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 two 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.

 

Since 2010, the William Howell Century Club has raised more than $1,336,000 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. 

 

2025-2026 William Howell Century Club Members

*Charter Member, †Deceased

Atul Aggarwal, MD Steven C. Anderson Kevin Andrew* Sean Andrew Alan Lee Avery Harold Baer, Jr., MD Alex Balfour Tim Banks, II Bryan Batey Antonio Beccari* Michael Beckwith* Leonard A. Bidart* Scott Black Nikolas Boone Grady Buck Mike Burger William Bush* Javier Bustamanente, MD Jim Camp Edwin Camp Clayton Camp Mike Campbell* George Cappello* Fred Carlisle Marcus Carlton David R. Cartnal, FAIA Arnold Cattani Mike Clark Patrick Collins Alfred J. Coppola, Jr., MD* Mark Costa Supervisor David Couch Steve Del Papa* Alan Doud David C. Dougherty, MD* Robert Fanucchi John Findley, MD

Greg Gallion Ralph Garcia-Pacheco, MD David Gay Stuart C. Gentry Bob Giragosian John Gless Barry Goldner* Raj Gopal, MD Sundeep Grandhe, MD, FAAHPM Angelo Haddad Christopher D. Hamilton, MD* Bruce Haupt* Steve Haupt* Dan Hay Loren Henderson Thomas A. Hoffmann Arthur Huang, DDS Tom Jamieson* Randy Jelmini, DDS Nathan Jones Ken Keller Geoffrey B. King Hemmal Kothary, MD Rick Kreiser Wayne Kress Bill Lazzerini Tony Lazzerini Justin Leland Jacob Lopez Angelo Mazzei Michael Ming Wilbur N. Montana, DO Donald Montano, DDS* Mark Mulkay Chris Muxlow Rodney Palla

Andy Pederson Leopoldo Puga, MD Willy Reyneveld Randy Richardson* Richard Riley Joseph Roberts* John A. Roesle Vincent Rojas, Jr. Jerrold Rothberg Bob Severs* Greg Sharp David Shepherd Joey Skracic Mike Soper David Stanley Arvid Unruh David Williams Memorial Members† Bob Abrams Robert Anspach* George Ansolabehere Romain Clerou, MD Ray Dezember* Harvey L. Hall* Warren Haupt Ed Hopple* Livio Mazzei Robert Sheldon, MD* Sandys Tang, MD Uma R. Varanasi, MD