Wolfson Children’s Hospital has received a $5.5 million grant from the Terry Family Foundation to support major pediatric cardiac and emergency care initiatives.
Wolfson’s parent, Baptist Health, matched a portion of the grant at 150%, for a total impact of $10 million.
The grant is the Jacksonville-based philanthropy’s largest investment in Northeast Florida since its $2.5 million donation to Sulzbacher in 2024. The foundation was started in 1982 by philanthropists C. Herman Terry and his wife Mary Virginia Terry.
The gift will support technology and equipment upgrades within Wolfson’s C. Herman & Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute — so named because of another Terry donation — and development of the new Children’s Emergency Center.
“The Terry Family Foundation is proud to support Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Baptist Health,” foundation President Betsy Cox said. “Our community is fortunate to have a children’s hospital so committed to advancing care and providing the highest level of services. We are delighted that our grant will benefit children and families across our community for years to come.”
The advanced equipment and technology for the heart institute will “support highly specialized cardiovascular care for children and adults with congenital heart disease,” Wolfson said. “These enhancements will strengthen clinical capabilities, support innovation in cardiac care and help ensure patients throughout the region continue to have access to advanced treatment close to home.”
The new emergency center is part of Baptist’s expansion in the future McGehee Family Tower. The $190 million four-story emergency and patient tower is being built at the health system’s main Southbank campus, which currently houses Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
The new center will include 37 pediatric treatment rooms, dedicated behavioral health beds and expanded trauma capacity at Wolfson, which has the region’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center.
“We are deeply grateful for the Terry Family Foundation’s extraordinary generosity and trust in our mission,” Wolfson President Allegra Jaros said. “The Terry family has believed in the importance of ensuring children in our community have access to exceptional pediatric care close to home.”
The foundation’s ongoing support, she said, “reflects a shared commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our growing region.”
C. Herman Terry, who was president and chairman of the Dependable Insurance Group, died in 1998, followed by his wife in 2022. They were longtime supporters of Baptist, helping establish the Baptist Health Foundation in 1985, and of Wolfson. In addition to the heart institute, they established the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Asthma Endowment and the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower.
To commemorate the Terrys’ support, a welcome area outside the Borowy Tower was named the Terry Family Foundation Plaza. Also, the future lobby within the new Children’s Emergency Center will be named in honor of the Terry Family Foundation.
bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville philanthropy donates $5.5M to Wolfson Children’s Hospital
Reporting by Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
