Author: sHq_LoGiNz

New Dallas Pediatric Campus Hospital to be Named in Honor of Transformational Grant

DALLAS, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Children’s Health℠ and UT Southwestern Medical Center announce a historic nine-figure grant from the Moody Foundation to support the new $5 billion pediatric campus in Dallas, which broke ground in October 2024. The new hospital will help meet the increasing demand for pediatric health care, research and training. The Moody Foundation’s transformational grant is the largest gift to date for this landmark project. In recognition of the generous support by the foundation, the hospital at the new Dallas pediatric campus will be named Moody Children’s Hospital upon completion in 2031.

“Naming the new hospital is a reflection of the deep trust and shared vision between the Moody Foundation, Children’s Health and UT Southwestern,” said Frances Moody-Dahlberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Moody Foundation. “Together, with Moody Children’s Hospital, we’re building more than a hospital – we’re building hope.”

For more than 80 years, the Moody Foundation has played a pivotal role in improving Texas communities, providing more than $2.6 billion in charitable funding through more than 5,500 grants. Guided by its mission of empowering Texas communities to thrive and prosper, the Moody Foundation has consistently supported education, social services, children’s needs and community development.

“Thanks to the Moody family’s incredible vision and philanthropy, we continue to push the boundaries of pediatric health care and innovation,” said Christopher J. Durovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Health. “Their generosity will be reflected in the state-of-the-art care provided at our new Dallas campus, helping us redefine pediatric health care and transform the lives of children and families across North Texas and the country for decades to come.”

The Moody family has long championed innovation and education as catalysts for positive change. This grant is in addition to the more than $400 million the Moody Foundation has contributed previously to Children’s Health and the University of Texas System. Their decades of generosity continue to inspire progress across the state and provide care for children. 

“The Moody Foundation’s transformative investment in the well-being of future generations of children and youth marks a pivotal moment in our ability to reshape pediatric care across Texas, train the next generation of caregivers and accelerate vital discoveries that will continuously enhance our capacity to heal,” said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., President of UT Southwestern Medical Center. “The Foundation’s commitment to advancing our new pediatric campus will have a lasting and meaningful impact on the patients and families we are privileged to serve.”

The region’s pediatric population is expected to double by 2050, underscoring the urgent need for expanded access to top-tier pediatric health care. With the support of the Moody Foundation, Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center are ushering in a new era of pediatric medical care, innovation and research, resulting in a healthier future for children as North Texas experiences remarkable growth.

“This extraordinary gift is yet another testament to the Moody family’s unwavering dedication to expanding access to high-quality health care for every child,” said Brent Christopher, President of Children’s Medical Center Foundation. “Their generosity will shape the future of medicine for kids across our community and far beyond. With the Moody Foundation grant, we now have reached half of the amount of community support needed to bring the new Dallas pediatric campus to life.”

This grant from the Moody Foundation is the third, and largest, nine-figure gift to support the new Dallas pediatric campus project. This announcement follows the generous $100 million early gifts from the Pogue Foundation announced in May 2024 and the Rees-Jones Foundation announced in October 2024.

The new Dallas pediatric campus will be located in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District, directly across from UT Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. This project is a joint venture between Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center. It will serve as a collaborative center for innovation, academic research, training and the advancement of lifesaving technologies.

To learn more, visit childrens.com/watchusgrow, utsouthwestern.edu and give.childrens.com. For assets and resources for this announcement, please use this downloadable media kit.

About Children’s Medical Center Foundation
As the fundraising arm for Children’s Health, one of the largest and most prestigious nonprofit pediatric health systems in North Texas, the Children’s Medical Center Foundation provides philanthropic support through partnerships with individual donors, organizations and corporations.

These funds support Children’s Health with the enhancement of care, discovery of cures and building a healthier community across all Children’s Health campuses to fulfill the mission to make life better for children. All contributions to Children’s Medical Center Foundation directly impact patients and their families, ensuring the best experience, best care, and ultimately, a fighting chance to get back to being a kid again.

To learn more, visit give.childrens.com.

