Every year, employees at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Irving participate in a fundraising campaign to support the hospital. Earlier this year, their generosity resulted in nearly $56,000 being raised to help purchase the newest and most advanced version of a robot to assist with minimally invasive surgeries.

This advanced robot features haptic feedback, which allows surgeons to sense when its arms are optimally positioned. With this technology, surgeons can feel tissue and organs through the robot—much like they would with their own hands during traditional “open” surgery.

While employee gifts were generous and provided a strong start, the hospital needed slightly more than $3 million to purchase a new DaVinci 5 (DV5) model surgical robot. That’s where the Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation made a difference—by giving the difference. At its August meeting, the foundation’s board of directors voted to grant the remaining dollars needed, using investment earnings accumulated over the past
six years.

“I’m so proud of the Irving foundation’s board and how they joined with the hospital staff in giving to fund this robot. It’s possible we might have received enough from our system to purchase it, but it could have been a few years down the road because of all the capital needs across 52 other hospitals in our statewide health system. This is truly an example of how philanthropy—and wise investment of funds—enables us to bring new and technologically advanced equipment to our hospital so that patients can benefit today,” explained Foundation President John Drake.

Between October and November 2025, the DV5 surgical robot already was used to help more than 30 patients. The foundation is certain it also was used many times more before this issue of The Compass arrived in friends’ homes.