6 minute read
PART OF THE FAMILY
ABY KELLEY MARCELLUS 60 ADVANCES
DURING THE CRISIS OF COVID-19, THE HOSPITAL STAFF WAS EQUALLY IN CRISIS. ... WE NEEDED TO TRY TO CHARGE THEM UP AGAIN.”
Part of the FAMILY PATSY AND GENE MCNICHOLS’ AAA
GENEROSITY ENABLES TAMPA GENERAL
HOSPITAL TO BETTER SERVE THE STATE
—GENE MCNICHOLS
In the hardest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients were often separated from loved ones, relying on medical professionals to not only treat them but also provide human connection and communicate with their families outside of the hospital. Doctors, nurses, and other care staff carried an enormous burden, risking their own health to this disease, struggling to work under heavy protective gear, and enduring demanding schedules when personnel became scarce. Those days may have been among the most difficult for the medical community in modern history.
However, a bright light shone at Tampa General Hospital as members of the community recognized the stress health care professionals faced and offered a lifeline.
One couple took the extraordinary step of making generous philanthropic gifts that helped to bolster the inner workings of the hospital in big and small ways. Patsy and Gene McNichols have been supporters of TGH for more than 24 years. Gene is a former member of both the TGH Foundation and the hospital’s board. Patsy is a founding member of the Bruemmer Women’s Leadership Circle. They served as the honorary chairs of the TGH twenty-first annual gala in 2018, which raised four times the funds that previous galas earned. In the wake of the pandemic, the couple realized that the people who made their hospital a special place were suffering.
“During the crisis of COVID, the hospital staff was equally in crisis,” Gene said. “Their careers changed overnight, and you cannot imagine how that can impact a worker as a total person. We needed to try to charge them up again.”
Mr. and Mrs. McNichols focused an August 2021 gift of more than $300,000 to TGH’s Chaplain Ministry Program, which would help fund a position dedicated to serving hospital employees. Hospitals typically have a spiritual services team to counsel patients and families facing difficult diagnoses, but the TGH chaplaincy staff didn’t have the bandwidth to minister to both patients and staff.
“The McNicholses are very tied into their Christian faith,” said Jamie Powell, the TGH Foundation’s
executive director of events and strategic partnerships. “What they loved about this opportunity was the chance to help team members of every faith, or of no faith, turn to a dedicated team member chaplain.”
Frann Leppla, senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer for TGH and its foundation, added that the value of the expanded chaplain program is immense. “As leaders, we know that taking care of our team members means they will take better care of our patients,” she said. “Support of our team members is critical to providing the very best patient care, even more so during times of heightened stress.”
Mr. and Mrs. McNichols first learned of the hospital’s spiritual services program about 20 years ago when a minister from their own church left for TGH.
“People might know that Tampa General is a teaching hospital,” Gene said. “But they might not know that they have a teaching initiative to graduate people as chaplains. It’s important work, especially in crisis situations.”
Which is something the couple knows about. Through the years, their family has turned to TGH during difficult medical situations, but none was as impactful as watching Gene’s son recover from severe burns to his arms and legs. Gene was the vice chairman of the hospital board at the time, but he had never seen the inside of the burn unit.
“It was really a moving experience,” he recalled. “They took exceptional care of him. He has some remaining nerve problems, but he is fine [and] living a good life.”
The experience encouraged the couple to earmark funds that are currently being used to renovate the burn intensive care unit. They’ve also supported the pediatric emergency department because “we have eight grandchildren,” Gene said. “Infants have always been close to our hearts.”
To say family is important to the McNicholses is an understatement. Three generations have worked at McNichols Co., a specialty metal fabrication business that Gene’s father, Bob McNichols, started in 1952 after serving in World War II. The company distributes metal and fiberglass products featuring perforations or holes, which are used in art, construction, decorative items, surgical trays, window coverings (like those at TGH), and more.
Bob passed away at a relatively young age from a disease that’s more easily treated today. Gene, Patsy, and their family continued the patriarch’s legacy, including incorporating their religious tenets and support for their employees and community into the business, which now has locations in 19 cities.
“In 1975, before brand marketing was really a big thing, we came up with a line to describe our narrow niche,” Gene explained. “We say we are the ‘hole’ story.”
Part of that story is that, like the couple, the third generation of the McNichols family and the company’s employees dedicate time and talent to supporting community organizations. During the pandemic, for example, McNichols Co. participated in a “clap out,” an event in which TGH leadership, foundation members, and other supporters lined the staff exits and entrances to the hospital during shift changes. As they finished or started their shifts, exhausted employees were greeted by encouraging signs, treats, cheers, and thanks. McNichols Co. donated bags and gift cards for the staff, in the hopes of bolstering them during difficult days.
Encouraging the community to share its resources has been part of Mr. and Mrs. McNichols’ relationship with TGH for more than two decades. Their early involvement with the hospital came at the invitation of friends, who invited them to participate in the White Coat Program.
“White Coat is an exclusive opportunity for stakeholders to shadow physicians practicing in an area they have interest,” Leppla explained. “They suit up—scrubs, white coats, and all— and work side-by-side with their physician partners, giving them a firsthand look at a day in the life of our clinical teams. It’s a moving experience for all participants who witness everything from babies being born to heart transplants and everything in between.”
“It was a great way to learn about the hospital and its capabilities,” Gene said of his experience. “That is when we really became cheerleaders for the hospital.” The couple have since encouraged other friends to give the White Coat Program a try, and they are delighted that even the children of friends are having a chance to participate. Patsy believes that this inside look into TGH, as well as participating on the boards and committees through the years, has allowed her to watch the hospital grow. “We have a growing community, and this gets people involved when they might not otherwise have the chance to,” she said. “We’ve encouraged a lot of friends to support the hospital. And we’ve had friends and family treated at the hospital with a lot of success.”
The couple said they can feel the heartbeat of the community at TGH. And they recognize a responsibility to care for the hospital so it can continue to care for and meet the needs of the people who live here and across the state.
“Accessing medical care today is complex,” Gene said. “There’s a saying that you need a doctor in the family, but the reality is that’s not true. We are fortunate and blessed to have the leadership, doctors, nurses, and employees of this living machine of Tampa General Hospital. Tampa General has a heart, a big heart.”
