{"id":451048,"date":"2021-03-04T11:45:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T16:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=451048"},"modified":"2021-03-04T11:45:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-04T16:45:36","slug":"ballad-health-launches-new-niswonger-childrens-network-reinforces-world-class-healthcare-and-well-being-for-women-and-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/ballad-health-launches-new-niswonger-childrens-network-reinforces-world-class-healthcare-and-well-being-for-women-and-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballad Health launches new Niswonger Children\u2019s Network, reinforces world-class healthcare and well-being for women and children"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nDraws record philanthropy and includes nearly $60 million of investment into services throughout Appalachian Highlands
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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn., March 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Demonstrating the vision of an integrated and regionally coordinated system of healthcare, and underscoring the focus on hope and ambition for our youngest people as we climb out of the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Ballad Health today unveiled a massive philanthropic investment into its comprehensive, regional system of care that, combined with Ballad Health\u2019s investment, represents a nearly $60 million commitment to children, families and the future of the Appalachian Highlands.<\/p>\n

The Ballad Health Niswonger Children\u2019s Network, announced at a press conference on Thursday, March 4, is a regional system of healthcare and community services marking a new phase in high standards of care and well-being for children, regardless of where they live, across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201cBallad Health is a regional resource for our families and children,\u201d said Ballad Health Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Levine. \u201cOur board of directors, physicians and team members strive to meet the needs of communities all over the region, and those needs are met inside and outside the walls of hospitals. Our goal is to meet these needs even before a baby is born, and to be the family\u2019s resource all the way through childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies from throughout the region have always considered Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital \u2018their hospital.\u2019 With the new Niswonger Children\u2019s Network, we are creating a pathway for access to the same high-quality care and resources across the entire Appalachian Highlands,\u201d said Lisa Carter, chief executive officer of Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital and Ballad Health\u2019s vice president of pediatric and women\u2019s services. \u201cIf you see that a service is a part of this network, then you know there is a high-quality partnership in place designed to provide the best standard of care worthy of the Niswonger brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are leaning forward to meet families where they are and to try to help tackle some of the problems that threaten the future of families. We want the more than 1 million people in our region to know that the Ballad Health Niswonger Children\u2019s Network is a blend of services and programs designed to help our entire region thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we seek to strengthen our region economically, there are two things we know families need \u2013 excellent schools and world-class healthcare,\u201d Levine added. \u201cThis investment underscores that the Appalachian Highlands has both.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Major philanthropic announcement<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

The creation of the Niswonger Children\u2019s network is an investment of nearly $60 million throughout the region. Recognizing the importance of community investment in pediatric health, the health system plans to secure at least $17 million toward these initiatives through gifts to Ballad Health Foundation.<\/p>\n

The foundation has already secured $9 million that will support the creation of the network, including a pace-setting gift of $7 million from the J.D. Nicewonder family. The Nicewonder family\u2019s gift is the second-largest single investment into the region\u2019s children\u2019s hospital.<\/p>\n

Adding to their recent investment creating the J.D. Nicewonder Family Pediatric Emergency Department in Bristol, Tennessee, the family announced today a $7 million commitment toward the Niswonger Children\u2019s Network and the creation of two regional centers for pediatrics \u2013 a Center for Perinatal and Neonatal Care and a Center for Pediatric Specialties, both located at Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital. The Nicewonder family announced their commitment, the first major gift they\u2019ve made in the health system outside of Bristol, because of their belief in the strength of the Ballad Health vision for regional economic and family health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe passionately believe that the Ballad Health Niswonger Children\u2019s Network is a vehicle for positive development of our children at their most vulnerable times,\u201d said Carolyn Nicewonder Beverly, a member of the Nicewonder family. \u201cWe have always invested in our hospital in Bristol, but now, Ballad Health has created something bigger, better and more focused on helping children throughout the region. We love this and want to be a part of it. We hope others will, too!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nicewonder family encouraged others to consider becoming a part of the effort. \u201cWe were touched to learn that, in the past, during the Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital Radiothon, small children would bring the money they saved throughout the year to support other children who needed the help,\u201d Nicewonder Beverly added. \u201cThose dollars are being used to help children, and we know this is something everyone can get behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

In combination with this commitment by the Nicewonder family, the Ballad Health board of directors considered the thoughtful work of the Kingsport Visioning Committee, which was assembled by the Ballad Health board in late 2019 for the purpose of providing community input into the future of services for the region. The result of that effort helped lead to a suite of new ideas for the creation of an integrated network of services for women and children that are integrated throughout the region and include a major restructuring of Ballad Health\u2019s assets in Kingsport.<\/p>\n

