Dear Friends, 

We hope you are as excited as we are to welcome the holiday season! There is always something to be thankful for - and this holiday we are thankful for you!  

Patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Miami Transplant Institute have become the first in the nation to receive custom-made hospital gowns. All the way from the red carpet to our hospital hallways, fashion designer René Ruiz designed the gowns with our healthcare workers in mind. To date, 4,260 gowns have been delivered to Jackson Memorial. 

Special thanks this month also go out to our longtime supporter and former Jackson patient, James “Woody” Beckham and to the Woody Foundation. The Woody Foundation made its annual donation to benefit Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial in support of those living with spinal cord injuries. We thank Woody, his family, and the Woody Foundation for their incredible generosity.

We’d also like to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to support our inaugural Mind Your Health event, held on October 10 - World Mental Health Day. This event could not have been possible without our amazing sponsors. We thank you all for helping raise funds to support mental health awareness programs and initiatives at Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital.

Finally, we are counting down to Give Miami Day on November 18th! This year Give Miami Day celebrates its 10th year of raising funds for local non-profit organizations throughout our community. We ask you to choose Jackson Health Foundation as one of your charities of choice and donate on November 18th! Be on the look-out and follow us on social media for further details. Together, we can continue to make miracles happen and set another record breaking year.

Sincerely,
Charmaine Gatlin
Co-President & Chief Operating Officer
Flavia Llizo
Co-President & Chief Development Officer
America’s #1 Transplant Center,
Two Years In A Row
The Miami Transplant Institute
Miracles are made daily at the Miami Transplant Institute–an affiliation between Jackson Health System and UHealth—the University of Miami Health System. Since opening in 1970, the Miami Transplant Institute has been dedicated to offering patients the best possible surgical, medical, and rehabilitation care. Today, we are the top transplant center in the U.S., with our surgeons performing more than 700 procedures annually for patients from throughout the U.S. and abroad. Most importantly, our programs for both children and adults consistently rank among the nation’s best in terms of patient outcomes.

The Miami Transplant Institute offers life-saving transplant, support, and rehabilitation programs to children and adults facing organ failure—backed with the world-class resources of Jackson Health System and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

As one of the world’s leading transplant centers, MTI provides children and adults with compassionate, skilled, and experienced care you can trust. Request an Appointment or visit transplant.jacksonhealth.org for more information.
From The Red Carpet To Hospital Hallways: Miami Fashion Designer René Ruiz Designs Transplant Recovery Gowns
For more than two decades, Miami fashion designer René Ruiz has designed glamorous gowns that have been worn by celebrities and well-known public figures at red carpet events, galas, and runway shows. 

A few years ago, Ruiz began dedicating more time to philanthropy, giving back to the community that has helped grow his brand RENÉ BY RR. 

At a local charity event, Ruiz met Matthew Pinzur, chief marketing officer at Jackson Health System. The two discussed a collaboration that would allow Ruiz to use his fashion insight to create gowns of a different kind: custom-made hospital gowns for transplant patients recovering from complex surgeries.

Over the course of several months, Ruiz met with representatives from the Miami Transplant Institute, Jackson leadership, transplant nurses, and post-transplant patients. He learned about their experiences and listened to their recommendations on what it would take to transform a standard hospital gown into a more practical, comfortable gown for this patient population. 

Ruiz took all of these suggestions to the drawing board and started designing. The result: a denim-blue hospital gown with convenient button snaps and slits. The Miami Transplant Institute team welcomed the change, as did patients of all ages, saying the custom gowns – emblazoned with a JH for Jackson Health inside of Rene Ruiz’s signature red heart icon – are more comfortable and dignified than the standard hospital gown.

To date, 4,260 gowns have been delivered to Jackson Memorial. For now, the gowns are being used exclusively for post-transplant patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

“When I witnessed the first patient wearing my design, it was an amazing moment – one of the highlights of my life,” said Ruiz. “It’s been an amazing project for me, this is so fulfilling. What could be better?”

