Honoring Dr. Rekha Yagnik

On Friday, June 9, we celebrated the life and legacy of our founding Medical Director, Dr. Rekha Yagnik, by dedicating the building housing the Center for Family Health at Eastside in her memory.  Community leaders, including Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, State Representative Carol Kazeem, and U. S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, paid tribute to her contributions to the health of Delaware and Chester County families.  Dr. Yagnik’s family and friends were also on hand and her son, Dr. Gautham Yagnik, shared moving memories of his mother and her devotion to ChesPenn, which the family often called her “third child.”

Several other guests also shared their memories of Dr. Yagnik.  ChesPenn CEO Susan Harris McGovern captured the spirit of the day in her comments, “Those of us who were blessed to have had the honor to know and work alongside her felt the genuine love and respect she held for everyone.  When you were in her presence, she made you want to be a better person. She saw no color, gender, race, or ethnicity.  Who knew she was the true display of DEI before it became a formal policy for institutions to follow. Dr. Yagnik loved life, her family, friends, acquaintances, being of service to others, and removing barriers. She was dedicated to ensuring quality, and respectful health care was accessible to all.”

The newly named Rekha Yagnik Memorial Building stands as a visible tribute to her vision for true health equity.

 

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