William Howell Event in 2020 with people sitting at tables talking

The William Howell Century Club

Members of The William Howell Century Club continue the legacy of William Howell, Sr. one of Mercy’s first benefactors. William Howell, along with other like-minded men, helped to establish Mercy Hospital in 1910. Knowing their community needed a private hospital these philanthropic leaders recruited four Sisters of Mercy to come to Bakersfield. Their collaboration with the community built what has become a highly regarded private hospital in Bakersfield.

Membership in the William Howell Century Club requires a $1,000 gift each year you are a member. All members are invited to three hosted dinners over a twelve-month period where they meet hospital administrators, tour parts of the hospital, or learn about the latest in healthcare delivery. At one of the meetings, they are given two choices of how to use their cumulative gift and vote on which one to support. 100% of your gift goes toward the funding of the voted project.

Would you like to become a member of this men's philanthropic group supporting the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Mercy Foundation? Join now and pay via credit card by clicking here. You can also mail your $1,000 membership gift to the Friends of Mercy Foundation at PO Box 119, Bakersfield CA 93302, email FriendsofMercy@dignityhealth.org, or call (661) 663-6700.

 

William Howell Century Club logoSince 2010, the William Howell Century Club has raised more than $1,153,000 in support of equipment and technology at Mercy Hospitals:

 

  • Two Immuncor Echo 2.0 Blood Bank Analyzers. The analyzers use the latest technology to perform safe, affordable, automated pre-transfusion testing without the risks associated with manual processes.
  • A VDR-4 high-frequency percussive ventilator that will immediately support newborns who go to the NICU due to prematurity or some form of respiratory illness such as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), and air leak syndromes.
  • Two ultrasounds to assist anesthesiologists in nerve blocks for surgical patients. When performing a nerve block the goal is to deposit the local anesthetic close to the nerve. Ultrasound guidance permits direct visualization of the needle location relative to the target nerve and other known structures. Nerve Block offers advantages over conventional general anesthesia, including faster recover time, fewer side effects and a dramatic reduction in post-surgical pain. One ventilator to care for COVID-19 patients, as well as providing our Respiratory Therapists the tools to remain prepared for whatever the future may hold.
  • Two touchless tonometers, a critical piece of equipment to check the pressure inside of the eyes; and a state of the art bedside ultrasound for the emergency department. An intra-operative leg holder, for knee surgeries; and a “beach chair” and arm holder for shoulder surgery. Both of these items support excellence in our always expanding surgery and orthopedic services provided to the community.
  • A cutting edge glidescope for the Mercy Downtown Emergency Department, an advanced ultrasound for Interventional Radiology procedures, an IPad based translation program that will significantly improve communication with hearing impaired patients,and two Bi-Pap machines that physicians and respiratory therapists can use to offer patients the best chance of not requiring mechanical ventilation.
  • Three ultrasound units for the PICC Line Department and a compact digital ultrasound for the surgery department. The PICC line ultrasounds will allow our caregivers to accurately visualize vessels, track needle trajectory and see the final tip location of PICC lines placed in our patients requiring long-term antibiotics or continuous blood draws. The ultrasound for the surgery department will allow anesthesiologists to accurately guide needles when injecting numbing block while avoiding nerves resulting in fewer side effects and reduction in post-surgical pain.
  • A Digital Mobile C-Arm (X-ray imaging equipment), making Mercy the only hospital in Kern County to offer the Total Anterior approach Hip Arthroplasty; a revolutionary hip procedure resulting in shorter recovery time, less pain and reduced scarring. 
  • A Digital Portable X-Ray for Mercy Hospital Southwest, bringing diagnosis and treatment options to the bedside. 
  • 11 Vein Finders that digitally display a map of a patient’s blood vessels on the surface of the skin in real time, allowing our caregivers to accurately locate a vein and avoid unnecessary multiple sticks. 
  • A specialized microscope used for the partial or complete amputation of a finger or hand following injury. 
  • A mini C-arm used for timely diagnosis of orthopedic and extremity cases. 
  • Advanced CT scanner technology used to assess the viability of brain tissue after a stroke.

Watch the Story of William Howell, Sr. 

 

2022-2023 William Howell Century Club Members

*Charter Member, Deceased

Hal Aaron
Atul Aggarwal, MD
Hasmukh Amin, MD
Steven C. Anderson
Kevin Andrew*
Sean Andrew
Robert Anspach*
Alan Lee Avery
Alex Balfour
Tim Banks, II
Bryan Batey
Antonio Beccari*
Michael Beckwith*
Leonard A. Bidart*
Scott Black
Greg Braun
Mike Burger
William Bush*
Jim Camp
Mike Campbell*
George Cappello*
Fred Carlisle
Jayaraman Chandrasekhar, MD
Mike Clark
Alfred J. Coppola, Jr., MD*
Mark Costa
Steve Del Papa*
William DiNicola, MD*
Alan F. Doud
David C. Dougherty, MD*
William J. Farr, MD
Greg Gallion
John Garcia, MD
Ralph Garcia-Pacheco, MD

David Gay
Stuart C. Gentry
John S. Gless
Barry Goldner*
Raj Gopal, MD
Angelo A. Haddad
Christopher D. Hamilton, MD*
S.J. Hardy, MD
Bruce Haupt*
Steve Haupt*
Tom Hoffmann
Ross Hoffmann
Kamalnath Iyer, MD
Tom Jamieson*
Ray Karpe*
Ken Keller
Gurvir Khurana, MD
Geoffrey B. King
Hemmal Kothary, MD
Rick Kreiser
Wayne Kress
John Paul Lake
Ron Lallo
Bill Lazzerini
Tony Lazzerini
Angelo Mazzei
Livio Mazzei
Wilbur N. Montana, DO
Donald Montano, DDS*
Mark Mulkay
Chris Muxlow
Joe Nahama
Ron Ostrom, DO
Rodney Palla

Andy Pederson
Bruce Peters
B.J. Predum
Leopoldo Puga, MD
Amudhan Pugalenthi, MD
Willy Reyneveld
Randy Richardson*
Joseph Roberts*
John A. Roesle
Vincent Rojas, Jr.
Jerrold Rothberg
Bob Severs*
Greg Sharp
David Shepherd
David Stanley
Tim Terrio
Charles H. Tolfree
Morgan Topper
Trevor Townsend
Larry Wells
Thomas H. Werdel, Jr.
Tim Werdel
David Williams
David Yeager


Memorial Members†
Bob Abrams
George Ansolabehere
Romain Clerou, MD
Ray Dezember*
Harvey L. Hall*
Warren Haupt
Ed Hopple*
Robert Sheldon, MD*
Sandys Tang, MD