Davis Islands Today

SEEING IS JUST THE BEGINNING AT CHARITY’S EYE BALL IN NOVEMBER

Soulful Jazz and R&B Hits Performed by Late Night Brass, an Epicurean Menu, and Special Guests Make for Memorable Evening to Benefit Corneal Transplants & Research

The Lions Eye Institute Foundation (LEIF) is hosting its second annual Eye Ball Saturday, November 15, starting at 6 pm.

The premier fundraising event for LEIF, this James Bond-style black tie affair will feature live entertainment by Late Night Brass, a gourmet meal and the presentation of the “Light of Sight” Award. Special guest Olympic Silver Medalist Zach Railey will be in attendance. Railey represented the U.S. in Beijing in Finn class sailing competition, and won second place in his first trip to the Olympic Games.

The Eye Ball will be held in the historic elegance of the ballroom on the top floor of the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research, 1410 North 21st Street in Ybor City .

Alicia Roberts of WFLA News Channel 8 will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening, which also includes both a live and silent auction. This year’s Eye Ball will have a special focus on one family’s decision to give the gift of sight and the gift of life, made possible through corneal donation and organ donation, after the tragic death of their 20-year-old son.

Tickets: $250 per patron ticket (includes invitation to Patron Pre-party at Hoffman Porges Gallery in Ybor City and $100 contribution to the Circles of Pride Campaign benefiting LEIF); or $150 per individual ticket.

For more information, contact Terri Goldstein at 813-289-1200. For sponsorship information and tickets, visit www.eyeballtampa.org.

The National Research Corporation awarded Tampa General Hospital the prestigious Consumer Choice Award for 2008-09. The award identifies hospitals that healthcare consumers perceive have the highest quality and image in the country.

TGH, which has won this recognition for the third straight year, is the only hospital in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties to earn this award.

The National Research Corp. surveyed more than 200,000 households, representing 400,000 consumers, throughout the United States. TGH was one of 226 hospitals nationwide, and one of 16 in Florida, selected from among the 3,200 hospitals named by study participants.

Ron Hytoff, president and CEO of Tampa General, said the recognition was a reflection of the role teamwork plays in helping to shape the views and opinions of health care consumers.

“People have become very sophisticated when it comes to making decisions about health care,” Hytoff said. “Those decisions are shaped in part by their perceptions of not just doctors and nurses, but also the clinical techs that perform diagnostic tests, the people who clean the hallways and rooms, and the dietary staff that prepares the meals.”

The 2008-09 Healthcare Market Guide is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. No other study used to measure hospital performance and preferences contain more consumer responses than NRC’s study. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.2 percent at a national level. Co-winners are named when scores fall within the statistical margin of error for a given market. This is the 13th year that the NRC has presented the Consumer Choice Awards.

National Research Corporation (NASDAQ: NRCI) is an industry leader, with more than two decades of experience in healthcare performance measurement and improvement. Find out more at http://hcmg.nationalresearch.com