A former U.S. Army Ranger with a second-degree black belt in karate, Chuck Bell isn’t afraid of much. When he was hospitalized with cancer two years ago, the vulnerability of being a patient caught him off guard. “I was scared to death,” he says. Now recovering, he has become one of Emory Healthcare’s first patient and family advisers, along with his wife, Sylvia.

The Bells are among a growing number of patients and family members who are helping Emory improve health care. Collaborating with these advisers, Emory is developing policies and procedures that include patients and their families as members of the team. Nursing shift change briefings have moved out of the staff room and into the patient room. Limits on visiting hours are disappearing, allowing family members to be present around the clock. Patients are even offering guidance on the purchase of new hospital beds. The goals are to strengthen communication, continuously improve the quality of patient care, and maximize patient safety.

This is quite an undertaking, considering that Emory has Georgia’s largest and most comprehensive health care system, serving more than a million patients every year. Ranked consistently as a “Best Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey, Emory Healthcare maintains an unrelenting commitment to the quality of clinical outcomes, patient safety, and service. As a result, Emory Healthcare has received quality and patient safety awards from Georgia’s Partnership for Health and Accountability each year since 1992.

Emory Healthcare claims some of the top scientists and expert clinicians in the country. These nationally recognized leaders deliver research discoveries, innovation, and highly specialized medical care that make a difference in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in Georgia and around the world. They seek solutions that push the limits of science and expand the boundaries of knowledge, helping to shape a better world and foster a growing culture of compassionate care.

Everyone who cares about the health of a loved one—or the health of the larger community—can support Emory’s leadership in creating the most effective hospitals and clinics imaginable. Your investment will enable Emory to set a national standard for patient care. By investing in Emory Healthcare, you become part of a distinguished tradition of giving that has made the hospitals and clinics what they are today. Gifts both large and small have come from patients and families honoring their trusted Emory caregivers, from Emory physicians and nurses for whom health care is a great passion, and from concerned members of the community wanting to create a legacy of compassion and excellence.

The power of philanthropy has fueled Emory heart care, ranked consistently among America’s best in national opinion polls. Gifts have enabled Emory’s groundbreaking work in neurology, cancer, eye diseases, orthopaedics, maternal and infant care, transplantation, and so many other specialties. Now philanthropy will drive Emory’s hospitals and clinics toward unprecedented improvements in quality of life for patients and their families. There has never been a better time to invest in Emory Healthcare.