Bunger & Robertson gift ensures best care close to home

Giving back is the motto that Bloomington-based law firm Bunger & Robertson has lived by for nearly three quarters of a century.

“We’ve always wanted to support our local community and be good corporate neighbors,” reflects Bunger & Robertson Partner Jim Whitlatch. “That’s what good organizations do — they get involved and they make a difference.”

And that is exactly what Bunger & Robertson’s most recent gift in support of the new IU Regional Academic Health Center at IU Health Bloomington will do — it’s going to make a difference in the lives of nearly 500,000 south central Hoosiers by ensuring they have access to the best healthcare close to home.

The 720,000-square-foot facility, set to open later this year, will offer next-level trauma care, oncology services, mental wellness programs and more.

The law firm’s gift will also be made in honor of one of its founding partners — Len Bunger — who cultivated the relationship with IU Health when Bunger & Robertson opened in 1949.

After Len’s passing, Whitlatch carried on the charge to support the hospital through its evolution over the years. Through it all, Whitlatch understood the critical role the hospital, and eventually the entire IU Health system, played in the communities it served.

As a legal counsel, a Bloomington resident, and at times, a patient, Whitlatch has witnessed the high standard of quality care provided by IU Health Bloomington.

“They always make me feel very welcome,” Whitlatch says. “And they provide excellent care. It's nice to have that comfort.”

The outstanding care Whitlatch received also inspired him to personally give. Alongside Bunger & Robertson, his own foundation will support the development of the new IU Health Bloomington — enabling even more Hoosiers to receive the same level of comfort he did as a patient.

If you’d like to get involved in supporting IU Health Bloomington, please contact IU Health Foundation Philanthropy Director Diane Buzzell or IU Health Foundation Senior Development Officer Emily Trinkle.