KANSAS CITY, Kan. (October 14, 2008)– In what is believed to be the largest individual gift ever made to a hospital in the Kansas City area or the state of Kansas, philanthropist and civic leader Annette Bloch is donating $20 million to The University of Kansas Hospital cancer services.
The hospital immediately will rename its outpatient cancer area at its Westwood campus the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion. The name also will go on the radiation oncology building on the main campus south of 39th and Rainbow Boulevard.
Annette Bloch said the funds had been earmarked by her late husband Richard (co-founder of H&R Block) to assist cancer patients through the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation Fund at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. The Blochs are long-time activists for improved cancer care, establishing the R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation in 1980. The foundation sponsors programs designed to motivate cancer patients to take control and learn about all of their options, so they can make educated decisions. The foundation was an early advocate for multidisciplinary care and among its services is a hotline for patients recently diagnosed with cancer to talk to others who have been through the same kind of cancer treatments and survived. They also have overseen the establishment of 24 Cancer Survivor Parks across North America and Canada, and have co-authored three books on cancer.
"Our passion for quality and compassionate cancer care and for Kansas City has come together in this support for KU Hospital’s cancer services. I have been all over the country advocating for cancer patients, and there is something special about the hospital’s services, this facility and the people who work here. It is wonderful that patients in Kansas City can receive quality cancer care in their own community. I have experienced their skill and compassion firsthand, and I wanted to give them the resources to do more through these incredible services," said Mrs. Bloch, who publicly acknowledged she had been treated for breast cancer at the facility this year.
Mrs. Bloch is no stranger to philanthropy to the hospital. She made a surprise $1 million donation to the hospital when the Westwood facility opened in August 2007. She also has underwritten the Bloch Heart Rhythm Center at the hospital's Center for Advanced Heart Care.
Bloch's gift will be made to The University of Kansas Hospital's partner in philanthropy, the Kansas University Endowment Association, to benefit the hospital.
"I feel this hospital is a special place and Kansas City is fortunate to have it," Mrs. Bloch added.
Hospital officials say the funds will be used to expand and strengthen blood and marrow transplant, radiation oncology and breast cancer imaging.
"How can you adequately acknowledge such a generous and sincere gesture by one of the great women of Kansas City?" asked Bob Page, president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Hospital.
"The size of this gift speaks volumes, but we also get the benefit of having one of the premier family names in this city attached to our buildings and affiliated with our services. We have long felt blessed by Annette Bloch's friendship and counsel. We are honored having her associated with us," said Page.
The hospital's cancer program is blended with the University of Kansas Cancer Center, the institution seeking National Cancer Institute designation for the area. Mrs. Bloch said she hoped her gift would expedite the drive for NCI designation, a thought echoed by the director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
"This philanthropic support strengthens our case when we apply for National Cancer Institute designation," said Dr. Jensen.
"This gift will allow us to leverage more donations for the comprehensive University of Kansas Cancer Center program. We know there are people throughout the nation, not just around Kansas City, who will be honored to give generously to the overall program after they know Annette Bloch has made a major commitment," added Dr. Jensen.
Dr. Jensen noted, while University of Kansas Cancer Center is already a highly regarded cancer research and treatment program, more support is needed to secure NCI designation. The NCI designation would open doors to leading-edge clinical trials and special research funds only available to NCI designated centers.
The University of Kansas Hospital is the region's premier academic medical center, providing a full range of care. The hospital is affiliated with the University of Kansas Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health, and their various leading edge research projects. The constantly growing facility contains 539 staffed beds and serves more than 21,000 inpatients annually. The University of Kansas Hospital’s comprehensive heart program is ranked 35th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is housed in the state-of-the-art Center for Advanced Heart Care. The hospital's cancer services, part of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, are based in the region's largest outpatient cancer facility, now named the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion, located in Westwood, Kansas, 1 ½ miles from the main hospital. The Westwood Campus recently received its second consecutive Outstanding Achievement Award for patient care from the national Commission on Cancer. The hospital also houses the region's only burn center, only liver transplant program and the area's only nationally accredited Level I Trauma Center.