Story by: Norton Children’s on February 20, 2020
Jennifer Lawrence has given back to her hometown by serving as a donor and ambassador for children in the areas of health care and arts. Her donation of $2 million and challenge to other donors to contribute resulted in over $4 million being raised through the Children’s Hospital Foundation to establish the Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Norton Children’s Hospital.
As the second facility in the world to successfully transplant a neonatal heart, Norton Children’s Hospital has been a leader in advancing care and innovation for heart patients for more than 30 years. Now, approximately 7,500 children a year visit the Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the University of Louisville, for specialized heart care. The center performs more than 17,000 procedures annually that include open heart surgeries, catheterizations, electrophysiology and noninvasive tests such as echocardiograms. Norton Children’s Hospital is one of 60 pediatric centers performing heart transplants in North America. The hospital’s heart transplant program volumes and clinical outcomes are better than or equal to other similar size programs in North America.
The new Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) features 17 private rooms dedicated to children recovering from heart procedures, open heart surgery including heart transplant, heart failure and other conditions requiring intensive care. This unit was made possible with the support provided to the Children’s Hospital Foundation by Jennifer and her family, as well as a multitude of others, and is expected to further improve the care we can provide to children and their families.
In light of her contributions, Jennifer has been named Young Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Louisville Chapter.
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“For the past several years, Jennifer and her family have visited patients at Norton Children’s Hospital and have gotten behind our mission,” said Lynnie Meyer, Ed.D., R.N., CFRE, senior vice president and chief development officer, Norton Healthcare. “Her initial gift of $2 million was a catalyst for getting this program truly off the ground.
“We now have the last piece in place to take pediatric heart care to the next level. We are so grateful for her support and for taking time to understand the importance of Norton Children’s Heart Institute to children and families throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.”
Jennifer also has been a major donor to the Fund for the Arts since 2016.
Her involvement at both Norton Children’s Hospital and the Fund for the Arts has helped elevate the national reputation of these two great institutions. Her philanthropic gifts and personal involvement support and advance the unique missions of two organizations in our region and have a profound impact on our ability to advance initiatives that directly benefit children.