Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital CEO talks about ‘transformational’ gift

It was a meeting unlike any other for Matt Schaefer.

Schaefer, the president and CEO of Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, recalls meeting the legendary entertainer several weeks ago, ahead of the big announcement of the hospital’s new name. The facility had been known as East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, but the Knoxville hospital now has a much more recognizable name as part of a new partnership with the global star.

“It's a bit of a surreal moment,” Schaefer tells Chief Healthcare Executive®.

While admitting to some anxiety ahead of the meeting, he says Parton exhibited her keen sense of humor and “incredibly disarming personality.”

“It was truly humbling, and to hear her, in her own words, talk about the importance of this to her, to her community, to this organization, and to children, was super affirming,” he says.

The hospital announced the partnership with Parton and its new branding last month.

Schaefer stresses the partnership goes beyond the new name for the hospital.

In an interview last week, Schaefer outlined the plans to expand services for children in eastern Tennessee. He also talked about the hopes to recruit more clinicians, build on fundraising, and invest in people, programs, and technology for the pediatric hospital.

“I think anytime you have someone of her stature, someone of her standing, certainly in this region, across the United States, across the world, honestly, and to have the halo effect of everything she stood for in her life, including her love for children in particular, it just is fantastic for the future of our mission,” he says.

‘Lifeline for this mission’

The hospital hasn’t released the size of Parton’s contribution, and Schaefer politely deferred when asked about a dollar figure.

But he says Parton’s contribution will make a substantial difference for the hospital and the community.

“What I can tell you is that she has made a generational and transformational commitment to Children's and its mission, and that commitment is something that goes beyond our wildest expectations, that is beyond generous, and will be a lifeline for this mission for now and for years to come. And we're excited about and humbled by her willingness to do so,” he says.

The hospital has served eastern Tennessee for nearly 90 years, and Schaefer says the organization has strived to keep kids healthy and take care of them when they’re sick.

Now, the hospital will be able to do much more.

Dolly Parton’s name and backing “allows us to do is to tell a broader story about the depth and breadth of services here, to imagine how we can continue to expand those services, and it accelerates how we should think about what our responsibility is to the patients and families that trust us today and invariably will trust us tomorrow,” Schaefer says.

The partnership “positions this organization and the community around us in a really enviable and exciting place,” he says.

The hospital is going to be able to offer more services for patients, and Schaefer says he’s anxious to provide better care in some areas.

“There are a number of services that we need to continue to grow,” Schaefer says.

“Children and families don't need to leave this community for high quality care,” he continues. “Some of those fall in the neuroscience space, particularly around epilepsy. There's a depth and breadth of services relative to pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric ENT in particular, that we don't have the capacity that we need to care for this community in the broadest sense possible.”

Accelerating initiatives

With the gift, the hospital will be investing in “a little bit of everything,” Schaefer says.

The hospital is aiming to help train the next generation of physicians, he says, and hopes to move forward with a pediatric residency training program this year.

The organization is also investing more in technology, including telehealth capabilities to help reach more people. While Knoxville boasts a population of nearly 200,000 residents, plenty of rural communities aren’t far from the city’s limits.

The hospital is pursuing a level one children’s surgical verification through the American College of Surgeons, and a level four accreditation, the highest available, for the neonatal intensive care unit.

“What Dolly's partnership is allowing us to do, is to amplify and accelerate some of those initiatives in a way that we could not have done otherwise without that type of support and backing and awareness across the region, for providers, for clinicians, for patients, for families and for referring providers,” he says.

With more resources and recognition, the hospital is looking for more success in recruiting talented clinicians.

The hospital is already seeing more interest, he says.

“I believe that will continue to help us as we do things like residency recruitment and train pediatricians, as we recruit talent to this region, and I hope that's a big part of how Dolly coming alongside our mission helps us do more than we could have in any imaginable way,” he says.

Seeking a bigger audience

With Parton’s fame and reputation for charitable giving, the hospital is hoping to see a boost in contributions from other donors.

Philanthropy plays an important role in sustaining the hospital. About 60 percent of the hospital’s patients rely on Medicaid,

“Fundraising has and will continue to be a big part of ensuring that mission is exceeded to its fullest,” Schaefer says. “And there's no time like this opportunity to tell our story in a broader way, to have the halo effect of Dolly Parton and those who like to support what she supports. We're seeing some of the early fruits of that, and I believe we will continue to see that moving forward.”

“We believe that this opportunity, this relationship, this partnership, can help tell our story to a broader audience of people who want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” he says.

With the hospital now bearing Dolly Parton’s name and more resources, Schaefer says there is an “appropriate set of expectations.” He notes that her reputation is intricately linked with the ideas of service, compassion and excellence.

“I think that we feel pressure to live up to those expectations,” Schaefer says. “I'm proud of the work that Children's has done over its almost-90-year-history to be well-positioned. To imagine Dolly Parton coming alongside us, I think that that speaks well as to our history about some of those key values.

“But I would also say, as I've said to our team, however high the bar was yesterday, it's higher today,” he says. “And that is not, in any way, shape or form, a prideful way of talking. I think that's just an appropriate way of talking. And you know, if we're not reaching for something more and better for the patients and families we serve after this, then we're not honoring the confidence that has been placed in us.”