Honoring Legacy…

Advancing Excellence In Nursing

The Delores A. Threatt Foundation (DATF) is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to advancing excellence in Critical, Cardiac and Emergency care by providing need and merit based scholarships to nursing students who anticipate specializing in these areas.

The foundation honors the legacy of Delores Angeline Threatt, who spent the majority of her career in critical care nursing at the world renowned UC San Diego Regional Burn Center Hillcrest and prior to retiring, as a case manager with Scripps Healthcare in Chula Vista California. She offered skilled care, service and compassion to the many patients whom she encountered throughout her wonderful career. 

At 83, Delores suffered a fall in her bathroom and was hospitalized with bruised ribs and fluid in her lungs. Two days later, her husband was informed that she had suffered a brain hemorrhage and without surgery, she would likely pass away. Given surgery represented significant risks, including cognitive impairment, her husband made the heartbreaking decision not to pursue surgery. She passed away four days later on October 1, 2025.

What remains deeply troubling to her family are the circumstances surrounding the onset and subsequent discovery of her hemorrhage. Despite her fall, it appears some basic tests were not performed when she initially arrived in the emergency room nor during her time before the hemorrhage was identified. There were also concerns about whether her blood pressure was adequately monitored and if appropriate observation occurred after being given cognitive medications after showing signs of lethargy.

Her family will never know whether earlier recognition or different clinical interventions could have changed the outcome. What they do know is that the experience underscored how critical it is to have highly trained, attentive and experienced healthcare professionals able to recognize subtle changes in a patient’s condition and who advocate for timely evaluation and intervention.

That lesson became part of the inspiration for the Delores A. Threatt Foundation.

Through scholarships and career support, The Delores A. Threatt Foundation invests in the professional advancement of nurses pursuing specialty certification in critical, cardiac and emergency care — helping experienced nurses strengthen their expertise and helping to ensure that patients receive highly skilled care when it matters most.

None of us know when someone we love, care about or even ourselves might need the particularly specialized nursing care that Delores needed. Whatever each of us can do to help nurses who are willing to take on the substantial additional education, training and cost to be there when their knowledge, skills and experience are most needed will absolutely make a difference to the lives of patients and their families.