October 13, 2015
West Columbia, S.C. – Lexington Medical Center will host its annual Women’s Night Out on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in downtown Columbia with keynote speaker Leeza Gibbons. With more than 900 people attending, the sold out event will recognize October as breast cancer awareness month and honor cancer survivors and their caregivers.
Beginning at 5:00 p.m., there will be a silent auction and physician exhibit. The dinner program begins at 7:00 p.m. with a fashion show featuring breast cancer survivors and their caregivers, dinner and a keynote speech from Leeza Gibbons.
A native of Irmo, Gibbons is one of the most well-known women in entertainment and news media. Importantly, she has become one of the leading voices for issues facing family caregivers through the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, a resource for families coping with the day-to-day challenges of caring for someone with dementia. The foundation’s signature programs, Leeza’s Place and Leeza’s Care Connection, provide free services for family caregivers that encourage and uplift them along their journeys. Construction and renovations are currently underway at the Michael J. Mungo home in Irmo to bring Leeza’s Care Connection to the Midlands, giving families a place to gain strength and support from one another.
“No one wants to become the ‘World's Greatest Caregiver.’ It’s not anyone’s version of ‘happily ever after,’ and yet every year, hundreds of thousands of courageous caregivers emerge in partnership with someone they love to face a diagnosis they never wanted to battle,” said Gibbons. “I recently had to summon my strength as a caregiver for my Dad who spent over a month at Lexington Medical Center’s ICU. I am so honored to share my journey with caregiving as I salute those who have called on their courage to make the defining difference.”
Proceeds from Women’s Night Out benefit the Crystal Smith Breast Cancer Fund, a Lexington Medical Center Foundation program that supports women undergoing cancer treatment.
Tickets for the event are sold out.
News reporters who would like to cover Women’s Night Out or interview breast cancer survivors and physicians should contact Jennifer Wilson, Lexington Medical Center public relations manager, at (803) 447-3122. Interviews with Leeza Gibbons will be available at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. only.
Lexington Medical Center diagnoses more than 300 breast cancer patients each year. The hospital’s breast program has accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and the American College of Radiology (ACR). Lexington Medical Center has four Women’s Imaging centers, 3-D mammography and a mobile mammography van, all offering digital mammography. Lexington Medical Center’s cancer program also has accreditation with commendation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
Lexington Medical Center is a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 8,000 health care professionals. The hospital is ranked best hospital in the Columbia Metro and #2 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report and was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. Lexington Medical Cancer Center is an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence and has a clinical research and education affiliation with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina's first HeartCARE Center. The network also has an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer's care center and more than 70 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 100,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies.
