Baylor Receives $20 Million Gift to Benefit Transplant Institute

DALLAS, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Baylor Health Care System Foundation announces that Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons have pledged $20 million to benefit transplantation initiatives within Baylor Health Care System. In recognition of this transformational gift, Baylor will rename the institute the Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute.

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"Because of our personal experience with transplantation, we knew we wanted to give others the same opportunity to have a future," said Mr. Simmons. "We believe this gift will enable Baylor to make our vision a reality, by advancing transplant science and creating one of the finest transplant institutes in the nation."

"This generous gift will help us continue to provide life-changing treatments for transplant patients and conduct leading-edge clinical research that will further advance knowledge in the field of transplantation," said Joel Allison, president and chief executive officer of Baylor Health Care System. "Baylor Health Care System is most grateful for the generosity of the Simmons family that will provide us the opportunity to impact our patients' quality of life."

Goran Klintmalm, M.D., Ph.D., has led the Simmons Transplant Institute as its chairman since it began in 1984. Since then, Dr. Klintmalm and his colleagues have performed more than 8,000 solid organ transplants. This includes more than 3,400 liver and more than 2,900 kidney transplants, making Baylor one of the largest multi-specialty transplant centers in the world.

Members of Baylor's transplant staff have published nearly 1,000 articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored the premier textbook on liver transplantation. Research conducted at the Simmons Transplant Institute has helped produce medication used as standard therapy internationally. And, 35 transplant fellows have been trained there; some of whom now lead major transplant programs around the world.

"This tremendous gift is an investment in the future of this institute and will help us continue to reach new heights in research, medical education and academic contributions on behalf of our patients," said Dr. Klintmalm. "This gift will allow us to increase our research infrastructure, support scholarly and academic initiatives, expand our transplant fellowship programs, and anchor our transplant leadership for the future."

Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons are among the nation's foremost philanthropists, and their support of Baylor will help transform the transplant institute.

"We are grateful beyond words for the incredible support we have been given by the Simmons family," said Rowland K. Robinson, president of the Foundation. "This gift is truly extraordinary, and we are excited about the plans Baylor has for the institute's future."

Harold C. Simmons is the son of rural schoolteachers from Golden, Texas, and a self-made billionaire. After he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The University of Texas at Austin in 1952, he worked first for the federal government and then for a Dallas-based bank. When he was in his late 20s, he borrowed money to buy a small drugstore, using his savings for a down payment. Within 10 years, he had built a statewide drugstore chain worth more than $50 million, which he sold in 1973.

It was at that point that he began his career as an investor. He has thrived as a brilliant and creative financier and controls numerous companies, including five corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Annette C. Simmons, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, has served numerous civic organizations, including on the boards of the National Kidney Foundation of Texas, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and The Crystal Charity Ball. Her community involvement has earned her several awards, including The Crystal Charity Ball Hall of Fame Award in 1997 and the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance's Champ Award in 2003. She and Harold received the Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award in 2000.

ABOUT BAYLOR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Baylor Health Care System is a faith-based, not-for-profit health care provider serving over 2.5 million patients through its network of 261 access points. Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, a major research and teaching facility for the Southwest, anchors the Baylor network which includes a total of 26 hospitals. Patient-centered medical research is conducted at the Baylor Research Institute and fundraising to support the System's mission is led by Baylor Health Care System Foundation.

Baylor employs more than 20,000, making it the third largest private-sector employer in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. More than 4,500 physicians comprise the current medical staff. For fiscal year 2010, Baylor recorded $4.4 billion in total assets and $514 million in community benefit.

Known for its quality initiatives, Baylor became the first health care system in the state of Texas to receive the National Quality Healthcare Award from the National Quality Forum. Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas has been named in US News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" guide for 17 consecutive years and has the highest patient satisfaction ratings of any teaching hospital in the country according to Consumer Reports. For more information, visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.

ABOUT BAYLOR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FOUNDATION

Baylor Health Care System Foundation, a separately incorporated not-for-profit organization, raises and manages charitable funds to support Baylor Health Care System's mission of providing exemplary health care, education, research and community service. Since the foundation was established in 1978, it has distributed more than $362 million to Baylor Health Care System. Support comes from more than 8,000 active donors, including individuals, corporations and other private foundations. For more information about Baylor Health Care System Foundation, visit the Foundation's new website at http://www.BaylorHealth.com/Give.

SOURCE Baylor Health Care System Foundation