In August 2011, University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Summitt announced to the nation that she had been diagnosed with the Alzheimer’s disease. As friends, family and fans began to try and cope with the shocking news, Summitt continued to do what she had always done best: persevere.
With her reputation as one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time, many think that Summitt’s story may end there. Others say Summitt demanded more. She is known for her legacy not only on the court but off the court as well.
In December 2011, Summitt introduced The Pat Summitt Foundation to begin researching, treating and ultimately curing Alzheimer’s disease. Partnering with The East Tennessee Foundation, The Pat Summitt Foundation received $300,000 in its first three years of operation to disperse grants to various organizations of care.
Pat Summitt Foundation Executive Director Patrick Wade hopes to continue Summitt’s work and make her dream a reality.
“Pat always thought big,” Wade said. “She wanted to make a difference right here at home.”
Partnering with The University of Tennessee Medical Center, The Pat Summitt Foundation will open the Pat Summitt Alzheimer’s Clinic this December.
“We are very excited for this Clinic,” Wade said. “We have had many calls asking if we treat patients and now we can provide those resources for them through this clinic.”
The clinic will contain multiple disciplines, including patient care, resources for caregivers and research for the disease. While this clinic will continue the legacy of Pat Summitt, a dream of this magnitude does not come easy.
Following the news of Summitt’s passing, The Pat Summitt Foundation received a large flux of support for her cause.
“We expected a big push following her passing,” Wade said, “but we were very surprised at the amount.”
The amount totaled at $460,000 within three weeks of Summitt’s passing. Included in that amount was a $50,000 donation from the NCAA.
“People were so passionate about Pat and Alzheimers,” Wade said. “That passion has shown in full force.”
With the opening of the clinic drawing near, it has become the primary focus of the foundation. While the foundation has provided many grants through the years to various organizations, the shift to focusing on the clinic carries on Summitt’s dream of “making a difference right here at home.”
“So many people have been affected by this disease,” Wade said. “We are honored to carry on Pat’s dream and hopefully one day achieve her goals.”
The foundation has promised a one half million dollar commitment to the clinic per year and made its first payment this summer.
The clinic will be combined with The Cole Neuroscience Center’s memory disorder clinic at the university hospital. Cole Neuroscience Director Nate Naugle will begin overseeing the final preparations for the clinic’s official opening.
“We all recognize Pat’s great contribution to the area,” Naugle said. “All of us involved feel privileged and humble.”
Patient care looks to be the main priority with the clinic. Upon the opening of the expanded clinic, patients and researchers alike will see a capacity increase of approximately two and a half times the current clinic.
“We have designed this clinic in great detail from the color, texture, sound, and lighting,” Naugle explained. “This has been designed for the patients.”
Naugle also stressed the “significant backlog” with patients that the current clinic has experienced and how this expansion will “have a tremendous positive impact.”
“If it wasn’t for Coach Summitt and her son, we wouldn’t be where we will be in the future,” Naugle said. “Her greatest accomplishments are still in the future.”
Although the clinic, as well as the foundation, is still young, Director Wade, Director Naugle and the entire staff of researchers, medical professionals, foundation members and contributors look to the future and keep the momentum going in Summitt’s honor.
