In April 2011, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, or OHF, donated $105 million to the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The money was given as a gift to better the quality of training by practitioners in Ohio and given the title “Vision 2020: Leading the Transformation of Primary Care in Ohio.”
“The award is historic, and when the award was made in 2011, it was the largest single gift in the history of public higher education in Ohio and the largest made in support of primary care,” Kathy Brooks, executive director of strategic initiatives, said..
While the money was given several years ago, only $46 million has been used. This is because of an annual distribution of $6.4 million over a course of 16 years, Brooks said.
The money has gone toward major developments, such as the Heritage College in Dublin, new medical education programs, collaborative research and student scholarships.
The latest use of the donation is to help build the new Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Medical Education building, and the beginning of the newest green at Ohio University since the 1960s.
“We went back to the OHF and they have repurposed $12 million to help fund the project,” Executive Dean Kenneth Johnson said.
With a donation as large as this, there must be annual updates on how the money was spent, Brooks said.
Each update gives information on why it was beneficial to the school, and how much it cost.
“Managing the award is a continuous process, with Heritage College and OHF leadership regularly reviewing progress to ensure investments meet our share priorities and goals,” Brooks said.
The gift by the OHF was awarded on the behalf of then-President and CEO Richard Vincent. Since 2011, Vincent retired but remains a member of the OHF Board of Directors. HCOM as been working with current president and CEO Terri Donlin Huesman.
“Ms. Donlin Huesman’s promotion to president and CEO, as well as Mr. Vincent’s continued role on the OHF Board of Directors, provided a seamless transition in managing the award,” said Brooks.
HCOM and staff members look to use the money to its full potential.
“It would be hard to overstate the enormous positive impact that OHF’s generosity is having on this college and Ohio University, its students and faculty, and the patients we serve,” Johnson said.
