FOUNDATION NEWS
Hope Can’ t Be Stopped
The Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge is on schedule for spring 2021
hile COVID-19 has impacted countless lives, businesses and plans, it is incapable of diluting our commitment to caring for our patients— including those battling cancer.
Progress continues to be made at the American Cancer Society Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge, located on property donated by Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas.
Despite unforeseen challenges due to COVID-19, construction has remained at a steady pace. and the building was“ topped off”— completing the framing structure— in May. The project is on track to be completed in February 2021, and in spring 2021 will open its doors to offer cancer patients and their caregivers a home away from home when they travel to receive care from any of North Texas’ premier medical centers. The Gene
and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge is expected to provide more than 18,000 nights of free lodging annually, helping the thousands of cancer patients who travel each year from throughout the region to receive potentially lifesaving cancer treatment in North Texas.
Often, patients and their families spend days, weeks, even months away from home. The emotional and financial toll of the loss of income, medical bills, hotel rooms and dining out can be staggering.
Thanks to extraordinary support from generous individuals and organizations, more than $ 32 million has been raised to date for this project.
For more information on how you can support this initiative, contact Melissa Dalton at 214.820.2705 or Melissa. Dalton @ BSWHealth. org.
Letter from the Chair
When I sat down to write this column, we were nearly 250 days into the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 200 countries had reported cases, there were 178,000 deaths in the US from the virus and more than
600,000 cases in Texas alone.
As a banker for the past 35 years, you might expect me to be numbers focused. And I am. While those statistics help to paint a picture of how much the virus has spread, how effectively it is being treated and whether cases are trending up or down, another number I think about often is 28,000— the 28,000 frontline caregivers across Baylor Scott & White Health.
These individuals have selflessly and faithfully served patients for each of those nearly 250 days. They compassionately cared for the more than 11,000 COVIDpositive patients diagnosed across the system. Through masks, gloves, face shields and layers of PPE, they helped make sure those patients’ medical needs were addressed, while also providing emotional support for these patients while they were sick, scared and isolated from family and friends.
These 28,000 continued to care for all those who entered our facilities, serving patients seeking care for more than 2.2 million other routine and emergency healthcare needs. They helped deliver more than 12,500 babies and performed over 150 transplants and 4,000 cardiovascular surgeries across our System during the height of the pandemic. They helped create a safe environment for the community to turn to and receive needed care.
As Texas began to slowly reopen, they remained vigilant in wearing masks and practicing social distancing in order to keep their patients and their colleagues safe. Some stayed in separate rooms of their homes or in hotels to reduce the risk of exposing their elderly or immunocompromised loved ones. They were unwavering in their commitment to serving patients and communities across Baylor Scott & White while facing challenges and fears I can’ t imagine.
These 28,000 have given us a million reasons to be grateful, and I am proud to be associated with an organization that shines even brighter in darker days.
Norm Bagwell Chair, Board of Directors Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation
To learn more about any Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation initiative, contact the Foundation at 214.820.3136 or email DallasFoundation @ BSWHealth. org. Write to us at 3600 Gaston Avenue, Barnett Tower Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75246-1800.
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