Chioma Deere, Esq., a Florida attorney and member of the Philanthropy Committee at Palm Health Foundation, is passionate about helping individuals and families leave a legacy of health and wellbeing through strategic philanthropy. As the founder of The Deere Law Firm in West Palm Beach, she assists clients with estate planning, probate, and charitable giving. Deere-Law.com
Hospital Conversion Foundations are Connected to Community Needs
December 20, 2024
Article written for the Estate Planning Council's annual Estate Planning Supplement by Palm Health Foundation Philanthropy Committee member Chioma Deere, Esq.
Hospital conversion foundations are unique and powerful forces in advancing community health. These charitable organizations are born when non-profit hospitals are sold and converted to for-profit entities. A foundation is then established from the proceeds of the sale or “conversion.”
Because of their history in healthcare, these organizations are deeply rooted in the community, and therefore in touch with our neighbors’ most pressing health needs. Though these foundations carry forward the charitable missions of the original hospitals, they are nimbly positioned to respond to the ever-changing health landscape and can connect donors to the health causes closest to their hearts.
Rooted in Community
Hospital conversion foundations are deeply embedded in the fabric of the communities they serve. Unlike national health organizations, these foundations focus on hyper-local health needs and can partner with residents, philanthropists, institutions, and fellow nonprofits to drive innovative solutions to the biggest health challenges that communities face.
This deep connection to the community is something I relate to as an attorney dedicated to serving our Palm Beach County neighbors. I work with families daily to ensure that they are protected in as many ways as possible. By partnering with Palm Health Foundation, a local hospital conversion foundation and Palm Beach County’s only community foundation for health, I’ve discovered a world of other ways that I can continue to help the community. I choose to partner with organizations like Palm Health Foundation because they are an extension of the work I, and professionals like me, do to help our neighbors.
To advance local health causes, we must recognize that our neighbors’ lived experiences shape their health outcomes. Just as I center listening to my clients and prioritizing their voice and experiences in shaping solutions to their problems, our philanthropic partners must center resident voices when seeking community health solutions. Palm Health Foundation is a ready partner in this, prioritizing resident voices in their fundraising and grantmaking efforts. Though the foundation was born out of a healthcare system, people are the priority.
Poised to Advance Innovation
Through community collaboration, Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $93 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001, focusing on building a culture of health, advancing brain health, and strengthening our local health professions. In addition to funding innovative health programming and initiatives, the foundation has awarded more than $4.6 million in scholarships, helping more than 1,000 graduates enter the healthcare workforce, addressing critical shortages and improving care in Palm Beach County.
Palm Health Foundation’s investment in scholarships echoes back to its hospital roots, but its unique position today allows the support of cutting-edge health innovation. In the foundation’s brain health advancement work, it convenes local brain science institutions, philanthropists, clinicians, artists, researchers, and residents to advance our understanding of the brain and develop new treatments for brain health conditions.
Palm Beach County is home to leading brain science and research institutions, attracting talent from around the world to study and develop new technologies and treatments right here in our backyard. This hospital conversion foundation bridges scientific study with community, poising Palm Beach County to become a national leader in brain health advancement.
Strategic Philanthropy
Your philanthropic interests don’t need to be in any one specific area to find meaningful partnership with your local hospital conversion foundation. These foundations can partner with you in advancing the health cause you – or your client - care about most. In the world of philanthropy, professional advisors, whether they are estate planners, financial planners, or legal professionals, play an essential role in helping clients make informed decisions about their charitable giving.
Whether your clients are interested in supporting immediate health needs or establishing a long-term legacy, health conversion foundations offer a range of giving options that allow donors to tailor their philanthropy and provide potential tax advantages. From tax-efficient donor-advised funds to planned giving strategies, these foundations work with advisors to create personalized plans that align with clients' financial and charitable goals, build a legacy, and make lasting impact.
Because of Palm Health Foundation’s deep roots in the community, their dedicated staff can act as an extension of any advisor or estate attorney working to protect and support Palm Beach County families and can help guide clients who are particularly interested in leaving a legacy for a thriving community. Palm Health Foundation offers a variety of avenues, including one-time donations, legacy planning, cryptocurrency contributions, and donor advised and endowed funds, to give meaningful support of our local health landscape. These opportunities allow donors to tailor their philanthropy to both immediate and long-term health improvements in our community.
Connected and Collaborative
Through strategic philanthropy, community collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to addressing local needs, hospital conversion foundations build healthier, more resilient communities. In Palm Beach County, the ongoing work of Palm Health Foundation is a testament to the enduring value of health conversion foundations.
Your support through thoughtful, strategic philanthropy has the power to make lasting, generational change. By partnering with foundations like Palm Health Foundation and leveraging the expertise of professional advisors, donors can create a legacy of health and well-being that will benefit Palm Beach County for generations to come.
