University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health in Bel Air announced the largest philanthropic donation in its history: a $20 million gift from Danny and Gail Jones.

The owners of auto dealership Jones Junction presented the donation to Upper Chesapeake on Saturday at the health system’s biennial Starnight Gala at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, according to a news release. The event raised more than $1 million in funding for Cancer LifeNet, a program in the hospital’s Kaufman Cancer Center that provides support to residents of Harford, Cecil and northern Baltimore counties.

“You are only here for a short period of time, and you have to do what you can, while you can, to help the community. We do that through our business every day and so do the incredible team members at UM UCH,” Danny Jones said in the news release. “This hospital system is so important, and we don’t know how the community would survive without it. We are pleased to support UM Upper Chesapeake Health because it provides quality health care to our community — our friends and neighbors.”

The donation from the Jones estate is expected to support both behavioral and mental health programs, as well as primary care programs, according to the release.

This week, a new sign is slated to be installed on the exterior of the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, declaring the hospital’s bed tower the “Danny and Gail Jones Tower.” The primary care center will also be renamed the Danny and Gail Jones Primary Care Program at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. That signage is expected to be installed later.

According to the release, the Joneses, who are third-generation owners of Jones Junction, have donated a total of $1 million to Upper Chesapeake Health during the last two decades. Their first gift went to the campaign to build the medical center in Bel Air. Since then the pair has funded Cancer LifeNet and the Senator Bob Hooper House in Forest Hill.

“I was thrilled and humbled at the same time that the Joneses would want to direct their treasure towards Upper Chesapeake Health, and really to give back to the community,” Elizabeth Wise, president and CEO of UM UCH said in an interview. “It’s just an honor for me to be the leader of an organization where we have people in the community who want to give back and have a living legacy of support for our programs.”

Wise said that the $20 million donation would help patients with behavioral or mental health needs connect with behavioral health consultants in the medical center’s primary care program, allowing patients to have increased access to the services that they need.

The Starnight Gala also celebrated the opening of the UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center Aberdeen campus, as well as two additions to the Bel Air campus: a 75,000-square foot bed tower, and Pavilion 3, which will provide outpatient surgery and advanced specialty services, according to the release.

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