The MetroHealth System in Cleveland received a $42 million pledge from JoAnn and Bob Glick, the largest gift in its 183-year history.
The gift will establish two funds that aim to reverse health inequalities, specifically targeting women and children.
One fund, the JoAnn and Bob Glick Fund for Healthy Communities, will promote the health of underserved communities. The other, JoAnn Zlotnick Glick Endowed Fund in Community Health Nursing, will help support and recognize nurses as leaders in improving the health of the community.
In recognition of the gift, MetroHealth’s new hospital will be named the MetroHealth Glick Center. The 11-floor hospital, now under construction, is part of the health system’s nearly $1 billion campus transformation.
However, none of the $42 million will be used to support construction of the tower.
"In the decades to come, people will recognize the MetroHealth Glick Center as a beacon that has helped guide our community to better health, eliminate health disparities and ushered a new era of healthcare while serving everyone and anyone," said Akram Boutros, MD, MetroHealth's president and CEO.
Ms. Glick is a registered nurse who worked in inner-city hospitals in Cleveland and Philadelphia. Mr. Glick was the founder and CEO of the Dots clothing chain, which he sold in 2011.