What began as a family’s tribute to a beloved nurse has grown into a lasting legacy that continues to save the smallest and most vulnerable lives in the community.
Tanner Health Foundation received a significant gift from the family of Dr. and Mrs. Jeff Tanner, Jr., to support the continued growth and future expansion of the Sally and John Tanner Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton.
The original NICU was made possible through a transformative gift from the Tanner family, honoring Sally Tanner, a lifelong nurse whose career spanned labor and delivery, postpartum care and lactation support.
Her son, Jeff Tanner, said the decision to support Tanner Health felt deeply personal and purposeful.
“When my father wanted to do something to honor my late mother, we talked over several options with him,” Tanner said. “Dad's principles for making the decision were clear: give where it would have the greatest impact, and in a way that would best honor mom's life. Mom was a labor and delivery nurse, then worked as a postpartum nurse. When she ‘retired,’ she became a lactation support nurse. So that's why we first reached out to Tanner, only to learn that they needed help to build a NICU.”
The family’s initial gift helped establish the NICU, bringing advanced neonatal care to the region for the first time. Shortly after opening, the family received a video of the unit’s first patients.
“When the video of the first patients — preemie twins and their parents — was sent to us, we all cried,” Tanner said. “This gift, this NICU, was proving to be such a great legacy for my parents.”
Since then, the need for neonatal intensive care has grown quickly. As more families rely on Tanner for specialized newborn care, the existing unit has reached capacity, prompting plans to expand and increase its ability to serve critically ill and premature infants.
In 2025 alone, 2,178 women delivered babies at Tanner Health, with 175 newborns requiring specialized care in the Sally and John Francis Tanner NICU. Some of the hospital’s tiniest patients remained in intensive care for more than three months, including one infant whose stay lasted 113 days. Families traveled as far as 104 miles to receive this level of care, underscoring both the growing regional demand and the critical role Tanner Health plays in supporting newborns and their families during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
For the Tanner family, the need feels especially close to home. Tanner and his wife, Karen, welcomed twin granddaughters this year.
“While they were full term and didn’t require a NICU stay, we were reminded of the first occupants of the Sally and John Tanner NICU,” Tanner said. “So now it is time to double the size of the NICU from its current capacity. It's time to step up again. We're so happy that we've got this opportunity to support an organization that serves women's and children's needs so well.”
The expansion will allow Tanner Health to care for more newborns requiring specialized monitoring, respiratory support and advanced medical intervention — reducing the need for families to travel long distances during already emotional and stressful times.
Community support will play a critical role in bringing the project to life. In addition to the family’s gift, proceeds from the second annual Tanner Polo Classic on Oct. 24, 2026, will further strengthen neonatal services and help position Tanner Health to meet increasing community demand for specialized newborn care.
Last year’s inaugural Tanner Polo Classic demonstrated the power of community-driven philanthropy, raising more than $650,000 for the Adams Heart Center at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton. Hosted at the farm of Steve Adams, a longtime member of Tanner Health’s board of directors, the event welcomed hundreds of community members for a day of sport, fellowship and charitable giving. Proceeds from the event supported lifesaving heart and vascular programs, establishing the Tanner Polo Classic as one of the region’s premier fundraising events and setting the stage for an even greater impact in its second year.
This year, the Tanner Polo Classic shifts its focus toward expanding neonatal intensive care, giving supporters the opportunity to directly impact the lives of newborns and families when they need it most.
“This is about more than bricks and mortar,” said Nichole Fannin, executive director of Tanner Health Foundation. “It’s about giving families hope, keeping babies close to home and honoring the legacy of caregivers like Sally Tanner, who devoted their lives to nurturing others.”
For more information about the second annual Tanner Polo Classic, contact foundation@tanner.org or call 770-812-9879.
To make a gift in support of the NICU program at Tanner, visit tanner.org/tanner-health-foundation/opportunities-to-help/nicu-fund.