Two pediatric specialists who graduated from the West Virginia University School of Medicine are paying tribute to their alma mater and more with a $100,000 gift to the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.
Drs. D. Raymond and Deborah Knapp, of Longwood, Florida, wanted to give back to their home state and the school that prepared them for rewarding careers in pediatrics. While Deborah is retired, Raymond continues to practice as a pediatric orthopedist at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
“We feel this hospital is a great addition to the state of West Virginia and will provide a wonderful place where pediatric specialists can work together,” Raymond Knapp said. “This facility will continue to attract high-quality pediatric specialists, provide camaraderie among the staff and different subspecialists, and improve education to young medical students and pediatricians in training. It will attract pediatric patients from far and wide, as children seek specialized care from the dedicated team that this hospital will continue to provide.”
The Knapps’ contribution supports the “Grow Children’s” capital campaign, which seeks to raise $60 million for a new children’s hospital that will provide comprehensive healthcare services for kids and families within a dedicated state-of-the-art facility. The 150-bed, nine-story hospital is under construction next to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, which houses existing WVU Medicine Children’s services on its sixth floor. Slated for completion in 2021, the new facility will include:
- A dedicated emergency department
- Operating rooms, cardiac catheterization, interventional radiology and endoscopy facilities
- A 34-bed Pediatric Acute Care Unit, including six beds available for hematology/oncology
- A 27-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, including six beds available for epilepsy monitoring
- A 50-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- A 30-bed Birthing Center
- A medical office building
- Cancer Institute and Maternal-Fetal Medicine clinics
- Dental and eye procedure rooms
- A Family Resource Center
The registration area of the hospital’s lobby and Welcome Center will be named in recognition of the couple’s gift, which also honors his late parents, Helen and Dennis Knapp. A longtime U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of West Virginia, Dennis Knapp was a WVU College of Lawgraduate who inspired his son to be kind, generous and dedicated to WVU.
“There were no more genuine and true Mountaineers than them,” Knapp said of his parents.
The Knapp family’s Mountaineer tradition has continued with daughters Sarah and Jennifer, who both graduated from the WVU School of Medicine.
“We are grateful to the Knapps for generously giving back to WVU for the medical education and training their family received,” Amy L. Bush-Marone, chief operating officer at WVU Medicine Children’s, said. “As pediatric specialists, they have a unique understanding of the vital importance of the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in ensuring the future health and well-being of children and families in West Virginia and beyond.”
Raymond Knapp said he often sees the pride West Virginians have for their state when he’s on the job in Florida. He wears a WVU lanyard at work and regularly meets people who ask about his West Virginia ties and share their love for the Mountain State.
The Knapps made their gift through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.