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Healthier Glades , a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative, proudly marked six years of empowering the Glades community through its Mini Grant Program with the recent announcement of four grant awards to recipients in Belle Glade and Canal Point, Florida. Through the Mini Grant Program, Healthier Glades invests in promising programs to promote health, wellness, and youth engagement. The initiative has awarded over $140,000 in mini grants to 52 residents and organizations fostering lasting community impact since 2019. The four innovative grants exemplify Healthier Glades’ ability to unlock community strengths by elevating and investing in the ideas that the community believes hold the most promise to change lives and the narrative around mental health. “The programs highlight the creativity, passion, and dedication of Glades’ community members,” said Annie Ifill, Director, Healthier Glades. Mini grant recipients began program implementation on January 1, 2025. Mini Grant Recipients
Mark Twain wrote, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” I realized many years ago that the lessons I learn may be for me alone in the moment, but they are not mine to hoard—they are to be shared with others.
Giving Tuesday is About Giving Chances to Someone Like Me.
Palm Health Foundation ’s Scholarship Reception on November 2, 2024, brought together nursing and behavioral health scholars with their donors for an inspiring evening at the stunning Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens (ANSG) in West Palm Beach, FL. Over 190 guests attended the event to celebrate 92 scholarship recipients, the largest group of scholars in the history of the foundation due to a generous gift from Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network (SEFBHN). Frances Fisher generously underwrote the reception at ANSG where she serves as chairwoman. ANSG’s natural gardens and monumental sculptures served as the perfect setting for scholars and their donors to meet each other, all expressing gratitude. Guests and donors thanked the scholars for their dedication to the healthcare workforce of South Florida, and scholars thanked donors for their generosity that enabled them to continue their education. “The scholarship recipients here tonight are not only the future of South Florida’s healthcare system, but also the heart and soul of our community,” said Fisher. “I am inspired by their dedication, and I am grateful to our donors who are helping to shape a brighter, healthier future for all.” The $530,000 awarded in needs-based scholarship funds will help address significant shortages in the nursing and behavioral health care workforce. Donor funding will also help humanize health by advancing the careers of healthcare professionals with lived experience and cultural competencies to serve South Florida’s diverse population, a need echoed by Abigail Goodwin, executive vice president of Palm Health Foundation, in her address to scholars. “Your ability to bridge languages and cultures is critical to providing quality care for our dynamic South Florida communities, making our entire region healthier and stronger,” Goodwin said. “You are here today because you’ve demonstrated dedication, perseverance, and a true desire to serve your neighbors. Palm Health Foundation is proud to support, honor, and uplift you as you continue your journey.” Goodwin closed the event by announcing another gratitude opportunity to donors. From December 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025, Palm Health Foundation is matching every donation to The Nursing Advancement Fund and all nursing scholarship funds—dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. Palm Health Foundation nursing scholarships support students with financial need in LPN, undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs in Palm Beach County. “Through our charitable funds and with the collaboration of donors, residents, and partners, we are building a culture of health for all in our community,” said Dr. Marsha Fishbane, chair of the Palm Health Foundation Board of Trustees. Notable attendees at the event included: Frances Fisher, PHF Trustee and scholarship fund holder; Dr. Marsha Fishbane, Palm Health Foundation chair, and trustees Dr. Naelys Luna, Barbara James, Clovis Moodie, and Nathan Nason; scholarship fund holders Debra Coffman Howe, Ann Berner, Dr. Alina Alonso, Denise Bober, and Carrie Browne and Donald Smith-Browne; and Tim Snow, president of George Snow Scholarship Fund. To make a gift or create a donor advised fund to support health professions scholars, please contact Carrie Browne, director of stewardship and strategic partnerships, (561) 837-2281, carrieb@phfpbc.org .
Palm Health Foundation marked its eighth annual Train the Brain community health campaign during October 2024 with the unveiling of a significant collaborative initiative. On October 24, 2024, over 95 guests gathered at the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute at Florida Atlantic University for the launch of The Brain Coast: A Vision for South Florida , an aspiration endorsed by six Palm Beach County brain health and science visionaries who believe that shared vision, determination, science, education, collaboration, and investment can transform a region and change the world. The launch partners included: Palm Health Foundation Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute at Florida Atlantic University Stiles-Nicholson Foundation The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network Many more have committed to advancing this exciting vision with imagination, curiosity, and desire to push the boundaries of brain science and its promise. Guests at the event were eager to learn about the vision for The Brain Coast, which partners compare to President John F. Kennedy's ambitious goals for American space exploration that accelerated Florida's Space Coast. Evening highlights included ambitious initiatives demonstrating The Brain Coast Vision’s promise and the inspirational journeys that led local scientists, including Palm Health Foundation Computational Brain Science and Health Graduate Fellows, to dedicate their lives to advancing treatment for brain disorders as varied as depression, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and more.
Leaders believe shared vision, determination, science, education, collaboration, and investment can transform the South Florida region and change the world.
Palm Beach County leaders will guide foundation’s grantmaking initiatives to help residents thrive and reach their full health potential.
Palm Health Foundation behavioral health scholarship recipient Beatriz Moreno remembers the first time she was made aware that she was a first-generation student. “I was applying to colleges in my junior year of high school with my high school counselor and I had to answer what level of education my parents had completed,” said the Argentine American scholar. “As I sat there, I realized that neither of my parents had completed a college degree in the United States. I was the eldest child to start that journey.” It was the beginning of her educational pursuit to combine her interest in behavioral health with her passion for helping people from Hispanic cultures. “Stigma surrounds mental health in the Hispanic community,” she said. “It prevents people from receiving the proper supports, especially when acculturating to a new way of life. And it affects their children.”
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