The Board of Lady Managers is a humanitarian organization founded by women of faith in 1872 to serve unmet medical needs in Alexandria. It continues that legacy today with fundraising dedicated to supporting Inova Alexandria Hospital in meeting the health needs of the community.
Board Celebrates Important Work of our Nurses during
Nurses’ Appreciation Week
By Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette
Nurses and staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital gathered May 10 as members of the Board of Lady Managers celebrated the health care providers as part of National Nurses Week.
In 2023, National Nurses Week took place May 6 – May 12 with this year’s theme “You Make a Difference.” The week is part of the larger National Nurses Month, which is celebrated from May 1 – 31.
Dr. Rina Bansal, Chief Medical Officer and President of Inova Alexandria Hospital, was joined by Chief Nursing Officer Francine Barr and other nursing and medical staff as Board of Lady Managers president Barbara Wells led the celebration, which included gift bags donated by the organization in appreciation of the health care providers.
Now in its 151st year, the Board of Lady Managers founded the Alexandria Hospital, then known as the Alexandria Infirmary, in 1872. Over the years the all-volunteer organization has raised millions of dollars in support of the needs of the hospital.
The Board of Lady Managers and our lead sponsor Junction Bakery hosted a bake sale at the ALX Dog Walk on Saturday, April 29, 2023, raising money for the hospital’s current needs, especially the Brevara Breast Biopsy System, as well as the chaplaincy program at the hospital. Check out some of the fun!
Alexandria Hospital: Women Mobilize the Community at Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum until October 2023
Alexandria Hospital: Women Mobilize the Community @ Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum 
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum 
Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum 
Through the lens of women’s activism, Alexandria Hospital: Women Mobilize the Community, marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Board of Lady Managers, which established the Alexandria Infirmary – today’s INOVA Alexandria Hospital. This new exhibit at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum celebrates women who came together, recognized a need in their community, and took steps to address those needs. Visit the museum to see original foundational documents, photos, and reminders of days past, as well as stories of those who made the infirmary possible.
Who We Are
In 1872, Julia Johns and a group of half a dozen “charitably disposed” women recognized the unfulfilled healthcare needs of Alexandria, and decided to do something about it. They joined together to form the Board of Lady Managers, which founded Alexandria Hospital. The Board managed the hospital for over 40 years and operated a nursing school until 1944.
Today, we continue our legacy of fundraising to support the hospital’s priorities. While it is difficult to attach a dollar value to our contributions over the past 150 years, we have donated nearly $4 million over the last 25 years. The Board of Lady Managers currently directs a large portion of our fundraising efforts to technology advancement and pastoral care.
We are a group of women who give over 9,000 volunteer hours annually in support of our community hospital, Inova Alexandria Hospital.
What We Do
The Board of Lady Managers works closely with hospital leadership to determine its current, most pressing needs. For decades we have consistently supported several hospital memorial funds focused on cancer resources, cardiovascular services, patient assistance and the interfaith chapel.
In 2022, the Board of Lady Managers supported the purchase of a Brevera Breast Biopsy System. This device will allow the radiologist and technologist to stay in the room with the patient the entire time of a breast biopsy. This system produces real-time imaging verification and post-biopsy handling. It can speed up a procedure and allows the patient to be released out of compression earlier.
In 2020, the Board of Lady Managers supported the conversion of hospital rooms to negative pressure rooms, which helps reduce the need for ventilators for patients with many diseases, but most notably for patients with Covid-19.
In 2019 the Board of Lady Managers supported the hospital’s purchase of an O-Arm surgical imaging system, which gives real-time information to a surgical team and protects both patients and providers from overexposure to radiation levels which can have troublesome side effects.
The Board of Lady Managers is a part of the community we serve: we know the medical personnel whose jobs are made easier by our donations; we know the patients whose lives have been made better, indeed saved, by our donations. Keeping our first-rate community hospital performing at its extraordinarily high level of compassionate care is the heart and soul of our calling.
We need your support to do our work — contact us to learn how you can volunteer or donate.
Contact us to get involved!
Copyright The Board of Lady Managers – All rights reserved