Honoring the Bear Family Foundation

The Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart announced today a $1.75 million donation from the Bear Family Foundation towards the new four-story children’s hospital on Sacred Heart’s Pensacola campus. This represents the largest single gift the Bear Family Foundation has given in its 17-year history.

In recognition of this legacy gift, the oncology unit will be named the Bear Family Foundation Pediatric Oncology Center for Hope. Sacred Heart is part of Ascension, one of the leading non-profit health systems in the U.S.

“My family is proud to invest in the future of pediatric oncology care in our community we have called home for more than five generations,” said Lewis Bear. “My three children and two of my grandchildren were born at Sacred Heart, and we are honored to support children and families in their greatest time of need.”

The Bear Family Foundation selected pediatric oncology as a testament to the family’s individual and foundation support of Rally Pensacola, founded by Cindi Bear Bonner, who serves on the Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola advisory council.

“We are honored to have the support of the Bear Family Foundation as we near the opening of our new Children’s Hospital,” said Carol Carlan, president of the Sacred Heart Foundation. “The Bear Family Foundation has been a philanthropic leader within our community for generations. This legacy gift is another testament to the family’s mission that every person deserves the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. The Bear family has invested millions of dollars to improving the lives of those within our community and beyond. This visionary gift will be a beacon of hope to the patients and families we serve for generations to come.”

Located at 1 Bubba Watson Drive, part of Sacred Heart’s Ninth Avenue campus in Pensacola, the new four-story children’s hospital will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, April 1 – the 50th anniversary of the Children’s Hospital’s founding. Patient care is scheduled to begin in the new hospital in May.

The new children’s hospital will increase access to specialized pediatric care and consolidate inpatient pediatric services in one convenient location on Sacred Heart’s Pensacola campus. With 126 beds, the hospital will include a pediatric emergency department, 72-bed neonatal intensive care unit, medical/surgical beds, pediatric imaging department, pediatric satellite pharmacy, pediatric inpatient rehabilitation gym, child life playrooms and a new family-friendly dining venue.

The Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart serves as the only children’s hospital in Northwest Florida. The Children’s Hospital offers a wide range of services to meet all of a child’s medical needs, from a pediatric emergency room and neonatal intensive care unit to a medical staff of more than 120 board-certified physicians across 30 pediatric specialties. The Children’s Hospital provides quality, compassionate care to children, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay. Sacred Heart Health System is a member of Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system. For more information about the services available at The Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart, visit studerfamilychildrenshospital.com.