Give the gift of comfort by making a donation to the Miami Transplant Institute.
Donor Spotlight
The Woody Foundation
Every year, the Woody Foundation hosts an annual Lionfish Bash fishing tournament, where participants catch lionfish to raise money to benefit Jackson’s rehabilitation services. Last month, The Woody Foundation donated $21,000 to the Jackson Health Foundation to help fund the rehabilitation therapy programs that helped Woody regain his life.

Over the past decade, The Woody Foundation has donated $263,500 to the Jackson Health Foundation. We are so grateful to Woody and The Woody Foundation’s generosity and continued support of Jackson and our patients. For more information on Woody and The Woody Foundation, visit www.woodyfoundation.org.
On November 4th, Shop for Holtz Children’s Hospital at Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue invites you to shop for Holtz Children's Hospital on Thursday, November 4, from noon to 7 p.m. Join us at our Miami stores for a champagne toast at noon and shop the latest and greatest trends.
 
Jewelry on 1 | Saks Dadeland
Jewelry on 1 | Saks Bal Harbour
Ladies' Shoes on 2 | Saks Brickell City Center
 
Saks Fifth Avenue is proud to donate 10%* of event sales to benefit Holtz Children's Hospital and Jackson Health Foundation. For more information contact Gradon Hadaway at gradon.hadaway@jhfmiami.org.

Must RSVP to receive an exclusive bar code to present when shopping.
Give Miami Day
November 18, 2021
Mark your calendars. On Thursday, November 18, our community will celebrate the 10th anniversary​ of Give Miami Day - a 24-hour fundraising event benefiting non-profit organizations throughout South Florida. 

As we kick-off the season of gratitude, everyone is invited to support their favorite charity and we hope you’ll make a gift in support of the Jackson Health Foundation. Your gift will be matched during key giving hours by The Miami Foundation and provide invaluable support to the areas of greatest need within our health system. Gifts like yours help us support Jackson’s mission of providing one standard of quality care to every Miami-Dade resident, regardless of their ability to pay. 

Do you want to learn more about Jackson Health Foundation and Give Miami Day? Contact Alexandra Salcedo at alexandra.salcedo@jhfmiami.org. For more information, visit givemiamiday.com/JACKSONHEALTHFOUNDATION.
Thank You for Supporting Our Inaugural
"Mind Your Health" Event
Thank you to the hundreds of community members who participated and helped raise funds for the Jackson Health Foundation’s inaugural “Mind Your Health," aimed at creating awareness for mental health and well-being. Together, we raised $240,000 in support of Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital.
 
We would like to especially thank our wonderful sponsors our presenting sponsor, Florida Power & Light; silver sponsor, AARP Florida, event sponsors, The Warrior Flow Foundation and University of Miami Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; educational sponsor, AvMed Health; and community partners, including the Agape Network, Citrus Health Network, Inc., Health Foundation of South Florida, LaCroix, NAMI Miami-Dade, Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Community Health South Florida, Roger’s Behavioral Health, and the Miami Dade County Police Department. Our media partners including WSVN 7 News, The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, Univision 23 and Univision Radio. We look forward to Mind Your Health 2022!
Heroes Support Fund
In an effort to say “Thank You” for a job well done an anonymous donor has generously established the “Heroes Support Fund”. Through this fund, breakfast meals will be provided to frontline staff at Jackson Health and UHealth hospital facilities. To date, more than 1,000 meals have been donated.
Amazon Wish List & Toy Drive
Did you know that you can send a gift to the children at Holtz by visiting Amazon? Our Amazon gift registry is especially for the Child Life department serving children at Holtz. Toys and gifts help our pediatric patients enormously while they are in the hospital, especially since COVID restrictions have limited their ability to visit our playrooms. You too can order a gift directly from Amazon and have it shipped straight to Holtz. Check it out at https://amzn.to/3Cp9XNV.