Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital dedicates pediatric unit in honor of Ahoskie native Annie Eason | Eastern North Carolina Now

For Immediate Release:

    AHOSKIE, NC     Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital officials today dedicated their pediatric unit of the hospital in honor of Ahoskie native Annie Eason. The unit will be called the Annie Eason Children's Unit.

    Philadelphia philanthropists Arnold Zaslow, Jerome Zaslow, and Spencer Zaslow made the dedication possible with a $40,000 donation in Eason's name. Abbot Downing, a Wells Fargo business, contributed an additional $10,000 to the donation. As part of the dedication ceremony, a portrait of Eason was unveiled to hang at the entrance of the Annie Eason Children's Unit.

    The funds will be used for a pediatric asthma program to be based at Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital. The State Center of Health Statistics shows that asthma in children is more prevalent in northeastern North Carolina than other parts of the state. Twelve percent of children seen in the emergency department (ED) have had multiple visits due to asthma. Emergency services have seen an 8-percent increase of pediatric asthma cases in the last two years.

    The asthma program is modeled after best practice programs in the Vidant Health system. The program has documented highly successful results including fewer ED visits, and improved disease management by children, parents, and health care workers. To achieve similar results, one clinical case manager will be employed by the hospital to provide referrals, education, and case management services in homes, schools, and through clinic visits. Goals of the program include reduction of ED visits due to children's asthma, reduction in school absences caused by asthma, reduction in inpatient admission rates, and reduction in recidivism for patients with asthma.

    Annie Eason was born and reared in Ahoskie before moving to Philadelphia, where she helped rear the Zaslow brothers. The brothers run an international furniture textiles company called ATD-American Co., located in Pennsylvania. The brothers also started the Zaslow Family Foundation, which is focused on giving to medical, education, and religious institutions.

    The Zaslows attribute much of their professional and personal success to Eason and wanted to give back to her hometown in her honor. After many years of searching for the best way to honor Eason and her work with children, the Zaslows visited and toured Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital. They decided giving back to the children of eastern North Carolina would be the best way to honor Eason's memory.

From left Ron Noble, Abbot Downing portfolio manager, Sue Lassiter, president of Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Arnold Zaslow, Spencer Zaslow, Jerome Zaslow and Mike Smolarski, Abbot Downing regional Managing director stand together in front of the newly dedicated Annie Eason Children’s Unit.
   Contact: Carissa Etters, Strategic Development, (252) 847-0413 or Carissa.Etters@VidantHealth.com or Doug Boyd, East Carolina University News Services, (252) 744-2482 or boydd@ecu.edu

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. The health system includes Albemarle Health, Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Pungo Hospital, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice, Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com.