In the first-floor lobby of the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital, there is a unique feature just beneath the glass-fronted staircase. A decorative display draws the eye. At first glance, the concentric circles are obvious ripples. Take a closer look and you will see those ripples are the names of employees who generously supported that hospital’s construction.

This is what Raising Hope at Work is all about: the ripple effect over the last decade that employees have triggered through their generous gifts. It is the quiet support of colleagues that has multiplied through the years to become a rallying cry of sustained philanthropy for our organization.

“Together, we have achieved incredible things. From helicopters and ambulances to the UF Health Shands Pediatric E.R. and Harrell Medical Education Building, we have turned ripples into waves at UF Health,” said Ed Jimenez, UF Health Shands CEO. “I hope you will continue the legacy by supporting this year’s Raising Hope at Work campaign.”

CARE

Palliative Care Program

The Palliative Care Program at UF Health is in its fifth year and growing rapidly. The multidisciplinary program is designed to improve and enhance quality of life for patients and families so they can live each day to the fullest. Gifts to this fund will support the needed expansions, including staff additions, to meet growing demand. “Palliative care improves quality of life at a reduced cost, providing high-value care for patients and health care organizations. Our program features experts in pain management, assistance with advance care planning and psychosocial and spiritual support for patients.” — Sheri Kittelson, M.D., medical director, UF Health Palliative Care Program

EDUCATION

UF Mobile Outreach Clinic

From a refurbished bus comes “Medicine on Wheels,” where health science students and volunteers visit patients in underserved communities. The team provides free medical care to patients and a valuable learning experience for future medical practitioners. Gifts to this fund will support its ongoing outreach.

“The Mobile Outreach Clinic is a great program to support because of how necessary it is to our community. Many people are now able to come to the clinic without filling up the beds and waiting rooms of the hospitals. We are alleviating the current stress on the health care system by acting as a first line of care, and by addressing the disparities that have placed these patients in their current position.” — Jeremy Minaya, B.S., PA-S2

CHILDREN

Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization ORs

Specialized care isn’t limited to a patient’s treatment plan. It extends to the environment and the facility in which the patient receives care. Creating a dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization OR space means pediatric patients will receive the care they require in a space designed with their needs in mind. Gifts to this fund will support the renovation.

“I’m supporting the renovation because it will better equip our cardiac catheterization team with the tools they need to continue to provide the best care for our heart kiddos. It will allow them to better investigate, repair broken hearts and to improve patient outcomes. There is no rhyme or reason as to why my son was born with a congenital heart defect — it was completely random. You never know if you will be faced with a similar situation, but if you are, you will have access to the best care possible.” — Jessica Maier, UF Health Office of Development, community events development associate

DISCOVERY

Brain Cancer Research

Immunotherapy is becoming a more promising treatment for brain cancer. At UF Health, Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of UF’s Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy and director of the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, is leading his pediatric immunotherapy team to more discoveries that can help lead to a cure. Gifts to this fund will support continued research efforts.

“I don’t think people realize the caliber of researchers that we have here! Supporting brain cancer research at UF Health means you are doing your part to keep these researchers here in Gainesville for when your family needs them. Our daughter Phoebe was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, when she was 3 years old. She died when she was 6. We lost out on seeing her grow, seeing her get married, seeing her find her own way to make her mark on the world. The only way to change a tumor or diagnosis like hers — that has no effective treatment — is research.” — F. Cole Dooley, M.D., UF College of Medicine, assistant professor of anesthesiology, divisions of pediatric anesthesiology and perioperative medicine