We are very fortunate to be headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, nearby the beautiful Smoky Mountains and home to several world class institutions, including East Tennessee’s Children Hospital. Since 1937, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital has been a beacon of hope in our community, treating tens of thousands of children each year in an environment that is tailored specifically for them. It’s a special and much-needed place that provides a wide-range of critical medical services with an abundance of care for their young patients.
We are grateful to partner with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital as it continues to set the standard for pediatric medical care in our region. In support, Pilot Company and the Haslam family have donated $5 million to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital to renovate the Emergency Department at the hospital’s main campus on Clinch Avenue in downtown Knoxville. The facility will be named Pilot Emergency Care Center, in honor of past, present and future Pilot Company team members and their families.
Expected to open next fall, the new emergency department will enhance the offerings and efficiency of this world-class children’s hospital through new technology, a new layout and better communication for the 60,000 patients and their families who visit the hospital’s emergency room each year. Dedicated trauma rooms and an expanded lobby will help to safely separate sick and injured patients while creating a comforting and inviting space for children. All exam, treatment and meeting areas will provide increased privacy for patients and their families. As more is learned about addressing behavioral health needs in children, the new Emergency Department will also include a dedicated behavioral health care section that will provide safe spaces, including sensory-sensitive rooms, for patients receiving treatment or awaiting inpatient placement.
“For decades, Children’s Hospital has been investing in ways to serve the Knoxville community, the East Tennessee region and beyond,” East Tennessee Children’s Hospital President and CEO Matt Schaefer said. “The reimagination of the Emergency Department is just another example of that. I am proud to be part of an organization that runs to where the need is, and humbled to have the backing of the Pilot Company and Haslam family in this effort. The children of this region and their families will be the beneficiaries of that generosity for years to come in the Pilot Emergency Care Center.”
We are grateful to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital for their continued dedication to providing outstanding care to children and striving to fulfill their vision of “leading the way to healthy children”. For more information about Children’s Hospital, visit www.etch.com, or to make a donation to support the facilities, services and care the hospital provides to families across the region, go to www.etch.com/ways-to-give/make-a-donation. To learn more about Pilot Company and our longstanding commitment to giving back, visit pilotcompany.com/about.
For two of our team members, the impact and importance of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital to the health of their families is truly priceless. These are just two examples of the many generations that East Tennessee Children’s Hospital has served and will continue to support for years to come.
In honor of our past, present and future Pilot Company team members, here are their touching stories:
Wendy’s Story
Everything about the birth of our son, Christopher was a surprise for us. After a 9-year battle with infertility, we received the greatest miracle of our life by finding out that we would have a child.
My pregnancy was normal and healthy until one morning a month before my due date I woke up in labor. The next day, Christopher was born but because he was a month early, he had underdeveloped lungs and could not breathe without medical intervention. We were able to hold Christopher no more than a minute before he moved into an oxygen tent. His oxygen levels did not improve so we had to move him to Children’s Hospital NICU. Christopher was born in a hospital 20 miles away from Children’s.
A specialized ambulance for NICU babies picked up Christopher and took him to the hospital from us. So many emotions flood new parents as you enter the NICU at Children’s Hospital. The nurses in the NICU were nothing short of amazing to our family. They loved on us big and while Christopher was far from being their most critical patient, they gave him and us the same love and attention that they gave all babies and their parents.
In 2009, the NICU at Children’s was very small and there was no area for the parents to stay with their babies. This meant we had to leave Christopher at the hospital during the evenings. While it was scary to leave him, we felt confident that he was safe with the doctors and nurses at Children’s.
Today, we choose to support Children’s Hospital, not only because they brought care to our family but because of what they do for East Tennessee. As a team member and a mom of a NICU baby, I am thankful to Pilot Company for their support of Children’s Hospital through past donations and this donation. I am proud to know that our company cares about children in East Tennessee so much that they would make this type of donation to support the critical needs of what I believe is one of the best Children’s hospitals in our Country.
I pray that this donation will further strengthen the ability of Children’s Hospital to provide care for all of our region’s children and to support and love on families as much as they supported and loved on my family.
Levi’s Story
Both of my boys were born with Hemophilia (a medical condition that severely reduces the ability of their blood to clot) which causes them to bleed and bruise severely from even the slightest of injuries. Because of my sons’ condition, my wife and I have spent 100’s of hours in and out of the Emergency room and in the care of Children’s Hospital. The care, support, and attention that my kids receive by Children’s Hospital is incredible and a true blessing.
As a team member of The Pilot Company, I was very excited to hear about the donation that they are making to Children’s Hospital. I am sure that this money will be put to good use and will go a long way in helping Children’s Hospital to continue their amazing work in supporting the families of East Tennessee and beyond. I am very grateful to work for a company that invests so much in their local communities, and I will always be grateful to Children’s Hospital for the help, support, and care that they continually give to my family.
To learn more about Pilot Company and its longstanding commitment to giving back, visit pilotcompany.com/about.
