Julie and Steve Vanderboom are inspired by nurses and deeply committed to improving healthcare for all of us in the communities they call home. Julie was a nurse for 35 years and held other high-level healthcare roles focused on quality, teamwork and leadership. Steve founded Pace®, a successful global firm that does environmental, pharmaceutical and medical-device testing for companies around the world. He credits Julie’s healthcare work for supporting them during the early startup years in the 1970s.
Now, the Vanderbooms are giving back in a big way – donating more than $3 million to support nurses and elevate healthcare at NCH. Their transformational gifts are already making a significant impact, funding innovative education, career development and recognition programs for nursing team members.
“We’ve been through our parents’ illnesses, kids’ accidents and stitches, the same health issues as others, so we want the communities we live in to have good healthcare, but we also both feel so strongly about nurses,” says Julie.
Both Steve and Julie have been impressed by NCH’s rapid improvements and leadership’s commitment to our community. Julie has chosen several nurse-oriented causes at NCH to receive funding, based on her background and passions.
“We have friends with health issues who’ve been treated well by NCH, and I even got a new knee here in April,” says Steve. “I chose to have the surgery in Naples because of NCH’s partnership with the Hospital for Special Surgery (ranked No. 1 for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report), and it was a very good experience.”
Their first gift of $1 million supported the Judith and Marvin Herb Family Simulation Center at NCH, establishing a state-of-the-art training facility that serves both NCH employees and community organizations. Julie later introduced NCH to the staff of the Vanderboom Simulation Center at Allina Health in Minneapolis, sparking a collaboration that continues to thrive.
“When I was a nurse, we had to learn by watching someone else or through online modules,” Julie explains. “The sim center instead provides a safe, hands-on environment to learn technical skills and promote patient safety and quality.”
Motivated by their first gift’s impact, the Vanderbooms recently committed another $2 million-plus to elevate NCH’s nursing program through recognition and innovation, including the new Vanderboom EXCEL Nursing Clinical Ladder program. This type of career-development initiative rewards nurses for clinical expertise, personal growth and leadership.
“NCH’s clinical ladder program helps us retain and grow nursing talent,” says NCH Chief Nursing Officer Ilia Echevarria. “Research shows these programs lead to higher job satisfaction and better retention. We’re beyond grateful to the Vanderbooms.”
Julie and Steve are also members of the NCH Medical Diplomats Council, helping educate the community about NCH’s progress. If you’re interested in learning more or contributing to NCH, please call the Center for Philanthropy at (239) 624-2000 or give at NCHmd.org/donate.