DALLAS, Jan 27, 2022 — Children’s Health℠, one of the largest and most prestigious pediatric health care providers in the country and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, announces a $7.5 million donation from Bright Industries to help provide ongoing care for children in the Plano community and beyond.
In recognition of this generous donation, Children’s Health will name the new emergency department, currently under construction at Children’s Medical Center Plano, with the Bright name. This is the largest philanthropic gift in the Plano hospital’s history and one of the largest donations made in Collin County.
Groundbreaking for the Children’s Medical Center Plano campus expansion took place in October 2021 and is expected to be complete by early 2024. The new emergency department will be relocated to provide increased space and state-of-the-art equipment and resources critical to the hospital’s Level IV Trauma Center to serve the growing pediatric population in this region. It will also include dedicated behavioral health treatment rooms.
“Children’s Health is, and has been, a tremendous contributor to the Dallas/Fort Worth community for more years than I can remember,” said Chris Bright. “Their devotion to serving and protecting our youngest and most vulnerable has inspired the Bright family’s admiration for most of our lives. Bum Bright was honored to serve on their board for many years, and the Bright family is equally honored to be able to participate in helping Children’s Health in their continued growth and service to this area with their amazing plans for their Plano facility. Thank you for what you do.”
Bright Industries has a long history of philanthropic support within the community beginning with patriarch H.R. “Bum” Bright, former owner of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas businessman and philanthropist. In 1999, Bum donated $3 million to Children’s Health, naming the Bright Building located across from Children’s Medical Center Dallas to serve children with significant social needs. His philanthropic spirit was instilled in his sons, Clay and Chris Bright, who have also imparted this philosophy of giving to their children.
When Clay Bright passed away from cancer in 2020, the Bright family wanted to honor his legacy of generosity with their gift to Children’s Health by helping others in the nearby Castle Hills community they helped develop.
“As the North Texas region grows, we are continuing to advance the pediatric health of our community. The significant expansion of Children’s Medical Center Plano will enable us to provide increased capacity and access to children and their families where and when they need it – close to home – for countless years to come,” said Chris Durovich, president and CEO of Children’s Health. “Through their years of giving across many generations, the Bright family has been alongside us supporting the needs of patients and families. We are extremely grateful for their generous gift to our Plano campus expansion and for their continuing commitment to helping us deliver outstanding pediatric care in North Texas.”
Expansion plans for the Plano campus also include a new 395,000-square-foot tower to house expanded specialty care programs, such as cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, orthopedics and neurology, among others. The new tower, which will nearly double the size of the hospital facility, will increase the total number of available beds from 72 to 240.
Ancillary services at Children’s Medical Center Plano, such as pharmacy, lab and imaging, will also expand to serve the added beds. Additional operating room space will be incorporated into the building plans and a new parking structure will be built to accommodate more patient families and visitors.
“As a nonprofit hospital system for kids, philanthropic support is critical to ensure we’re ready to meet the wide-ranging needs of our community’s growing pediatric population,” said Brent Christopher, president of Children’s Medical Center Foundation. “The generosity of Bright Industries, building upon the long legacy of the family’s support to Children’s Health, will have a big impact as we make life better for kids now and for decades ahead.”
