Extraordinary Commitment by First-Time Boca Raton Regional Hospital Donors
 
June 3, 2021 – Boca Raton residents John and Jean Gerson have joined a long but exclusive list of seven-plus figure donors to Keeping the Promise…The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital with a commitment of $1 million. The Gersons’ gift brings the total raised for the campaign to $207 million, surging toward a goal of $250 million.
 
“The Gersons are first-time donors to the hospital, so there is no way to describe how grateful we are for their belief in this project, our vision, and Boca Regional,” said Lincoln Mendez, CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “We welcome them to our family and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them as our future takes shape right in front of us on campus.”
 
John Gerson is the President at KII Telecommunications based in Boca Raton, Florida, which consists of multiple leading U.S. and multi-national companies in the business of wireline, wireless, and cloud-based offerings.  Prior to that, John served as the Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer for Paladin Realty Partners. John also held the position of CFO at Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. for fifteen years.
 
“We are delighted the Gersons have joined our family of campaign donors,” said Stan Barry, co-chair of Keeping the Promise.  “Many new donors are moved and compelled by the momentum of the campaign, the sophistication of the medical care we increasingly demonstrate here, and our enormous commitment to the future of healthcare in the area. To engage as a seven-figure donor is a testament to their trust in that future.”
 
Keeping the Promise is the largest campaign in Boca Raton Regional Hospital history and is supporting its most ambitious period of growth and expansion ever.
 
The campus redevelopment plans include at the centerpiece, the new Gloria Drummond Patient Tower where patients will be welcomed in the inviting new Louis B. and Anne W. Green Lobby with plans for retail, dining, meeting space, a sanctuary, outdoor courtyards and other conveniences for visitors.  The new tower features all new surgical suites and all private patient rooms exceeding the latest safety standards for patient care. In the current hospital building, all existing rooms will be converted to private in a comprehensive renovation of all patient units including maternity, oncology, and orthopedics. An expansion of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute is well underway with emphasis on neurovascular/stroke, central nervous system tumors, spine, and epilepsy/seizure disorders. The recently opened 972-car Schmidt Family Parking Facility will be connected to the Marcus Neuroscience Institute once the new tower construction is complete. Also included in the plans is the new Toby and Leon Cooperman Pavilion, to be located across the street from the medical campus with an outpatient surgery center, physician offices and adjacent parking.  These investments are the initial steps toward an even broader vision for the campus with greater access points and even more specialties.
 
 
“We want to participate in this historic effort, and truly understand the need for the most progressive healthcare presence available in our backyard,” said Jean Gerson.  “From what we’ve seen, this hospital will be a model for others in Florida and elsewhere.
 
About Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation
The Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization for Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Boca Raton Regional Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals, nearly 23,000 employees, more than 4,000 physicians and more than 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.
 
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is supported by philanthropy to strengthen its mission to deliver the highest quality patient care, satisfaction and safety. If you would like to learn more about supporting the mission of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, visit our website at donate.brrh.com.
 
For more information, visit BRRH.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and  LinkedIn.
 


June 3, 2021 – Florida Blue, in partnership with New Directions Behavioral Health, is offering a free grief counseling hotline to anyone in need of emotional support following the recent shooting tragedies of the past week in South Florida. The hotline is open 24-hours a day to the entire community at no cost and will connect callers with trained, caring professionals who can help.

 
The toll-free helpline connects individuals with specially trained behavioral health counselors who can assist anyone experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety, trauma and grief.
 
24-Hour Toll-Free Helpline
Free Bilingual Emotional Support
833-848-1762
 
Licensed clinicians are available to speak to anyone in South Florida free of charge in both English and Spanish. The services are free to all Floridians, including those who do not have insurance or have coverage with another health plan and will be available as long as they are needed.
 
“Our community has had its fair share of tragedy, but this past week has been particularly difficult. When tragedies like we have seen happen, it can bring up a range of emotions such as anger, guilt, anguish, or even hopelessness,” said Penny Shaffer, Florida Blue Market President, South Florida. “Everyone processes tragedy in their own way, and we want to offer a resource to the South Florida community to help address their feelings after these tragic events.” 
 
