Rendering Of Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — The co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot is changing the landscape of medical care in South Florida through a $25-million donation to Boca Raton Regional Hospital. The gift is the largest gift ever in the history of the hospital. The announcement was made this morning. Here is the official media release:
In what is the largest, single philanthropic gift in the institution’s history, Boca Raton Regional Hospital has received a $25 million grant from the Marcus Foundation to create the Marcus Neuroscience Institute on the Hospital’s main campus. The facility will serve as a new, state-of-the-art nexus of care for neurologic and neurosurgical patients and transform the landscape of clinical capabilities available in the region.
The gift was initiated by Bernie Marcus, Chairman of the Marcus Foundation and co-founder and former CEO of The Home Depot, and his wife Billi. Now residents of Boca Raton, Florida, the Marcuses are noted philanthropists whose largess has benefited myriad causes including the Marcus Autism Center for children with brain and developmental disorders, the Grady Health System in Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and the Marcus Community Bridge Program at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta to assist patients with spinal cord and brain injuries as they return to their homes, workplaces and communities.
“We have long tried to help those involved in caring for individuals with neurological disease or impairment, on both a pediatric and adult basis,” said Mr. Marcus. “Our plan at Boca Regional is to meld the best in physician skill with the finest technology and a marvelous facility to provide a center of excellence in the neurosciences that is unparalleled in Florida.”
Recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reveal that with an aging population one of the largest anticipated needs in healthcare will be in the neurosciences including the treatment of vascular diseases of the brain such as stroke and transient ischemic attack, Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and malignant and benign brain tumors.
The 52,000 square-foot facility will house a 22-bed Neuro Intensive Care and Step-Down unit. The rooms, all of which are private, will be equipped with special monitoring capabilities that provide vital information on both the patient’s neurological and cardiovascular functions. Each of the rooms features an abundance of natural lighting and an antechamber where family members can stay during the patient’s hospitalization, as both of these factors have been shown to positively influence recovery in neurological conditions.
Technology at the Institute will be state-of the-art and provide clinicians with capabilities that are the gold standard in neurological and neurosurgical care.
The Institute will contain two dedicated operating rooms, each equipped with intraoperative MRI and CT scanners. These technologies provide real-time scans during all stages of a procedure, ensuring greater accuracy and patient safety.
A Flash CT scanner will be an important component of the radiologic capabilities offered at the Institute. This imaging technology provides high-quality scans in virtually seconds and at very low radiation dosages. Its speed is invaluable in the neurosciences where time is critical in the recognition and treatment of such conditions as stroke and brain aneurysm.
Another distinctive feature of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute will be its Biplane Angiography Suite. The second such suite at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, it is crucial in the diagnosis and care of a host of neurological conditions. With this technology, physicians can produce highly detailed, three-dimensional images simultaneously from two regions of the head, from front-to-back and side-to-side. This superior visualization greatly enhances diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities and significantly reduces the time to complete a neurological angiogram.
The Institute’s medical staff will include highly experienced and qualified clinicians in all facets of the neurosciences including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurointerventionalists, a neuropsychologist and a Research Director. The Executive Medical Director position of the Institute will be filled through a recently initiated national search of prominent physicians in the neurosciences.
The staff will also include three neurointensivists, physicians who are specially trained in neurocritical care. Recent studies have demonstrated that neuro intensive care units utilizing a neurointensivist-led team see lower mortality rates, shorter lengths of stay and a decrease in discharges to nursing homes.
A robust clinical research component will be a feature of the Institute and collaborate extensively with scientists at Florida Atlantic University, especially its Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center.
Patients at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute will also benefit from its synergistic relationship with Boca Regional’s Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute (LCI), offering patients with neurologic malignancies the most advanced radiation and medical oncology therapies available in the Institute’s renowned and award-winning facility. The combination of LCI with the Marcus Neuroscience Institute on the Boca Regional campus will make for a tandem of facilities, programs and services that is among the first in the nation.
“This is a watershed day for the advancement of the neurosciences in Florida and beyond,” said Jerry Fedele, President and CEO at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “The Marcus Foundation’s magnificent commitment will allow the creation of an institute that will be sought out not only by those in need of the most sophisticated levels of care but also by those who have the ability, training and experience to deliver that care. The benefits of this generosity will be felt by generations of patients and professionals alike.”
Development of clinical programs within the Marcus Neuroscience Institute will commence immediately and include such areas as movement disorders, neuro-oncology, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
About Boca Raton Regional Hospital – Medicine. Redefined.
Born out of community need in 1967, Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced tertiary medical center (www.brrh.com) with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The Hospital is a recognized leader in oncology, cardiovascular disease and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, women’s health and emergency medicine, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a Joint Commission Designated Primary Stroke Center.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™ and is ranked by HealthGrades® as: #1 in Florida for overall cardiac services and cardiac surgery, #1 in Florida for treatment of stroke, #2 in Florida for gastrointestinal services and #3 in Florida for gastrointestinal medical treatment.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is also recognized in U.S. News Media & World Report’s 2011 – 2012 Best Hospitals listing as a top ranked hospital in the South Florida metropolitan area.
