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CLEVELAND, Ohio Northeast Ohio natives JoAnn and Bob Glick have pledged $42 million to MetroHealth System, the largest gift in the hospital systems 183-year history.

The couple chose MetroHealth to receive the gift because of the hospital systems commitment to community health and its goal of reducing health disparities, passions that the Glicks share. The gift was announced today.

The gift enables MetroHealth to address social determinants of health so that everyone has equal access to health care and preventative medicine, especially underserved women and children.

We hope that zip codes dont matter anymore, said JoAnn Glick, who trained as a registered nurse with an emphasis on community health.

In recognition of the gift, MetroHealths new main hospital, now under construction on West 25th Street, will be named the MetroHealth Glick Center. The 11-floor hospital is part of the health systems $946 million campus transformation project, which is designed to spur development in the surrounding neighborhood.

However, the $42 million gift will not be used for hospital construction.

It will be wonderful to have our name on the building, said Bob Glick, founder and former CEO of Dots womens fashion company. But whats really important is what happens inside and throughout the neighborhood.

Clearly, the amount of money is huge and will help us focus on our efforts to ensure Cleveland is a healthier place, MetroHealth president and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros said. Beyond that, the due diligence and inquisitiveness that Bob and JoAnn showed is a huge boost in the arm. It gives us confidence that what we do resonates with individuals who want to see change.

The Glicks want to see their gift used to improve the lives of Clevelanders, Boutros said.

They are so committed to making a difference to folks who dont have access to health care and the interventions needed to live their best lives, Boutros said.

The pledge will be split into two funds:

Choosing MetroHealth

A 2013 Plain Dealer profile that described how Boutros was changing the hospital systems culture as the new CEO caught the couples interest and introduced them to MetroHealths mission.

They were intrigued that Boutros wanted to emphasize keeping people healthy rather than simply treating illness. As they weighed options for philanthropy and researched the hospital system, they were impressed by the passion, caring and engagement of everyone from the maintenance staff to physicians.

They wake up every day wanting to serve the people of Cleveland, Bob Glick said. There is a culture of over-the-top passion for their patients thats hard to describe. That made a difference to us.

This isnt the first substantial gift that the Glicks have given to the hospital system. In 2019, the couple gave $500,000 for programs that help children overcome trauma through the arts, and evaluate children for autism spectrum disorders.

They began The JoAnn and Robert Glick Family Fund of the Cleveland Foundation in 2007.

The Glicks have deep roots in Northeast Ohio. Bob was born in Shaker Heights and earned degrees from Ohio University and the University of Michigan.

In 2011, after 36 years as founder, CEO and chairman of Dots, Bob Glick sold the company to a private equity firm. Dots operated more than 400 stores in 28 states, including Ohio. All stores were closed in 2019.

JoAnn Glick grew up in Youngstown and received a nursing degree from the University of Michigans School of Nursing. She moved to Cleveland in 1976 to attend nursing school and work at University Hospitals.

Bob Glick hopes that the couples gift will inspire wealthy Clevelanders to consider giving to the citys nonprofits. For their part, the couple plans to continue backing MetroHealth.

This is not a one-time gift, Bob Glick said. We want to keep coming back and supporting Metro.

See more here:
JoAnn and Bob Glick donating $42 million to MetroHealth System, largest gift in its history, to help underser - cleveland.com

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