leading the way: Hospital executives invest in the future of Children’s Health℠, inspire team members to link arms and join them
For more than a century, Children’s Health has led the way in trusted care for kids because of leaders who believed in a bold vision to care for our community’s youngest members.
And now, because of generous donors and transformative leadership, the hospital system that began on the front lawn of the Old Parkland campus, under several open-air tents, is now serving hundreds of thousands of patients and received more funds than ever from the community last year.
And that investment in this bold vision starts with leadership.
As Chief Financial Officer at Children’s Health, Robert Fries knows a thing or two about investing.
“This is a generational investment,” said Robert Fries of his pledge to support the new Dallas pediatric campus.
Robert is among a group of senior leadership employees at Children’s Health who have stepped up to support campus enhancements to treat more kids closer to home and unrestricted giving to invest in new initiatives and respond to the hospital system’s greatest needs. Through their generous contributions, these leaders exhibit a profound commitment to our mission during a historic time for Children’s Health.
“The best leaders lead by example, and we can’t expect our team members to step forward if we’re not willing to step forward ourselves,” said Matt Moore, Chief External Relations Officer and Chief of Staff at Children’s Health.
Matt, who has spent his entire career working for nonprofit organizations big and small, has designated his gift to the hospital system’s greatest needs. This philanthropic support allows Children’s Health to enhance critical programs and invest in new initiatives.
“Without operations funding, the organization can’t run,” Matt said. “I have full faith in my leadership colleagues to direct the dollars where they need to go to best fulfill the mission.”
The pediatric population in the Dallas-Fort Worth region totals almost 2.5 million and is expected to double by 2050. The new Dallas pediatric campus, a collaborative effort with UT Southwestern Medical Center that broke ground last fall, will be one of the country’s largest and most transformative pediatric hospitals, strengthening our ability to pioneer innovative academic research and lifesaving treatments for our most complex pediatric patients.
And north of Dallas in Collin County — one of the fastest growing counties in the country — a new 395,000-square-foot patient tower at Children’s Medical Center Plano opened in December, more than doubling the size of the Plano hospital.
"Children’s hospitals are important, and they are a resource for the community in ways that a lot of folks may not recognize. Oftentimes, people don’t know about the real needs and skills of a children’s hospital until they need one,” said Vanessa Walls, Chief Market Executive for Children’s Health, who oversaw the Plano expansion project and gave a generous donation to support the campus’ growth.
“Being a part of the Plano campus has really been the highlight of my career, and I wanted to pay that back,” Vanessa said. “It’s a chance for us to further the mission in a way that’s a little different than the day-to-day work we do and support the larger vision, strategy and goals of Children’s Health.”
As the first full-service children’s hospital north of Dallas, Children’s Medical Center Plano has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. Vanessa said the campus has seen increased volumes of inpatient, outpatient and surgical procedures, as well as clinical programs and complexity of acuity of patients.
The new eight-story tower includes an expanded emergency room and 140 new inpatient beds, nearly tripling the campus bed count from 72 to 212 beds.
Robert, Matt and Vanessa hope their support of the Children’s Health mission will inspire their team members to link arms with them and support the hospital system’s future.
“You get excited about what the possibilities are,” Robert said. “The new Dallas pediatric campus is an investment in serving the community. It will leave its legacy here. Our work will make a difference 50 years from now.”