SANTA BARBARA — After a two-year pause, the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation recently welcomed more than 400 guests to its annual black-tie gala, the Tiara Ball, held March 25, 2023, at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta. This year’s event raised over $500,000 to benefit emergency, trauma and critical care services at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Organized by a 15-member committee of community volunteers and hospital staff, the event designers converted the resort ballroom with metallic spheres and dance floor, a celestial gold and blue color-theme, and ethereal floral arrangements. Heather Hambleton and Lisa Iscovich co-chaired the event, also known as The Party of the Year.
Tiara Ball provides an opportunity to recognize caregivers and donors for their commitment in providing emergency, trauma and critical care to the region. Speakers for the evening’s program were Co-chairs Hambleton and Iscovich, along with Steve Zola, Chair of the Cottage Health Board of Directors; and Ron Werft, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cottage Health.
A video story featured a former patient, Keilani Waxdeck, who sustained multiple traumatic injuries when an oncoming car crossed lanes and crashed into her vehicle. Waxdeck shared the amazing recovery and the bond she developed with the Cottage Health care team. Many of her Cottage caregivers were in attendance at the event. View the video here: cottagehealth.org/keilani
“The theme for this year’s Tiara Ball is ‘Constellation of Caring,’” said Ron Werft, President & CEO of Cottage Health. “That’s fitting because it takes so many to care for our community in times of crisis, emergency and trauma. Some provide direct care at the bedside of patients, and others generously support lifesaving work. Each and every one makes a difference in countless lives.”
Since 2005, the Tiara Ball has raised funds to improve the lives of thousands of adults and children who are critically ill or injured. Proceeds from the 2023 Tiara Ball will be specifically designated to help build the Emergency Department of the future for our community. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital will become one of a select group of hospitals across the nation providing an innovative new care model for patients to receive more rapid diagnosis and treatment. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is able to provide the highest quality care in a state-of-the-art facility because of the generosity of so many within our community.
About Cottage Health cottagehealth.org — The not-for-profit Cottage Health is the leader in providing advanced medical care to the Central Coast region. Specialties include the Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Neuroscience Institute, Heart & Vascular Center, Center for Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation Hospital. The Cottage Health medical staff is comprised of more than 700 physicians, many with subspecialties typically found only at university medical centers. Last year, the Cottage Health hospitals in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley provided inpatient care for 21,000 people, treated 80,000 patients through their 24-hour emergency departments and helped deliver 2,100 newborns. Cottage Health also offers Cottage Urgent Care Centers throughout the tri-counties, as well as 24-hour access to providers via Cottage Virtual Care, an online service for common conditions.