Partners N E WS F R O M L MH HE A LTH F O U NDATI ON
Summer 2026
Support grows for LMH Health Heart Center; gala secures $500,000 Over the past year and a half, donors, patients and friends have come together to support the planned expansion and renovation of the LMH Health Heart Center. In May of last year, Lawrence residents Harry and Cindy Herington made a $5 million gift commitment to the LMH Health Foundation to support construction of a second heart cath lab, a larger and more modern physician clinic and increased access to new services such as electrophysiology and vascular services. “Advancements in cardiac services are a vital next step in [LMH Health’s] overall healthcare mission. Cindy and I feel fortunate that we can help support the expansion of the LMH Health Heart Center,” said Harry. On May 2 of this year, the Foundation hosted its biennial Hearts of Gold gala at the new KU Conference Center inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. University of Kansas men’s head basketball coach Bill Self shared special remarks with guests about his own cardiac event in July 2025. Coach Self talked about experiencing worrisome cardiac symptoms while golfing with friends. After a 911 call was made, paramedics assessed Coach Self’s
Drs. Luis and Christina Salazar with Cindy and Bill Self at the 2026 Hearts of Gold gala
An early exterior rendering of the expanded and renovated LMH Health Heart Center
condition and immediately transported him to LMH Health for further evaluation. Upon arrival at the hospital, Coach Self was brought to the LMH Health Heart Center for treatment in its cath lab. Two stents were inserted and he was released a few days later. “They got me to LMH and in the cath lab. Dr. [Chris] Larson and an unbelievable team was in there, and they told me everything went perfectly,” Coach Self said. “From the time that the EMTs were called to the time that they finished in the cath lab was 45 minutes. If I’d had to go somewhere else, you would probably — well, I don’t know what would’ve happened, but you’d probably be having another speaker tonight.” Hearts of Gold raised more than $500,000. All told, donors have provided more than $8.5 million to support the Heart Center initiative. Every gift matters as we continue building support toward the $25 million estimated total project cost.
You can support the Heart Center with your own gift by scanning this code or visiting lmh.org/donate.