Gift made in honor of Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. and Johnson’s longtime work with HCA Healthcare
Belmont Board of Trustees Chair, alumnus and retired HCA Healthcare Chairman and CEO Milton Johnson and his wife Denice today announced a $10 million gift to Belmont’s newly established Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine in honor of Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., the College’s namesake and HCA Healthcare co-founder, and Johnson’s many years of work with HCA Healthcare. The gift will name the Milton and Denice Johnson Lobby of the College’s new building, construction of which is currently underway on Belmont’s campus.
“Denice and I are overjoyed to make this gift in honor of my mentor—Tommy Frist—and the many decades he has dedicated to transforming healthcare,” Johnson said. “Nashville celebrates its status as the nation’s healthcare capital today largely because of Tommy’s transformational work. He was also a leader of outstanding character. I’m eager to watch as the next generation of healthcare providers are trained at Belmont with a similar drive to serve and care for patients, families and communities.”
The College of Medicine, which Belmont is establishing in collaboration with HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services with 187 hospitals across the country and in the United Kingdom, is built on a strong history between the two organizations. For many years the organizations and their leadership have constructed a variety of significant partnerships to address healthcare challenges across the region, train excellent providers in a variety of disciplines and more.
“Belmont is dedicated to providing transformative education to our students—and the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine is a tremendous opportunity to further the University’s efforts to solve the world’s most complex problems by equipping our students with the skills they need to serve their communities,” said Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones. “With support from extraordinary leaders like Milton and Denice Johnson we are able to further this work, providing our students with incredible opportunities to sculpt their futures and impact our world.”
The gift adds to Milton and Denice Johnson’s ongoing support of the University – including their creation of a $10 million endowment to support the University’s Bridges to Belmont initiative in 2015. Just last week, the Program announced an expansion from 34 Metro Nashville Public School high need, high deserving students each year to 50 students from 10 area high schools. Both Milton and Denice remain active across campus, supporting a variety of University initiatives and dedicating their time to serve as mentors to countless Belmont students and alumni.
