Dolly Parton, the country music icon known for hits like “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” died Aug. 25 in Nashville, Tenn., at 80. Her family announced her death in a video statement from her nephew Bryan Seaver, who did not provide a cause of death.
Beyond her music and film career, Ms. Parton spent decades directing philanthropic dollars toward hospitals and medical research, much of it concentrated in her native East Tennessee and at Nashville-based Vanderbilt Health. Here are seven ways her giving left an imprint on healthcare.
1. A children’s hospital renamed in her honor. Knoxville, Tenn.-based East Tennessee Children’s Hospital was renamed Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital following a rebrand announced Feb. 26, a move its CEO said reflected a long-standing alignment between the entertainer’s legacy and the organization’s mission.
“She brings many of those same qualities, true care and genuine love for this community, for the people and for this region, and wanting children to have a happier and healthier future where they can imagine what life can look like,” Matt Schaefer, president and CEO of Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, told Becker’s in February.
“That’s part of what her legacy has been and how this union has come about,” he said.
2. A birthday gift that funded pediatric cancer research. To mark her 80th birthday in January, Ms. Parton released a new rendition of her 1976 song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire, with proceeds benefiting pediatric cancer research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville.
“I wrote ‘Light of A Clear Blue Morning’ during a season when I was searching for hope, and 50 years later that message still feels just as true,” Ms. Parton said in a Vanderbilt Health News release marking the anniversary.
3. A pharmacy robot that carries her name. Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health named three medication-dispensing robots at its Bristol (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center after Ms. Parton, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in a nod to Bristol’s country music history.
“With fewer touchpoints, these state-of-the-art robots will empower our team members to redirect their focus towards more clinical initiatives, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of patient care,” Trish Tanner, then vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Ballad, stated at the time.
4. A contribution to pediatric infectious disease research. Ms. Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2022, this time for pediatric infectious disease research, including work on antibiotic resistance and infections in children being treated for cancer.
“I love all children. No child should ever have to suffer, and I’m willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible,” Ms. Parton said in a June 15, 2022, Vanderbilt news release.
5. Funding that helped advance a COVID-19 vaccine. Ms. Parton gave $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in April 2020 to support the fight against COVID-19, in honor of her longtime friend Naji Abumrad, MD, a professor of surgery there. The gift helped fund research that contributed to the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Vanderbilt Health News release.
“What better time than right now, we need this. I felt like this was the time for me to open my heart and my hand, and try to help,” Ms. Parton said on NBC’s “Today” show at the time, according to the release.
“Dolly’s amazing generosity is a source of inspiration and will have a lasting impact on the battle against COVID-19,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in the release. “She cares so much about helping others and we are very grateful for her ongoing support. These funds will help us complete promising research that can benefit millions in their battle with the virus.”
Ms. Parton later received her own vaccine dose at Vanderbilt.
6. A donation tied to her niece’s cancer recovery. In 2017, Ms. Parton contributed $1 million to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. She made the gift in part because her niece, Hannah Dennison, had been successfully treated for leukemia at the hospital as a child.
7. A hometown hospital shaped by her giving. Ms. Parton also had deep ties to the hospital in Sevierville, Tenn., where she grew up. She helped raise $1 million for the LeConte Medical Center project through a 2007 benefit concert and matching pledges from Dollywood and her Dixie Stampede dinner theater.
The hospital, now part of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Covenant Health, opened in 2010 with the 30,000-square-foot Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services and later added the Dolly Parton Birthing Unit, a health system spokesperson told Becker’s.
Ms. Parton was also honorary chair of the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, supporting the hospital and Sevierville community.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
