Inova Health System in Falls Church, Virginia, has announced a $75 million gift from Dwight C. and Martha Schar in support of cardiovascular care across the northern Virginia region.

The gift will expand and rename Inova Schar Heart and Vascular, providing support for efforts to grow specialty services; focus on research, outreach, prevention, and early diagnosis; recruit and retain talent; and promote health equity. In addition, it will enable the system to build multidisciplinary team-based programs in advanced heart failure and lung disease care, minimally invasive cardiac surgery and interventions, vascular medicine and surgery, women’s heart health, and wellness and prevention.

Longtime supporters of Inova, the Schars have committed more than $126 million since 1993, including a $50 million gift in 2015 to establish the Inova Schar Cancer Institute.

“Countless lives will be transformed by this remarkable gift as it allows Inova to push the boundaries of medical research, innovation, and patient care,” said Inova Health System president and CEO J. Stephen Jones. “We are grateful for this generous donation by Dwight and Martha Schar. It will have a lasting impact on heart health and will accelerate the trajectory of our mission to provide world-class health care to everyone, in every community we have the privilege to serve—one heartbeat at a time.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/DNY59)