Dolly Parton ‘so excited’ to have hospital renamed in her honour

Dolly Parton has expressed her delight over a hospital being renamed in her honour.

On Thursday, the country music icon announced that East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee is to be known as Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital from now on.

“I’ve always believed that every child deserves a fair chance to grow up healthy, hopeful, and surrounded with love. Now, that belief is what brought me together with the incredible folks at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital,” she said in a video message shared via Instagram. “For nearly 90 years, their teams have provided compassionate and talented care. They see children not just as patients, but as precious lives. Each with a story, and a future… I am so excited to share, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is becoming… guess what? Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital. Yay!”

Dolly went on to ask fans to consider supporting the medical centre too.

“I can’t do it all myself! I’m going to need you. So, when we come together for our children, there’s no limit to what we can do. To learn more or to get involved, visit DollyChildrens.org,” the 80-year-old continued.

And Matt Schaefer, president and chief executive officer of Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, thanked the Tennessee native for her ongoing commitment to the independent hospital.

“This is more than a name change,” he insisted. “With Dolly’s support, we are strengthening our mission to deliver world-class paediatric care to families, ensuring every child who walks through our doors receives the treatment they deserve.”

The news comes around five months after the Jolene hitmaker revealed she would be postponing a string of upcoming Las Vegas concerts as she had been “dealing with some health challenges”.