Children

You no doubt know how much Steve loved his own children. He showered Cooper and Katie with love that continues to give them strength and that will multiply as they grow and create their own families.

Steve shared similar love for all children -- our nieces and cousins, our godchildren, our neighbors and friends. And for thousands of children he didn't necessarily meet but served through his work.

In 2000, when Steve was offered the job through Children's Medical Center of Dallas to start a clinic for underserved children, we both felt certain that he had found his calling. He was given the opportunity to combine his incredible technical and finance skills with his devotion to helping everyone have access to quality health care.

Physicians for Children was Steve's passion. The PFC team worked together to provide consistent, high-quality care for children who would otherwise wait hours in an emergency room or wait days for an appointment in a lesser clinic or perhaps not receive treatment at all.

Steve's dream was for the Dallas area to be dotted with PFC clinics.

There are currently four clinics open, and this week I learned that there are plans for two more this year and a commitment from Children's for even more in the next few years.

I am incredibly proud of Steve's legacy and the teams that continue to care for children and the teams that will be pulled together to take care of even more children.

I love that Cooper and Katie have a daddy who is a tremendous role model and an example of how one person, working with folks who are similarly dedicated, can affect big, positive change.

***

Just after Steve's death, the PFC board wrote a resolution to honor Steve's work. The signed, framed resolution has a prominent home in our family room. The text:

Steve Damm

Administrator and Friend

September 9, 200

Whereas, Steve Damm joined Children's Medical Center of Dallas in 2000, and was hired as the first administrator for Physicians for Children to oversee the development of the Bachman Lake Clinic and develop the Physicians for Children model; and

Whereas, Steve Damm was recognized for his technological expertise by many throughout the Children's Medical Center of Dallas organization, which created immense efficiencies in numerous departments, including setting up the billing system, electronic medical records, and physician and clinic credentialing with the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare partnership for Physicians for Children; and

Whereas, As a result of his outstanding contributions, for the past several years, Physicians for Children Bachman Lake clinic has consistently provided over 30,000 visits annually to a population that is 95% Spanish-speaking and 96% Medicaid/CHIP/Uninsured, and by providing continuous access to primary care, Physicians for Children Bachman Lake has decreased unnecessary visits to the emergency room for thousands of Dallas children; and

Whereas, In his passing on September 7, 2009, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Physicians for Children and this community have suffered the irreparable loss of one its most devoted and respected administrators, whose dedicated spirit and significant work has touched the lives of thousands of families; and

Whereas, Because of the success of Physicians for Children Bachman Lake and the Physicians for Children model, additional Physicians for Children locations have opened in Carrollton, Plano and McKinney, and we hope to open many more Physicians for Children clinics in the future; and

Now Therefore Be It Resolved, to his family, we, the Medical and Administrative Staff and the Board of Directors of Physicians for Children, extend our sympathy, and knowing how we shall miss him, wish to express our deepest condolences to his family on their loss; and

Be It Further Resolved, in testimony of our great esteem for Steve Damm and his contributions to the access of pediatric primary healthcare for underserved children, unanimously present this resolution to his family as a lasting record of his great life and service.