About Florida Blue
Florida Blue, Florida’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, has been providing health insurance to residents of Florida for more than 75 years. Driven by its mission of helping people and communities achieve better health, the company serves more than 5 million health care members across the state. In total, Florida Blue and its affiliated companies serve more than 28 million people in 45 states. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
 
 
 


Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in the top 10% in the Nation for Patient Safety
 
June 3, 2021 – Aventura Hospital and Medical Center announced today that it has been recognized as a Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM recipient. This distinction places Aventura Hospital and Medical Center among the top 10% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. 
 
From 2017 through 2019, there were 190,273 potentially preventable patient safety events among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* And, if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to hospitals performing better than expected on each of 13 Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) evaluated by Healthgrades, on average, 106,052 patient safety events could have been avoided.* 
 
During this time frame, four patient safety indicators accounted for 72% of all patient safety events (collapsed lung, hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, pressure or bed sores and catheter-related bloodstream infections). Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average*:
•50.3% less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 
•60.3% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 
•66.5% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 
•65.4% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non- recipient hospitals.* 
 
“At Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, we live out our mission every day: ‘Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.’ We believe that clinical excellence and quality outcomes are at the cornerstone and foundation of delivering on our patient promise and commitment to excellence always in every action, every patient, every time.”, shared Trish Stephens, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Aventura Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Stephens adds that “Throughout the pandemic, our clinical teams built upon their strengths and quality focus and brought forth their astute clinical acumen, resiliency and commitment to delivering exceptional quality care while simultaneously remaining agile to advances at the forefront of COVID-19 treatments.”
 
“The importance of hospital quality is now at the forefront of consumer’s minds, especially as we continue to navigate COVID-19. We congratulate the recipients of the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award for their ongoing commitment to upholding the highest quality standards for their patients and communities,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. 
 
To achieve clinical excellence, Aventura Hospital and Medical Center has invested in well-trained clinical personnel to spearhead and lead its quality efforts.  The hospital has also implemented hospital-wide processes that mirror national best practices, lean six sigma methods, and a collaborative team approach across multi-disciplinary clinical specialties for hospital wide cascading. Aventura Hospital and Medical Center is one of Healthgrades 250 Best Hospitals in America (2021), one of Healthgrades 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery for Two Years in a Row (2021, 2020) and one of Healthgrades 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery for Two Years in a Row (2021, 2020).
 
During the study period (2017 through 2019), Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in patient safety within the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes—risk-adjusted patient safety indicator (PSI) rates—for 13 PSIs defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A 14th PSI is included in the evaluation – Foreign Objects Left in Body During a Surgery or Procedure – which is a “never” event and does not have an expected rate.
 
 
*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2020.0.1) to MedPAR data for years 2017 through 2019 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. 
 
About Aventura Hospital and Medical Center
Aventura Hospital and Medical Center provides highly specialized tertiary care services, including cardiac surgery, orthopedic and spine surgery, neurosurgery, surgical oncology and other complicated treatments or procedures. The facility has served the northern Miami-Dade County area since 1965 and today offers 467-licensed beds. Leveraging the latest technologies and treatment protocols and serving as a designated Level II Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center, Aventura Hospital meets both the elective and emergency healthcare needs of its neighboring communities and international visitors. As a State of Florida designated statutory teaching hospital, Aventura Hospital is also fulfilling a significant mission to educate and train future medical professionals with residency and fellowship programs in emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, anesthesiology, pulmonology and critical care, cardiology, gastroenterology, radiology, psychiatry, transitional year, pulmonary disease, infectious disease, podiatry, hospice and palliative care, and geriatrics. 
 
Aventura Hospital and Medical Center is a facility of HCA East Florida. HCA East Florida is the largest healthcare system in Eastern Florida and an affiliate of HCA Healthcare (HCA). HCA East Florida has 14 hospitals, multiple ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care centers, physician practices, and free standing emergency care facilities, as well as a supply chain center and an integrated regional lab. Together, HCA East Florida employs more than 18,000 employees and has more than 6,600 physicians on staff. For more information, visit HCAEastFlorida.com.
 
 
HCA EAST FLORIDA
Aventura Hospital and Medical Center + Highlands Regional Medical Center + JFK Medical Center + JFK Medical Center North Campus + Kendall Regional Medical Center + Lawnwood Regional Medical Center + Mercy Hospital + Northwest Medical Center + Palms West Hospital + Plantation General Hospital + Raulerson Hospital + St. Lucie Medical Center + University Hospital & Medical Center + Westside Regional Medical Center
 


June 1, 2021 — Gastro Health, a national leading medical group specializing in digestive and liver health, is expanding its presence to ten locations in Northern Virginia through a partnership with  two additional gastroenterology practices, Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates, P.C. (GHA) and Hong Gastroenterology, effective June 1, 2021.
 
