Honoring a Life. Inspiring the Future.
“He never asked about the crime, he only treated the patients.”
— Mary Paris
For Joseph E. Paris, compassionate care wasn’t conditional. Every patient deserved dignity, respect, and the highest standard of health care—regardless of the circumstances that brought them into a correctional setting.
That unwavering commitment to putting people first is the legacy he left behind.
Today, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of an anonymous donor, Dr. Paris’ legacy will continue to inspire future generations through the Joseph E. Paris Endowment Fund. Created in his honor, the endowment will establish a premier memorial lecture dedicated to advancing education in correctional health care while ensuring that his passion for learning, teaching, and compassionate patient care lives on.
It is a remarkable gift that accomplishes two meaningful goals: honoring an extraordinary individual and investing in the future of the profession he loved.
As we recognize National Make-A-Will Month, Dr. Paris’ story is a powerful reminder that legacy is about much more than what we leave behind. It is about the values we pass forward, the opportunities we create for others, and the difference we continue to make.
Every scholarship awarded, every educational program developed, every mentor who shares their experience, and every future professional inspired by the Joseph E. Paris Memorial Lecture becomes part of that continuing impact.
The NCCHC Foundation is honored to partner with FreeWill to offer a complimentary online estate planning resource that allows anyone to create or update a legally valid will at no cost. There is never an expectation to include the Foundation in your plans. But for those who choose to do so, a planned gift can create opportunities to strengthen correctional health care through education, workforce development, and research for years to come.
That generosity is already making a significant impact. Last year alone, supporters committed more than $669,000 in planned estate gifts to the Foundation, helping ensure that opportunities to educate, inspire, and prepare tomorrow’s correctional health care workforce will continue for generations.
What Will Your Legacy Be?
A legacy can take many forms: mentoring a new professional, funding a scholarship, supporting education and research, or remembering the Foundation in your estate plans. Every act of generosity can help shape what comes next.
Because a legacy isn’t measured only by what we leave behind. It’s measured by the lives we continue to touch.
Leave a Legacy. Shape Tomorrow.
Through the NCCHC Foundation’s partnership with FreeWill, you can create or update your will at no cost. As you make plans for the people and causes that matter most to you, we invite you to consider how your legacy might help shape the future of correctional health care.
