The nearly century-old East Tennessee Children’s Hospital will now be known as the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital. The institution is an independent, not-for-profit pediatric healthcare provider, certified as a Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Center and is state-certified.
“Being fortunate to have grown up in the mountains of East Tennessee, I learned early on what it means to take care of one another,” Parton said in a statement. “Every child deserves world-class care, wrapped in kindness and love. I’m so honored to stand alongside this hospital and do my part to help bring more hope, more comfort and more healing to children and families.”
The hospital opened in Knoxville in 1937 and serves as the region’s primary provider for pediatric services, according to a fact sheet a rep provided. The institution, which has had nonprofit status since 1952, treats infants, children, and teens “regardless of their race, religion, or ability to pay.” It employs more than 400 physicians and nearly 2,200 employees total, accounting for one of the largest employers in its region, and it reports an average of 435,000 patient encounters each year. It’s one of a few healthcare systems not tied to a hospital that also treats adults.
“This is more than a name change,” Matt Schaefer, President and CEO of Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital since 2020, said in a statement. “With Dolly’s support, we are strengthening our mission to deliver world-class pediatric care to families, ensuring every child who walks through our doors receives the treatment they deserve.”
In a video announcing why she chose to put her name on the hospital, Parton encouraged people to visit the hospital’s website, which has a link for donations, to support it. “I hope that you’ll join me in supporting this work,” she said. “I can’t do it all myself, I’m going to need you, so when we come together for our children, there’s no limit to what we can do.”
The amount of Parton’s investment in the hospital for the naming rights was not disclosed at the time of publication. When asked, Adam Cook, chief development and public affairs officer, told Rolling Stone: “This collaboration with Dolly will transform pediatric care for patients and families in this region for generations to come. That’s invaluable. We are so excited to be Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.”
Parton, who is 80 and does not have children of her own, has long committed herself to children’s wellbeing and happiness. In 1988, she launched the Dollywood Foundation “to inspire the children in her home county to achieve educational success,” according to its website. In 1995, she founded the Imagination Library, which provides children in East Tennessee with books. In 2016, she wrote a children’s book, Coat of Many Colors, and the next year, she released a children’s album, I Believe in You.
