Recently, Jessica Walsh, MD, (Rheumatology) received a three-year commitment of $150,000 from the Marriott Daughters Foundations. This gift is the continuation of a strong relationship with a grateful patient that began in 2012 who wanted to support Dr. Walsh’s innovative research.
Every day, we provide quality care to patients across the mountain west. Many patients are extremely grateful for the often lifesaving care they received. As they search for meaningful ways to give back to our organization, our faculty can facilitate a connection to supporting innovative research.
When they have the means patients, grateful patients often desire to have a direct impact in an area of research or patient care to:
- help others in similar situations
- continue fighting
- express gratitude to healthcare providers
- memorialize a love one
Whatever the reason, donations from grateful patients stem from personal experience.
When a patient or patient’s family member expresses interest in giving back, the physician has an organic opportunity to start a conversation about financial support. Wellbeing should always be at the heart of any physician-patient interaction, yet, it is important for physicians to know how to best direct the gracious offers that come from grateful patients.
The benefits of cultivating grateful patient relationships are tangible. Originally, in recognition of the quality care received from faculty in the Division of Rheumatology, the Marriott Daughters Foundation contributed $7,000 to Dr. Walsh’s spondyloarthritis (SpA) research. Through proper stewardship and continued quality care, the Division of Rheumatology, in conjunction with development office, has been able to increase that contribution to $50,000 per year.
Over the years, the Marriott Daughters Foundation has financially supported the creation and maintenance of research registries through their funding of a research coordinator. These registries have been the key for patient-centered research and have enabled the procurement of more than $1.2 million in additional funding for spondyloarthritis studies. This current gift will provide bioinformatics support as the research programs expand.
Philanthropy is an increasingly important resource for healthcare institutions, and donations from grateful patients, big or small, can have a significant impact on our success. When handled in a thoughtful and strategic way, helping grateful patients to realize their philanthropic goals is an endeavor that will change people’s lives for the better.
For more information about how you can cultivate grateful patient relationships, please contact Brian Davis brian.davis@hsc.utah.edu.