About Children’s Health
Children’s Health is the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas and has long been recognized as a leader in pediatric health. Children’s Health campuses include Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Children’s Medical Center Plano and multiple Children’s Health Specialty Centers. With its academic partner, UT Southwestern, Children’s Medical Center Dallas is consistently ranked the No. 1 children’s hospital in North Texas and among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Its commitment to excellence and providing outstanding care across all aspects of pediatrics has resulted in being ranked across all specialty programs for seven consecutive years, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Behavioral Health, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology. 

In addition, Children’s Health nurses have received the Magnet® designation for the past 14 years, the highest honor for nursing excellence, and the health care system has been named a 2025 top place to work by Forbes and USA Today and one of the 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Becker’s Hospital Review for 13 consecutive years. In addition, Children’s Health was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 for its pioneering model to train physicians to treat children’s mental health. 

For more information and to support Children’s Health, visit childrens.com or like us on Facebook, follow Children’s Health on X, Instagram and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year. Its alumni and former trainees comprise more than half of all physicians caring for patients in North Texas.

UT Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital is ranked as the No. 1 in Dallas-Fort Worth – the nation’s fourth-largest metro area. Eleven UT Southwestern medical specialties are nationally ranked, eight among the top 25 and three among the top 50. UTSW is among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide on quality measures.

The Medical Center includes 20 endowed centers, is a Rare Disease Center of Excellence for adults and children and is home to one of 57 designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation. UTSW is ranked No. 3 among global health care institutions for its published research and its medical school is among 16 schools ranked Tier 1 for research.

About the Moody Foundation
The Moody Foundation was established by W.L. Moody, Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody in 1942 to share their good fortune and make a difference in the lives of the people of Texas. Since then, the Foundation has pledged and awarded more than $2.6 billion in grants throughout the state to organizations that have educated, healed, nurtured and inspired generations of Texans. The Moody Foundation continues with a board of three trustees: Frances Moody-Dahlberg, Ross Moody and Elizabeth “Elle” Moody. Learn more at MoodyF.org.

Media Contact:
Andrea Wittman
469-690-8686
Andrea.Wittman@childrens.com

UT Southwestern Media Contact:
Russell Rian
News@utsouthwestern.edu

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SOURCE Children’s Health

For the third year in a row, the Beehive State is No. 1 in rankings that measure health care, education, economy and more.

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and civic journalism, today announced the 2025 Best States rankings. The 2025 rankings evaluated all 50 states to capture how they best serve their citizens across a range of categories, including health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime & corrections, and natural environment. For the third consecutive year, Utah earned top recognition as the No. 1 state in the country.

“Utah’s third straight No. 1 ranking is a reflection of the incredible people who make this state what it is,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “It’s not just our economy or our beautiful outdoors – it’s the hardworking, service-minded people who continue to make Utah the best place to live, work and raise a family. I’m grateful every day to stand with Utahns as we keep strengthening the state we love.”

Key findings in the 2025 Best States rankings:

• Utah, No. 1 overall, landed in the top 20 across seven of the eight categories. However, it underperforms in the environment category (where it ranks No. 48).
• New Jersey secured top placement for education overall, while Florida dominates higher ed. New Jersey, the No. 1 state overall in the education category, ranks in the top 5 for all pre-K-12 metrics, including preschool enrollment, standardized test scores and high school graduation rate. Florida, which came in at No. 2 overall for education, is top-ranked in the higher education subcategory because of its low costs for college tuition and fees, and its impressive graduation rates for two- and four-year programs.
• Western states generally perform much better in higher education than in pre-K-12. Washington, California, Idaho and Nevada, for example, rank in the top 15 in the higher education subcategory, but all four rank significantly lower in the pre-K-12 education subcategory.
• Hawaii leads the way in health care. At No. 1 overall in this category, Hawaii is also ranked No. 1 in the subcategory of health care quality, No. 4 in the subcategory of health care access and No. 6 in the subcategory of public health, due to its high scoring on metrics like health care affordability, mental health and low mortality rate.

