Dine Out, Fight HIV/AIDS on April 28
March 21, 2011
CHARLESTON, SC – April 28, 2011 – Just about everybody living inthe Lowcountry has two things in common: they love to support worthycauses andthey love to eat. The good news is that they can takeadvantage of both on Thursday, April 28, when some 20 area restaurantswill participate in the first annual “Dining Out for Life” event, whichwill benefit Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Ryan White Program.
The Ryan White Program at Roper St. Francis Healthcare coordinatescomprehensive medical care for people living with HIV and AIDS, and themoney raised by Dining Out for Life will be used to treat localpatients.
Almost everyone has been touched by someone affected by HIV/AIDS. InSouth Carolina, which ranks 10th in the nation in the number of AIDScases, there were more than 3,600 known cases of HIV and AIDS in thetri-county area in December 2009, according to the state Department ofHealth and Environmental Control.
“Supporting this event is really a win-win-win situation,” said BillyHall of Hall’s Chophouse. “It helps bring new customers intoneighborhood restaurants, gives people an opportunity to make acontribution just by having breakfast, lunch or dinner with friends, and the money stays right in the community.” Like the other participatingdining establishments, Hall’s will donate a minimum of 25 percent of the total’s day’s sales to the Ryan White Program.
Among participating restaurants are:
- Bluerose Café
- Circa 1886 Restaurant
- Grill 225
- Il Cortile del Re
- Mercato
- Oak Steakhouse
- Souri’s Italian Bistro
Dining Out for Life has been a significant national fundraiser since1990 but this is the first time it will take place in Charleston. Nationally, on this one day alone:
- Nearly $4 million will be raised in the struggle against HIV/AIDS,
- 3,500 restaurants in 56 cities across North America will donate atleast 25 percent of revenue from meals, including breakfast, lunch anddinner,
- More than 250,000 dining customers are expected to participate,
- All funds raised will remain with local HIV/AIDS service organizations.
All money raised through Dining Out for Life in Charleston will go tothe Ryan White program’s Medication Endowment Fund, which has beenestablished to provide emergency medication and medical care assistanceto its patients.
Federally-funded Ryan White programs have been established in manycommunities as a result of legislation to improve availability of carefor low-income, uninsured and under-insured people with HIV/AIDS andtheir families. The programs honor the legacy of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager with hemophilia who contracted HIV through a bloodtransfusion. White died in 1990 after fighting against AIDS-relateddiscrimination and championing efforts to educate the nation about theinfectious disease.
For a complete list of restaurants participating in Charleston’s DiningOut for Life event, please visit www.diningoutforlife.com/charleston. For more information on the Ryan White Program at Roper St. FrancisHealthcare, please visit www.ryanwhiteofcharleston.org.
The Roper St. Francis Healthcare Mission:
Healing All People with Compassion, Faith and Excellence
Roper St. Francis Healthcare is the South Carolina Lowcountry’sonly private, not-for-profit health care system. The 657-bed systemconsists of 90 facilities and services in seven counties. Memberhospitals include Roper Hospital, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital,Mount Pleasant Hospital and Roper Rehabilitation Hospital. Plans tobuild a hospital in Berkeley County are in progress. Roper St. FrancisPhysician Partners is a comprehensive network of more than 180physicians that covers a complete range of primary care and 20subspecialties.
With more than 5,100 employees, Roper St. Francis Healthcare isCharleston’s largest non-governmental, private employer. Its medicalstaff includes nearly 800 physicians representing every medicalspecialty. Ranked #41 among the Top 100 Integrated Health Networks inthe nation, Roper St. Francis Healthcare recently earned 96 NationalAwards recognizing high levels of patient, physician and employeesatisfaction. In October 2010, Roper St. Francis was named among ModernHealthcare’s prestigious list of “Top 100 Places to Work.” Roper St.Francis Healthcare was additionally listed among the Top 25 ConnectedHealthcare Systems in 2010. In 2010, the organization contributed morethan 78,312 hours of staff time and $47.3 million to benefit thecommunity, serving nearly 264,000 community residents.
