Shaping the Future of Pediatric Healthcare in Nevada | Annette Logan-Parker

Annette Logan-Parker

Founder & Chief Advocacy and Innovation Officer

At the core of Annette Logan-Parker’s journey lies a profound story of resilience, compassion, and unwavering determination. When your own child can be counted among those medically complex and vulnerable children battling for their health, and even their lives, you learn a few things – things that alter your view of the world, you receive real-life lessons not only on cultivating empathy and gratitude, but also on the principles of determination and advocacy- these lessons often start to guide your career and even how you live your life. This is how Annette’s story took a turn from a career as a nurse in corporate healthcare to the Founder of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation (C4K), Nevada’s only childhood cancer and rare disease center.

The challenges were daunting from the start. Annette found herself thrust into a perfect storm of suddenly navigation a catastrophic medical situation within a community known for its healthcare scarcity, battling not only her son’s rare and life-threatening condition but also the inadequacies of the southern Nevada fragmented healthcare system.

In a medically underserved community, options were scarce, and the prognosis delivered to Annette and her son was bleak – the potential of a lifetime of full-time care was a very real possibility.

Refusing to accept such a grim fate, Annette became her son’s fiercest advocate. She embarked on a relentless quest for answers, seeking second and third opinions, scouring research opportunities, all while navigating the complexities of a very broken medical system. With each surgery – twenty in total – she faced uncertainty head-on, embracing hope in the face of adversity.

And hope prevailed. After four arduous years, her son showed signs of improvement. His prognosis brightened, and his health began to rebound. Yet, underneath this unexpected and happy outcome lay a story of sacrifice and struggle. As a single parent with two boys, Annette exhausted every resource at her disposal, changing jobs multiple times to maintain insurance coverage, mortgaging her home, selling cherished possessions, and borrowing from family – all to ensure her son received the best possible care.

Despite the relief of her son’s recovery, Annette couldn’t rid herself of a lingering question: What about those without such resources? Her firsthand experience illuminated the harsh realities of healthcare disparities, where the business of medicine often dictated outcomes based on affordability, leaving many families without hope.

Driven by this profound sense of injustice, Annette took a bold step forward. In 2006, she left the comfort of corporate healthcare and founded Cure 4 The Kids Foundation at her kitchen table. With a mission to provide high-quality, research-focused medical treatment to children battling cancer and rare diseases, regardless of their socioeconomic status, Annette embarked on the journey to rewrite the narrative of pediatric healthcare in southern Nevada.

From those humble beginnings, Annette’s vision blossomed into Nevada’s premier childhood cancer and rare disease center. Fueled by her unwavering commitment to excellence, the foundation earned the prestigious Joint Commission Accreditation, ensuring the highest standards of care. Through the foundation’s Charity Care Program, Annette ensured that no child would be turned away for financial reasons, embodying her vision of equitable access to care for all.

However, Annette’s influence extended far beyond the confines of the clinic. Motivated by the intricacies of rare medical conditions and the insights gleaned from her son’s journey, she instilled a core value within her team: “The way we treat other people matters.” Whether through personally preparing breakfast for her initial start-up team or nurturing a culture of kindness and empathy, Annette’s leadership ethos revolves around compassion, understanding, and proactive encouragement.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Annette’s commitment to her team’s well-being shone brightly. Recognizing their deep concerns about food insecurity and health risks, she established a free food commissary within the building, and she prepared family-sized meals every weekend for her staff to take home to their families. This not only nurtured her team but also minimized their contact with the outside world, creating a safer environment for the vulnerable patients cared for at C4K.

Beyond the clinic’s walls, Annette’s advocacy knows no bounds. As Chair of the Nevada Rare Disease Advisory Council, she spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives to address the unique needs of those living with rare diseases in the state. Through innovative campaigns like the “while you wait” initiative, she sought to provide valuable data to state lawmakers, advocating for improved services and support for individuals and families affected by rare diseases.

As Annette transitions from her role as CEO to Chief Advocacy and Innovation Officer for C4K, her focus remains steadfastly on the future. Fueled by determination and passion, she tirelessly works to advance pediatric healthcare in Nevada, collaborating with her C4K team and the entire community to pioneer innovative solutions and amplify the voices of the vulnerable. In Annette Logan-Parker, the future of pediatric healthcare in Nevada is bright, leading with compassion, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. She is a formidable advocate, dedicated to ensuring that children in Nevada battling cancer and rare diseases receive top-notch medical care right in their hometown.