As the region’s healthcare focus shifts to the new shining building rising on the Plainsboro campus, it seems only fitting that the current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Princeton HealthCare System (PHCS) should also come from east of Route One.
Don Hofmann is the first Chairman in the organization’s history to live outside Princeton—he and his wife, Joyce, reside in West Windsor.
“This is a crucial time in the hospital’s history,” he said. “University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro will be closer to the fastest-growing areas of central New Jersey, and we are building relationships with the broader community there. We are connecting now with doctors, EMTs, and future donors who will fuel our growth. It’s the people who are now in their late 40s and early 50s who will be our cadre of support for the next 20 to 30 years.”
The Hofmanns (pictured right) have made giving back to the community a family tradition. Mr. Hofmann, a partner at private equity firm Crystal Ridge Partners, is also a trustee of HomeFront and a former trustee of Princeton Day School. His wife, Joyce, owns Princeton Weight Loss and supports several charities, both locally and abroad.
The couple have been generous supporters of the PHCS Foundation Annual Fund for more than 15 years, and have recently pledged a significant six-figure donation to the Design for Healing campaign.
“We support organizations that are central to the community and where we are inspired by the leadership,” said Mr. Hofmann. “Barry Rabner’s vision for the future of health care and his team’s excellent performance in service to the community are truly motivational.”
The Hofmanns’ two grown sons were born at University Medical Center at Princeton, which at the time was known as Princeton Hospital. Over the past 25 years, the family has received great medical care and seen the hospital make an essential difference in the lives of community residents.
“The hospital recently saved the lives of two people we know,” said Mrs. Hofmann. “One was a friend’s mother in Florida who had been misdiagnosed with liver cancer and was given a terminal prognosis. We encouraged her to come here, and the doctors discovered that she had a gallbladder infection. They treated her and she’s fine now.”
“Another was a friend of ours who was waiting at home for an organ transplant,” recalled Mr. Hofmann. “He developed a terrible infection and was in the Intensive Care Unit for several weeks. Our doctors got the infection under control, and he subsequently had a successful transplant. His family includes a number of healthcare professionals, and they told me our nurses were among the best they had ever encountered. In fact, in all my years in this area and on the Board, I’ve never heard anything but positive comments about the nurses.”
Health and fitness matter to the Hofmanns—Don has been an avid runner for 35 years and ran in the PHCS 10K Race this past June, and Joyce is a top amateur tennis player who has competed in national tournaments. They hope their commitment and service to the hospital will help support the outstanding health care available to the community at PHCS for years to come.
Article as seen in Foundation News Winter 2010.