A tribute to Arlene Schnitzer
Remembrance from Dr. Andrew Ahmann
All of us at the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center (HSDHC) mourn the loss of Arlene Schnitzer, who passed away on April 4th at the age of ninety-one. Arlene was a very special woman who cared so deeply about Portland people and Portland institutions. She was dedicated to philanthropy for the arts but also gave immeasurable emotional and monetary support to OHSU and to those less advantaged. Arlene was an equal partner with her husband, Harold, in nurturing the development of our center that opened in November 2007. She was a dynamic leader for our center's advisory board and led the fundraising charge in our early years.
After Harold died in 2011, she continued to work with her son, Jordan, to support the HSDHC financially through the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Care Foundation, fostering program development and support for our patients who had immediate financial needs to protect their health. With Arlene’s passing we lost a part of our soul and we will honor her memory with renewed determination to accomplish our shared vision of improving the health and quality of life for those living with diabetes through compassion, state of the art medical care and education.