Alexandra Rogers, Rosa Choi, Toni Meyers, Heather Terbell, Mary-Louise Scully and Mica Bergman.