ON THE WAY TO HEALING

FAMILY’S GIFT PROMOTES WELLNESS

The Pate family was keen on supporting a new initiative that moved beyond the traditional aspects of health care to an allencompassing healing process. “Helping others is what life is all about,” says Marta Pate. “The HEAL initiative and our commitment to it represent our family helping other families in a tangible way that Steve and I can experience with our children and grandchildren. It is our gift to the community that we love.” This initiative, named the Cook Family Health Education and Learning (HEAL) program, merges medicine and wellness through a novel approach at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. It aims to redefine health care delivery from diagnosis to treatment and from recovery to living a full life. Foundational to HEAL is the concept that patients and their loved ones are not powerless, whatever the diagnosis may be. Those patients and family members will have access to specialized programs and resources to cope with their new situation, ease their stress and navigate them through a challenging health journey. For Steve Pate, that journey hits close to home.

“My dad was sick, but he wouldn’t let anybody take care of him but my mom,” says Pate. “She was the image of health but endured stress from caregiving.

That’s when I understood the importance of caring for the caregiver, too. HEAL can support the journey of both the patient and the caregiver.” That experience motivated Pate to take charge of his own health and advocate for the health of others. He established an employee fitness center at his company to promote well-being. “If I can do it, anybody can,” says Pate. “I didn’t grow up playing sports, so the first time I stepped into a gym was at 42 years old. Once I learned how to exercise, eat and live, the results were dramatic. I wanted to share what I learned and the importance of being healthy — mind, body and soul.” The Marta and Stephen Pate Family Foundation stands among the HEAL program’s generous philanthropic partners. Steve Pate notes he was instantly interested in the initiative. “I was already committed to the cause,” says Pate. “Once I learned more about the comprehensive plans, I became invested.” The HEAL space, which will be located on the 65-acre campus of Houston Methodist The Woodlands, will include a teaching kitchen for cooking lessons, education materials, support groups, community education workshops and exercise classes. As patient volumes grow, Houston Methodist The Woodlands is the ideal location for this healing facility — helping families in The Woodlands, Montgomery County and its surrounding counties. “Our Houston Methodist culture explicitly focuses on delivering unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation,” says Debra Sukin, CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands and regional senior vice president of Houston Methodist. “HEAL is the epitome of honoring that vision with the patient at the heart of everything we do. We are grateful for the generous support from the Pate family, which allows us to bring our vision to reality.”

2021 SUPPORTERS

Anonymous

George and Margaret Blankenship

Larry and Susan Dio

Rex and Alina Duhn

Jensen Family

Alan and Julie Kent

Gayelene and Ralph McIngvale

Marta H. Pate and Stephen V. Pate

Allyson and Michael Seder