Intermountain Foundation has announced a historic $150 million commitment from Felicia and Ben Horowitz to expand the nation’s model health system for children.
Felicia Horowitz, president of the Horowitz Family Foundation and co-founder and president of The Paid in Full Foundation, and her husband, Ben Horowitz, co-founder and general partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), have long invested in people and ideas with the potential to create lasting change.
This is one of the largest gifts made to a children’s hospital system in the United States and comes at a critical moment as families still face significant barriers to specialized pediatric care. This new commitment will help bring leading providers, specialized care, advanced research, and greater access across Intermountain’s service area.
An investment with a broader vision for children’s health
The $150 million commitment is dedicated to building a new future for children and families. At the same time, it represents what Intermountain Health called an important step in its much larger vision: building the nation’s model health system for children that connects expertise, innovation, research, and care across the communities and states it serves.
As Intermountain Health strengthens children’s health, investments in one community can contribute to a larger culture of learning and innovation. The expertise recruited, programs developed, research advanced, and lessons learned can strengthen an increasingly connected approach to children’s health across the region and nation. The gift is rooted in Nevada, but the future it accelerates belongs to children across Intermountain Health, it said.
This gift is also part of the Intermountain Health Campaign for Kids, focused on creating the nation’s model health system for children. Through philanthropy, advocacy and community involvement, the campaign gives everyone a role in advancing what is possible for children and families.
“This extraordinary endorsement is profound in its reach. It will change the lives of children, carry families through some of life’s hardest moments, and inspire the caregivers who dedicate themselves to serving them,” said David Flood, chief development officer of Intermountain Health and president of Intermountain Foundation, in a release. “Intermountain has cared for children for more than 100 years, and Felicia and Ben’s generosity is a cornerstone as we expand our vision to be the nation’s model health system for children. With their support, we will recruit exceptional talent, grow specialized programs, and advance research that strengthens care for children. Just as importantly, their leadership shows what’s possible when a community comes together for its children, and it invites everyone to be part of what comes next.”
Building the nation’s model health system for children
Flood said that “children’s health is not confined to the walls of a children’s hospital. It begins in communities, clinics and primary care offices, and extends through specialty and complex care. Intermountain Health’s broader vision is to connect those pieces so children can benefit from exceptional care and expertise throughout their lives.”
The investment adds another powerful component to that vision, he said, building on nationally recognized pediatric specialty care at Primary Children’s Hospitals in Utah and expanding pediatric services in Billings, Montana. A new children’s hospital in Las Vegas will create opportunities to extend the nation’s model health system for children to more families across the nation who need exceptional care for complex illnesses.
“Together, these investments demonstrate what can happen when communities see themselves not simply as beneficiaries of healthcare, but as partners in shaping what healthcare can become,” the release said.