“Amidst economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and evolving trade policies, the 2025 Best States rankings offer a critical benchmark for business leaders, investors and policymakers to assess economic competitiveness, workforce strength, infrastructure quality and long-term growth potential across all 50 states in the United States,” said U.S. News Executive Chairman & CEO Eric Gertler. “The 2025 Best State rankings provide a comprehensive, data-driven picture of how each state serves its residents – and thereby helping business leaders decide where to invest their capital, help residents decide where to live and help policymakers understand the best policies to drive improvements in their states.”

In its seventh edition, the Best States rankings draw upon 71 metrics and thousands of data points to measure how well U.S. states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economic growth; its roads, bridges, internet access and other infrastructure; its public safety record; the fiscal stability of state government; and the opportunity it affords its residents. More weight was accorded to some metric categories than others, based on surveys of what matters most to residents.

2025 Best States Rankings

*See the full rankings here.

Overall – Top 10
1. Utah
2. New Hampshire
3. Idaho
4. Minnesota
5. Nebraska
6. Florida
7. Vermont
8. South Dakota
9. Massachusetts
10. Washington

Health Care
1. Hawaii
2. Massachusetts
3. Connecticut 

Education
1. New Jersey
2. Florida
3. Colorado

Economy
1. Florida 
2. Texas
3. Utah

Infrastructure 
1. Nebraska
2. South Dakota
3. Utah

Opportunity
1. Vermont
2. Iowa
3. Maine

Fiscal Stability 
1. Utah 
2. Delaware
3. New York

Crime & Corrections
1. New Hampshire
2. Maine 
3. Hawaii

Natural Environment
1. Hawaii
2. Maryland
3. Massachusetts

The 2025 Best States rankings are unpacked in data-driven stories, including a look at why Utah is America’s Best State and the social and political factors that could be driving its success, as well as a dive into rankings-related survey results that show Americans remain concerned about their cost of living and consider vaccines an important tool for public health. Readers can also take a U.S. News quiz to find out which is the best state for them.

The Best States rankings are the centerpiece of the U.S. News Best States portal, a platform combining analysis, daily reporting, historical information and photography on state issues. Best States is part of U.S. News’ civic journalism portfolio, which includes the Best Countries report and the Healthiest Communities project.

To view the full rankings and search state profiles, visit www.usnews.com/states. For more information on Best States, follow coverage on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) using #BestStates.

U.S. News Media Contact: Kate Haas, khaas@usnews.com, 202-955-2120

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), a leading activist against child marriage and child trafficking, and lawyer, was conferred the Medal of Honour by the World Jurist Association (WJA) at the World Law Congress (WLC) 2025. Held in the Dominican Republic from May 4–6, the prestigious event brought together over 1500 jurists and 300 speakers from more than 70 countries.

Founded in 1963, the World Jurist Association has honored figures such as Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Kerry Kennedy and René Cassin.

Recognized for his ground-breaking use of the rule of law to combat modern-day slavery, human trafficking, forced labor, child sexual abuse, and child marriage, Ribhu has dedicated over two decades to advancing child rights through legal intervention and grassroots mobilization. His efforts have led to legal reforms that protect millions of children now and in the future.

In his acceptance speech, he stated, “Children should never have to fight for justice alone. The law must be their shield, and justice must be their right.”

Javier Cremades, President of the WJA, stated, “Bhuwan firmly believes that justice is the strongest pillar of democracy and has dedicated his life to the service of justice for children and women who are victims of sexual crimes in his country and globally. His efforts have saved hundreds of thousands of children and women and set legal frameworks that will protect generations to come. This award is a recognition of his tireless work building a safe, more just world for children through the power of the law.”

JRC is the world’s largest civil society network of over 250 partner organisations working across criminal and social justice systems. Operating in India, Nepal, Kenya and the US, JRC is aiming for an ecosystem-level response through legal interventions and community engagement.

Since April 2023, the JRC network has delivered results that showcase the potential of India-led innovation and resolve:

• Over 85,000 children rescued from trafficking
• Over 300,000 child marriages prevented and stopped
• More than 34,000 child sexual abuse survivors supported with legal and psychosocial support
• Over 54,000 cases filed against child traffickers

“These numbers are not just statistics—they are lives saved, futures restored, and a resolve to stand up for our children,” Ribhu stated.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2680065/JRC.jpg

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SOURCE Just Rights for Children International