Annual OMC Foundation event raises record $273,000 for Heart Center
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026
To improve your health, change your lifestyle, a cardiologist told a crowd of 410 people before the Red, Set Go luncheon attendees heard from a woman who “died” three times before getting a new heart.
Most of the audience at the Friday, Feb. 27 luncheon jumped to their feet and applauded Robin (Tweter) Presnelli of Port Angeles after she described undergoing a heart transplant in 2024.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Presnelli concluded. “Pay attention to your heart and your health.
“And that’s it.”
The Olympic Medical Center Foundation fundraiser for the OMC Heart Center netted a record-breaking $273,000 to upgrade the cardiac ultrasound systems of the OMC Heart Center. In 2025, it raised $266,000.
In addition to the survivor’s tale from Presnelli, attendees at the 19th annual Red, Set Go luncheon heard comments from keynote speakers Leonard Anderson, heart center director, and Dr. Ajay Joseph, director of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at St. Francis Health System in Tulsa, Okla.
The upgrade of the cardiac ultrasound systems will extend the life of the system, which serves a growing number of patients, Anderson said. It includes a new ultrasound transducer that will improve imaging in both 2D and 3D.
The packed hall at the Vern Burton Community Center also raised money for the OMC Healthcare Scholarship Fund.
George Brown, a longtime supporter of OMC, matched gifts up to $100,000, it was announced.
“What’s significant about Red, Set Go is that it not only raises significant revenue for the Olympic Medical Center, but it also saves lives,” said Bruce Skinner, OMC Foundation executive director.
“That is done through the purchase of life-saving equipment and by annually having a speaker who inspires us to lead healthier lives,” he added.
Joseph, an interventional cardiologist, told of his trail-blazing work in Tulsa where he and his staff offer patients ways to curb their risks for chronic diseases by dealing with the root causes.
Lifestyle medicine aims to cuts the risk of chronic disease, which is responsible for some 85 percent of what is seen in hospitals, Joseph said.
“Six in 10 have chronic disease,” Joseph said. “Forty percent of people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifespan. One in three have diabetes and most don’t know it.”
He said that six pillars of care connect all chronic diseases, whether they primarily affect the heart or brain or kidneys or other organs. People can cut their risks by paying attention to each of those pillars: Nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, risky substance abuse and social connections.
The staff in his program offer patients not only advice but also instruction such as cooking and exercise classes.
“Food can be medicine,” Joseph said. “Food can be poison as well.”
He advised eating three to four servings of fruits and vegetables daily, as well as consuming legumes.
“Beans are your best friend,” Joseph said.
He added that poor sleep is as big a risk factor for heart disease as diabetes, isolation is as big a risk factor as smoking and alcohol is related to about 60 medical conditions.