This partnership also includes a majority ownership in the state-of-the-art endoscopy center, Northern Virginia Center for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; as well as an in-office endoscopy center, The Endoscopy Center, PLLC – which has the highest level of recognition provided by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. – bringing the total number of Gastro Health endoscopy centers to six in the Northern Virginia market. 
 
“We are pleased to continue to add quality GI care options in Northern Virginia through the addition of GHA and Hong Gastroenterology,” said Gastro Health CEO Joseph Garcia. “This partnership will strengthen the providers ability to provide high-quality care, ultimately benefitting patients in the community at large.”
 
Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates, located in Alexandria, VA, was founded in 1989 and consists of two board-certified gastroenterologists, Suresh Malhotra, M.D., FACP, AGAF, and Ronald Barkin, M.D. 
 
“This announcement is an exciting chapter for GHA as we join an industry leader, Gastro Health, with a shared passion for innovation and patient care,” said Dr. Malhotra, who has also served as chairman of the Gastroenterology Department at Inova Alexandria Hospital and clinical assistant professor of Medicine at Georgetown University. “Together, we look forward to delivering solutions that improve patient outcomes.” 
 
Hong Gastroenterology, located in Annandale, VA, has been serving Northern Virginia and the surrounding communities since 1996, specializing in the evaluation and management of a variety of gastrointestinal disorders and conditions.  
 
“I am looking forward to this transformative partnership with Gastro Health,” said Mu K. Hong, M.D., who previously participated in cancer research with the NIH’s National Cancer Institute. “This relationship will help us build upon our infrastructure to support our operations so that our staff can dedicate more time to our patients.” 
 
This latest acquisition by Gastro Health marks the continuation of a rapid growth and expansion period through a series of mergers and acquisitions within the single-specialty gastroenterology sector over the last two years. Gastro Health supports practices in Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland with over 100 locations consisting of medical office practices, infusion centers, imaging services and a specialty pharmacy. Additionally, Gastro Health owns and operates endoscopy centers in five of the six states.
 
 
About Gastro Health
Gastro Health is one of the leading gastroenterology platforms in the United States supporting practices in Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington. Gastro Health strives to provide outstanding medical care and an exceptional healthcare experience. The Gastro Health care teams utilize technology, clinical expertise, and compassionate care to provide a personalized approach to digestive health and overall wellness. Learn more at GastroHealth.com.
 


June 1, 2021 – Beginning Wednesday, June 2, Golisano Children’s Hospital’s new Mobile Pediatric Vaccination Clinic will be traveling to schools in Lee County. 
 
The mobile unit will be set up at schools through the summer in case parents would like to get their children vaccinated at those locations. Receiving the vaccine is completely optional.
 
The Mobile Pediatric Vaccination Clinic is tailored especially for children. It’s staffed with a pediatric registered nurse to administer the vaccine. A special Pain Ease spray is on-hand to put on the injection site to alleviate any discomfort or fear of needles that kids sometimes have. Also, the mobile vaccination unit has a pharmacist, EMT or paramedic, and customer service team to assist in the process.
There is no cost for the COVID-19 vaccine.  
 
The first school stop will be at Three Oaks Middle School for students and their older siblings. The clinics at Three Oaks will take place on Wednesday, June 2, Thursday, June 3, and Friday, June 4 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. A parent or authorized guardian must accompany a minor for vaccination. After receiving the vaccine, students will be required to wait in the vaccination area for 15 minutes to be monitored for any adverse reactions.
The second dose will be scheduled during this appointment.
 
The Mobile Pediatric Vaccination Clinic is walk-up only. Additional school stops will be announced at a later date.
Anyone 12 years old and older can receive their COVID-19 vaccine at no cost at Lee Health’s Community Vaccination Clinic, which is at Gulf Coast Medical Center. For more information, visit www.leehealth.org.
 
About Lee Health
Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a health care leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated health care services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Staffed by caring people, inspiring health, services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices and other services across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.