GREENVILLE, November 1, 2007 – BI-LO Charities and Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) held a special press event today (November 1) to announce a gift from BI-LO Charities to Greenville Hospital System Children’s Hospital in the amount of $2.5 million. This gift marks the largest donation to a single charity given by BI-LO Charities and also the largest gift received to date by Greenville Hospital System.

 

The gift will permanently fund vital psychosocial programs of the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Center (PHOC) within GHS Children’s Hospital. These programs include Child Life, chaplaincy, social work and psychological services, support groups and the center’s innovative school re-entry program. These programs combine to create the Whole Child concept, which enhances the basic medical services provided by the center. As a result of this generous gift, the PHOC will be renamed the BI-LO Charities Children’s Cancer Center.

 

One of the unifying areas of the Whole Child concept is Child Life. Child Life uses play, education and self-expression to help children and their families cope with medical treatments. This is achieved by reducing the stress that children face in a medical setting, which in turns enhances the healing process.

 

In remarks by Brian Hotarek, president and CEO of BI-LO and president of BI-LO Charities, Inc., the purpose of the partnership is to “support the families in the Upstate who face these serious health issues with their children. Until there is a cure for cancer and the Children’s Cancer Center is no longer needed, we will offer hope and comfort for the youngsters and their families to ensure they receive the best care possible.”

 

Tye Anthony, executive vice president of marketing for BI-LO serves as chairman of the BI-LO Charity Classic. “The money we raise significantly impacts all of the communities in which we operate, so we’re thrilled with the results of the Charity Classic,” he said in comments at the event. “Each year the needs of our neighbors increase so we try to step up our giving. The BI-LO Charities Children’s Cancer Center represents the largest single investment in the community that we have ever made.” Gifts of philanthropy help GHS provide value-added services, programs and facilities to the community that might not be available otherwise.

 

“We are thrilled and honored to receive funding of this magnitude from BI-LO, an organization like GHS which is committed to improving the health of the people in our communities,” said Mike Riordan, president and CEO of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center. “Their commitment is evidenced here today by this generous gift, and GHS is proud to partner with BI-LO to provide the highest quality care possible close to home.”

 

The BI-LO Charities Children’s Cancer Center is made up of a 14-bed inpatient unit and outpatient unit with clinical, research and educational components. The center provides comprehensive cancer services to infants, children and young adults living in upstate South Carolina, western North Carolina and northern Georgia. As a member of the international Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the center provides patients with access to the latest clinical trials for all childhood cancers. The center is also currently conducting innovative pediatric cancer research within the GHS Oncology Research Institute.

 

“We feel fortunate to be recognized by BI-LO for the excellent clinical care and family support services we offer our communities,” said Dr. Bill Schmidt, medical director of GHS Children’s Hospital. “These funds will ensure that as our population grows, we are able to continue to provide the quality care and support services our patients and families deserve.”

 

About BI-LO Charities
Since its inception in 1961, the BI-LO Charity Classic has raised over $40 million for nonprofit organizations in BI-LO's four-state operating area of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. The tournament reached an incredible milestone in 2006, raising a record $5.5 million and expanding its beneficiaries to more than 500 nonprofit organizations dedicated to hunger relief, educational opportunities and the health and well being of children. The 2007 tournament raised more than $5.6 million dollars for charity, another milestone. The tournament's built-in base of support from grocery vendors and other industry suppliers has made it the largest one-day benefit golf tournament in the United States.

 

About Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) Established nearly a century ago, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center is a not-for-profit academic health organization committed to medical excellence through research, education, clinical expertise and technological advancement. GHS is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO). With five campuses and 1,268 licensed beds, it is one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare providers in South Carolina.

 

GHS provides comprehensive healthcare through its flagship tertiary referral and education center (Greenville Memorial Hospital), two acute-care and one long-term-care hospitals, one short-stay surgical hospital, integrated children’s and women’s hospitals, nationally-recognized cottage-concept nursing home, outpatient facilities, wellness centers, community outreach programs and a Upstate-wide multi-specialty physician group. Affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina, GHS has an extensive medical education program that includes 11 residency/fellowship programs. GHS currently offers more than 500 clinical trials, including several first-in-nation cancer-treatment trials.