April 4, 2025 – HCA Healthcare’s East Florida Division recently announced that the HCA Healthcare Foundation, through its Healthier Tomorrow Fund, will give $1.84 million to United Way to launch United for Healthy Starts, a national collaboration between four United Ways to help increase access to social, economic and education support services for families. The effort is led by Mile High United Way in Denver and includes United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, United Way Miami and United Way of Greater Nashville.

“At HCA Healthcare, we are deeply committed to the care and improvement of human life, and our partnership with the United Way allows us to extend that mission beyond our hospital walls,” said Charles Gressle, HCA Healthcare East Florida Division president. “We are proud to stand alongside them in making a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals and families in our community.”

United for Healthy Starts aims to increase access to services to improve social, economic and overall health outcomes for families. Through this new grant, the initiative is designed to help families have strong, healthy starts through home visitation and wrap-around services tailored to the needs of each family supported. By establishing a national, collaborative learning community, United for Healthy Starts will also work to help create new nonprofit partnerships, with the intention of strengthening service delivery and innovation and achieving a scalable impact beyond the grant. 

“At United Way Miami, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed—and that begins with early education,” said Symeria Hudson, president and CEO of United Way Miami. “For the families we serve struggling with rising costs, access to quality early education and wraparound services is critical. Thanks to the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s support, we will continue expanding our services at The Center for Excellence in Early Education, the Demonstration School and our Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership sites—helping more families build a stronger future. Each year, we impact more than 7,000 children, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to thrive.”

HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation have a long history of working with and supporting United Way. In 1981, HCA Healthcare co-founder Dr. Thomas Frist Jr. co-founded the first chapter of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society in Nashville, Tennessee and later received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Over the last 30 years, HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation have given more than $17 million in support of United Way’s work to help improve communities nationwide.

The HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund supports evidence-informed programs that address high-priority needs and advance community health by supporting efforts to pilot, replicate and scale meaningful, measurable initiatives in communities where HCA Healthcare has a presence. Since its inception, the fund has committed more than $17 million in grants to nonprofits across the country. 

About HCA Healthcare Foundation

The mission of the HCA Healthcare Foundation is to promote health and well-being and strive to make a positive impact in all the communities HCA Healthcare serves. We accomplish this mission by providing leadership, service and financial support to effective non-profit organizations working individually and collectively. 

About HCA Florida Healthcare

HCA Florida Healthcare, a part of HCA Healthcare, is a family of more than 650 affiliated sites of care, including hospitals, physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers. As one of the state’s leading healthcare networks, HCA Florida Healthcare’s 11,100 experienced doctors and more than 84,000 colleagues work together to deliver equitable, evidence-based collaborative care through more than 12 million patient encounters annually. HCA Florida Healthcare is committed to improving more lives in more ways and giving back to the communities it serves. In 2024, the network provided more than $1 billion in uncompensated care and contributed more than $3.7 million to community organizations across the state. In addition, HCA Florida Healthcare offers patients access to highly trained specialists, including the state’s most comprehensive cardiovascular network. A strong advocate for the next generation of healthcare professionals, HCA Florida Healthcare is a leader in in training future healthcare professionals, offering 151 Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs at 27 different hospitals with more than 2,400 residents. For more information, please visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com.

About United Way Miami

United Way Miami has been a leader in Miami-Dade’s nonprofit community for 100 years. Founded in 1924, we work with our network of volunteers and partners to transform the lives of our most vulnerable residents. We leverage our unique position to convene the community and build awareness of Miami-Dade’s needs and potential. Through our Core Four pillars – Health & Wellbeing, Education, Resilient Communities and Economic Mobility – we invest in more than 100 programs at over 60 impact partner agencies and lead 17 initiatives to address local issues and support families and individuals throughout the county. Entering our next century, we’re building on our legacy of future-focused, innovative, collaborative work to continue making a lasting impact today and for generations to come. For more information, visit unitedwaymiami.org.