Ballad Health\u2019s investment of nearly $60 million includes a combination of Ballad Health capital resources, gifts from the Nicewonder family and others, as well as Ballad Health Foundation\u2019s ongoing fundraising activities on behalf of Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital and Network.<\/p>\n

\n Effort applauded by governors and healthcare leaders of Tennessee and Virginia<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s announcement drew widespread praise from the highest levels of Tennessee and Virginia government.<\/p>\n

\n Tennessee Governor Bill Lee:<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Governor of Tennessee, I am committed to investing in our state\u2019s rural communities and strengthening Tennessee families. Today, we celebrate and support the Niswonger Children\u2019s Network, which will bring care to the youngest Tennesseans of this region,\u201d said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. \u201cThe investments announced today by Ballad Health, paired with the generous contribution of $7 million from the J.D. Nicewonder family, amounts to tens of millions of dollars that will provide important support for mothers, children in need and high-risk newborns in our state. These gifts speak to the work of the Ballad Health team, the special nature of Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital and now, the Niswonger Children\u2019s Network.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Virginia Governor Ralph Northam:<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201c<\/b>As a pediatric neurologist, I know how important it is for families to have access to the best care possible, no matter where they live,\u201d said Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. \u201cToday\u2019s announcement by Ballad Health will advance the health and well-being of children and families throughout the Appalachian Highlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could not be prouder that fellow Virginians, the J.D. Nicewonder family, stepped forward to pledge $7 million to support this great initiative, which spans across both state and county lines. The Niswonger Children\u2019s Network is not only about improving hospital and specialty care, it\u2019s about helping kids thrive. For example, with the support of Ballad Health, children and families in Southwest Virginia will benefit from Ballad Health\u2019s investment today in Virginia Kids Belong. Ballad Health Foundation and Niswonger Children\u2019s Network are transforming the health of our communities and creating brighter futures for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey:<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in rural Tennessee and trained to become a doctor at East Tennessee State University, and my passion is serving as a pediatrician. My children were born in Northeast Tennessee, where they were served by the Perinatal Center at Johnson City Medical Center. So, today\u2019s announcement of tens of millions of dollars of investment into the region\u2019s services for women and babies \u2013 an investment that will benefit every family in the region \u2013 hits home for me, as a mother, as a physician and as someone who is charged to improve the health of all Tennesseans,\u201d said Dr. Lisa Piercey, the Tennessee Commissioner of Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of all Tennesseans, I want to thank the J.D. Nicewonder family from Virginia for their extremely generous gift to Ballad Health \u2013 a gift they gave because of their confidence in the vision of Ballad Health and the Niswonger Children\u2019s Network. The measure of any region can be determined by two things: how they educate their children and how they care for their mothers and children. Today is evidence that Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia can measure up to any community in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Daniel Carey:<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

\u201cAs secretary, I know how important it is to focus on the health and well-being of our children,\u201d said Daniel Carey, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources. \u201cFor many years, I served as a physician in Lynchburg, and during my time there, I witnessed how important access to high-quality healthcare is to our rural communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies should not have to travel hundreds of miles just so their children can receive the care they need and deserve. Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital has long been an advocate for helping children who are ill \u2013 and their families \u2013 stay close to home, school and friends. Today\u2019s announcement about the formation of the Ballad Health Niswonger Children\u2019s Network will expand this promise, bringing more care closer to families who need them most.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n East Tennessee State University President Dr. Brian Noland:<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

\u201cEast Tennessee State University and ETSU Health consider our partnership with Ballad Health to be among the most important things we do in our service to the region,\u201d said Dr. Brian Noland, President of ETSU. \u201cToday\u2019s combination of announcements and the forthcoming additional details being released over the next few days underscore the importance of our combined efforts to understand the causes of poor physical and mental health and address those causes so children can live out their dreams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is truly a part of our academic mission. Healthy children learn better. They thrive more. And they have the best chance to become 18-year-olds who are college- or career-ready. Ultimately, that\u2019s what this is about. It\u2019s about having the resilience and the patience to identify the best pathway for our children and to create the conditions where they can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Scott Niswonger:<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

\u201cHow we support our mothers and children is a strong indicator of our region\u2019s worth,\u201d said Scott Niswonger, whose initial $10 million contribution created Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cI deeply appreciate the Nicewonder family and all those who have contributed to ensuring children can realize a successful and productive future. Today\u2019s announcement raises awareness that the well-being of children doesn\u2019t start when they get sick. It requires a sustained and comprehensive effort. I believe this project signals to everyone that the Appalachian Highlands has its priorities in order.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n New initiatives for the region<\/b>\n <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s announcement underscores many services provided by the Niswonger Children\u2019s Network, including but not limited to<\/i>:<\/p>\n