Providence Health & Services, a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare system based in Portland, Oregon, has announced a $75 million gift from Phil and Penny Knight in support of innovation and advances in cardiac services, including a transplant program, at its Providence Heart Institute.

The institute provides more than fifteen thousand patients a year with clinical care, research, and prevention and wellness services and, according to Providence Health, is the most robust cardiac program between Seattle and San Francisco. The gift is among the largest ever made to a community hospital and surpasses a $25 million gift the Knights made to Providence Health in 2014. The transplant program is slated to start up within the year.

"We are proud of our physicians and caregivers, whose unwavering commitment has led to our recognition as a premier cardiac center," said Dan Oseran, executive medical director of the institute. "We are honored by the gifts from Phil and Penny Knight and our many donors whose belief in Providence Heart Institute helps us build on our long tradition of excellence. We are deeply grateful for our patients who choose Providence to serve them."

"This is not about prestige or competition or money," said Lisa Vance, CEO of Providence Health & Services Oregon. "It's about vulnerable people and families who need quality care close to home. We feel that we are in a unique position to deliver that care."