Views from the Shore
By Brian Cahill
As marketing director for Shore Medical Center, I have been fortunate to have spent a lot of time in the past year sharing the stories of our doctors and nurses about their experiences during Covid. While they all have their own unique perspectives, the common responses I keep hearing was that they were thankful for their co-workers, that the support of the community gave them an extra boost, and that they wanted to do whatever they could to help their patients.
These are truly special people. Danny Weichenheim, an RN in Shore’s Emergency Department described his passion for caring for people as to me as “A Calling.” For the past 10 years, patients at Shore have been honoring those who answer this call through the hospital’s Guardian Angel program. This program was established to enable members of the community to say thank you to a special Shore caregiver through a donation to the medical center.
Since the program’s inception, one Guardian Angel has been selected as Guardian Angel of the Month, but in May 2021, all 106 members of the Emergency and Pediatric departments will be recognized. This is the first time that an entire department will receive this honor. And, it was all made possible through a generous $5,300 donation by James Klinghoffer.
“I received a mailer from Shore asking me to honor a doctor with a donation in celebration of National Doctors’ Day, and it certainly grabbed my attention,” Klinghoffer said. “So I called my friend at Shore, Mary McGuckin, who knows how special the emergency and pediatric departments are to me. I told I her I would like to honor the doctors at Shore, but the more I thought about it, I could not limit my gratitude to just the doctors.
“I wanted to honor every single person who works in the emergency department. Every one of them is a guardian angel; they are special people who have a special calling,” continued Klinghoffer. “So I was happy to recognize all 106 members of the ED staff with a Guardian Angel honor. They all deserve it especially after all they have been through this past year, and every year.”
Klinghoffer, whose name appears on the exterior of Shore’s Emergency Department, is a long-time supporter of Shore Medical Center. Shore’s Pediatric Emergency Department, which recently added a sensory-friendly program, is named in honor of his parents, Harry and Edith Klinghoffer.
Reflecting on his support of Shore Medical Center, Klinghoffer said, “Years ago, I was told that Shore’s Emergency Department needed help. I think anyone can donate money. But I wanted to create something to truly help people, and Shore’s ED certainly does that. I wanted to honor my parents and what better way to do that than having their names adorn the walls of Shore’s Pediatric Emergency Department which takes care of so many children in a separate environment from the adults.
Kilnghoffer continued, “I recently spoke with one of the physicians at Shore and he said to me ‘I can’t thank you enough for the Pediatric Center. Children are scared enough when they come to the ED. Having a designated emergency care center for children has helped so many people in their time of need.”
If you would like to learn more about the Guardian Angel program or additional ways to support Shore Medical Center, visit www.givetoshore.org
Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing for Shore Medical Center. He is also on the Board of the Somers Point Business Association, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University, and is a founding member of Somers Point-Community First, a local volunteer organization
