$1 Million Bequest Establishes Reid Endowment for Technology at Baptist Health

Jacksonville, Florida, January 28, 2009 -- Clinical and information technology at Baptist Health will be greatly enhanced, thanks to a recent gift of $1 million from the Bertram S. Reid Marital Trust to establish the Reid Endowment for Technology.

Specifically, the endowment earnings available each year will be designated for the acquisition or updating of clinical or information technology; the salaries, equipment, and materials required to advance the use of technology for both medical and information purposes; and the costs of establishing new technological solutions programs at any of the Baptist Health hospitals.

This planned gift was conceptualized several years ago by Baptist benefactors, the late Bertram S. Reid and his wife Margaret, who passed away last spring. The Reids' longstanding support of Baptist has included raising $750,000 to establish the original Baptist Medical Center in 1955, along with funding several downtown projects such as the Reid Chapel at Baptist Downtown and the Reid Medical Building in San Marco.

"With the fruition of this bequest, the Reids' legacy of giving to Baptist continues," says Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptist Health. "We have been so grateful for Mr. and Mrs. Reid's support for so many years. And now, the endowment they established will help provide for the health system's technology needs to serve patients for years to come."

Marlene Spalten, vice president of Baptist Health Foundation, says a donor with a passion for a specific program can create a perpetual funding source for that program through a gift to endowment, as the Reids did. "The Reid Endowment will provide a minimum of $50,000 annually for the acquisition of technology -- reliable, significantly important revenue which will enable Baptist to acquire or implement the latest innovations in patient care," she states.