USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital fundraiser Local Goodness set for May 4

Local Goodness, a farm-to-table experience celebrating the best of local cuisine and music, is planned for Sunday, May 4, at Magnolia Manor in Mobile from 4 to 7 p.m.

With the theme “Under the Big Top,” this fun-filled event benefits USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, the state’s only hospital dedicated to caring for children and women, with proceeds supporting pediatric interventional radiology.

“We are delighted that Local Goodness is returning to Mobile as a way to help showcase how the hospital and its pediatric emergency center benefit our community,” said Debbie Browning, MSN, R.N., CENP, CEO of Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “While we hope that children won’t need us, we are here 24 hours a day, every day, if they do.”

Sponsored by the USA Foundation, Local Goodness offers participants jaw-dropping entertainment under the big top, featuring contortionists, stilt walkers, fire breathers, and a chance to win memorable prizes, including a John Deere Gator.

Specifically, Local Goodness proceeds will support the construction of an interventional radiology suite at Children's & Women's Hospital, which will be the only one of its kind within a 300-mile radius, bringing specialized care closer to home for patients, said Kevin Wong, D.O., a fellowship trained pediatric interventional radiologist at USA Health.

A subspecialty of radiology, pediatric interventional radiology is practiced by only 300 or so such specialists in the United States. Wong is the only pediatric interventionalist working on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Pediatric interventional radiologists use various imaging modalities – including X-rays, ultrasounds, and CT scans – to perform minimally invasive procedures such as the placement of central venous lines, biopsies and even joint injections.

"Pediatric interventional radiology is a lifeline for our little ones,” said Wong, “offering them the chance to heal with less pain, fewer scars, and more hope. It’s about giving children the strength to face their challenges with the least disruption to their childhood and allowing families to embrace the future with less fear and more love."

Those who contribute to Local Goodness “will go a long way to helping us create a one-of-a-kind program on the Alabama Gulf Coast,” Wong said, “allowing families to receive minimally invasive treatments much closer to home."

Tickets are $175 per person. To purchase tickets and learn more about sponsorships, visit usahealthsystem.com/localgoodness