Why is philanthropic support so important to our organization?

Philanthropy plays a big role at UF Health. Generous gifts from individual and corporate donors help us expand scientific research, advance the practice of medicine, invest in new technology, recruit skilled faculty and staff … and build our reputation for moving medicine forward, which attracts patients who trust us to care for them.

As a not-for-profit organization, we reinvest our earnings back into staff salaries, infrastructure (like our buildings, equipment and technology) and our programs and services. We’re focused on developing the enterprise to help people now and in the future.

On the 10th anniversary of the Raising Hope at Work employee giving program, tell us why this is so important for UF Health.

Many of you are individual donors, which we really appreciate. Our internal Raising Hope at Work employee giving program enables faculty and staff to give back to UF Health. Thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign. You have helped fund construction for our cancer, heart and vascular and neuromedicine hospitals; purchase a new ShandsCair helicopter; support renovations of countless facilities such as our children’s hospital and Neonatal ICU; and contribute to important resources such as the Arts in Medicine program. These are just a few examples of how you make a difference for our patients and each other. Employee giving is a testament to the ways we feel UF Health supports us and our loved ones as a health care provider and an employer of choice. So, again, thank you. We know that it all begins with you. The work you do. The hospitality and service you provide to patients and their families. You create a great experience by giving them your best and most compassionate attention. They feel thankful you helped with their medical care and gave them a personal experience. This creates their personal connection to the organization. Some feel passionate enough about UF Health that they feel compelled to give back in some way.

Can you share some examples of ways people are giving back?

We have so many examples. The recent $20 million gift in the new year from the Lauren and Lee Fixel Family Foundation will establish the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health. Their gift in honor of Lee’s father, Norman Fixel, will create amazing momentum for decades to come to fuel discoveries and new approaches for patients and families facing Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Lewy body, ALS, dystonia and concussions.

Also this spring, Harris Rosen and The Harris Rosen Foundation gifted UF $12 million toward innovation in brain tumor immunotherapy research and care here at UF Health. It’s part of a $100 million commitment in fundraising to support the UF-led ReMission Alliance Against Brain Tumors. This will spark international collaboration in research and clinical trials. Harris Rosen’s son, Adam, was cared for at UF Health for brain cancer. These families had a positive experience. They know first-hand how committed you are to improving lives and helping others. They want to invest in the types of activities we are doing here to literally move medicine forward in new and exciting ways. We are at the forefront of medicine in so many areas because of these generous gifts.

HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE CEO? Email Kim Rose, director of strategic communications with UF Health Communications, at roseka@shands.ufl.edu and she’ll share your question with Ed Jimenez for an upcoming CEO column.