Supporting the OSU Medical Center Mission Through Philanthropy and Investment
Jones Gift to Fund New Park
With her $2-million pledge to Ohio State, Phyllis A. Jones is making good on a promise she made to her late husband Clayton K. Jones.
Mrs. Jones, former president and chief executive officer of Fiesta Salons, pledged the gift to create the Jones Legacy Park (name pending approval) in honor of Mr. Jones, who was among the first patients treated for lung cancer at The James when it opened in 1990.
As he lay in his hospital bed, Mr. Jones told his wife, "You take care of The James, honey. They've taken care of me."
"I've never forgotten that," recalls Mrs. Jones.
The garden will be located on the west lawn in front of the new Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute now under construction and scheduled for completion in 2014.
Ingrams Advance Autism Research
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) research took a leap forward recently when Bill Ingram, CEO of White Castle System, Inc., and his wife, Marci Ingram, pledged $10 million to The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital to support collaborative ASD research.
The Marci and Bill Ingram Research Fund for Autism Spectrum Disorders, managed jointly by Ohio State and Nationwide Children's Hospital, will be used to provide grants to researchers from both organizations, beginning later this year.
"We know personally the challenges that parents and children with autism face," says Marci Ingram. "We want to support research advancements and create a resource for families working through an autism diagnosis and the challenges it brings."
Marci and Bill Ingram
Ohio State Wins $100-Million Grant for Construction Project
The United States Health Resources Administration announced on December 29 the awarding of $100 million in federal funds to support the new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Medical Center Expansion at Ohio State.
The funds will improve access to cancer services for all Ohioans by allowing the addition of radiation oncology and associated services to the project. Slated to open in 2014, the overall project is the largest in University history and is centered on an innovative care model that integrates patient care, teaching and research on each floor of the new cancer hospital and adjacent critical care center.
Ohio State's application for this competitive grant was selected for funding from among 27 eligible institutions.
City Tax Incentives to Fund Neighborhood Revitalization
Columbus City Council has granted OSU Medical Center $35 million in tax rebates over a 15-year period to encourage job creation and retention, and to fund a Near East Side neighborhood revitalization project in which Ohio State is a key partner.
The city will rebate 30 percent of the income taxes that nearly 6,000 new employees will pay when employed by the new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Medical Center Expansion, scheduled for completion in 2014. University leaders have, in turn, agreed to invest $10 million of the rebate funds in projects to improve housing and residents' health in the neighborhoods around University Hospital East.
Projects under consideration include targeted housing investments, down payment assistance and an initiative with neighborhood churches to promote healthy lifestyles.
Stories on this page were written by Jane Carroll, Latina Duffy, Eileen Scahill and Ron Shaull.