Memorial Foundation and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation provide philanthropic support to the Memorial Healthcare System, ensuring the ongoing availability of the highest quality of healthcare services to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

With the goal of improving the health status of the community they serve, both foundations rely on the generous support of individuals, corporations and other foundations who faithfully contribute and support in many ways. Their commitment to a healthy community extends beyond the Memorial Healthcare System campus, providing world-class healthcare to all individuals and families in South Florida.

In 2007, the Foundations together raised more than $8 million. Contributions to the Foundations provide a level of support not possible through public funding alone, allowing Memorial to expand facilities, purchase equipment and provide support services. The following are some of the programs and services that positively impact the community:

Kevin Janser, Vice President and Executive Director, Memorial Healthcare Foundation and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation

Conine Clubhouse

The Conine Clubhouse, named in honor of former Florida Marlins player and World Series champion Jeff Conine, is a free-of-charge “home away from home” for families with hospitalized children. To date, Jeff, his wife Cindy and their committee have raised more than $2 million toward the day-to-day operations of the Clubhouse through the annual Conine All-Star Golf Classic. In 2007, the event attracted numerous celebrity golfers and dedicated sponsors, raising more than $200,000.

Love Jen Fund

The Love Jen Fund helps families manage the financial and emotional challenges of caring for a child with cancer. Donations support non-medical services and programs not covered by insurance, living expenses for families in crisis, assistance for loved ones with emotional issues, and the cost of transportation, medication and pharmaceuticals. In 2007, the Love Jen Family Festival raised more than $110,000 for the Love Jen Fund in 2007.

Memorial Classic

The signature event of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation consists of a memorabilia auction and the Joe DiMaggio Legends Game. This event raised more than $1 million toward the future construction of a new Pediatric Oncology Unit at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

Diamond Angels Gala

The Diamond Angels is a prestigious volunteer membership organization of women who support the work of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. In 2006, the Third Annual Diamond Angels Gala raised more than $285,000 toward the future construction of a new pediatric oncology unit at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

Other events benefiting Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation included the Annual Christmas Toys in the Sun Run, which supplies toys for needy children as well as dollars for the new Pediatric Trauma Center; the KISS Cares for KIDS Radiothon; and the Excalibur Classic.



Broward General Medical Center is pleased to announce Dr. Kenneth Herskowitz as the new medical director of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at The Heart Center of Excellence.

Dr. Herskowitz has performed more than 4,000 cardiac surgical procedures. He specializes and is well recognized in the areas of minimally invasive aortic and mitral valve surgery and beating heart bypass surgery. Dr. Herskowitz is a leader in thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm stent surgery and peripheral vascular surgery at Broward General Medical Center.

Dr. Herskowitz has served as assistant professor of clinical surgery, division of cardio thoracic surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial and Chief of Cardio Thoracic Surgery at Veterans Administration Hospital in Miami. He has been practicing in the Fort Lauderdale area for 10 years and has lectured and conducted research in a number of areas and has an extensive list of published articles and presentations.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Herskowitz completed a surgical internship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and a fellowship in surgical metabolism at the University of Florida/Shands Medical Center. He was also resident and chief resident in cardiothoracic surgery at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.



28 Mercy Hospital physicians appear on the Best Doctors in America® list for 2007-2008. This widely respected list, created by Best Doctors, Inc., results from exhaustive polling of over 40,000 physicians in the United States. Doctors in over 400 subspecialties of medicine appear on this year’s list. In a confidential review, current listees answer the question, “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer?”

Best Doctors, Inc. evaluates the review results, and verifies additional information to meet inclusion criteria. The experts that are part of the Best Doctors in America® database provide the most advanced medical knowledge to patients with serious conditions. Mercy Hospital’s group of experts listed in the database includes world-class specialists in Orthopaedic Surgery, Internal Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology.



Dorrie Aber-Noyek first became a volunteer at Memorial Regional Hospital because she wanted to do whatever she could to help. That was 33 years ago and, now, at the age of 101, the Hallandale resident has logged thousands of hours of volunteer service.

Every Thursday morning, Dorrie arrives like clockwork to deliver the mail throughout four floors of the hospital. “She moves faster than many of us half her age,” joked David Reinmund, Director of Volunteer Services for the Memorial Healthcare System’s Eastern Operations. “We are very lucky to have her as a part of our team. ”

Volunteer Dorrie Aber-Noyek receives 100th birthday congratulations from David Reinmund, Director of Volunteer Services, Eastern Operations, and Debbie Tedder, Chief Nursing Officer, Memorial Regional Hospital.

Dorrie says she really enjoys her time as a volunteer “courier” and feels that just as much as she has given, she has gotten back much more. One of the big benefits, according to Dorrie, is the people she has gotten to know through the years and the friends she has made. Many of them came out to celebrate her 100th birthday last year at the hospital.

Volunteers of All Ages

Throughout the Memorial Healthcare System, there are more than 1,000 volunteers on record at any time. While a majority are retired adults like Dorrie, there also are large groups of teens and college students.

Among the long-time volunteers are even a number of couples. They play an integral role in day-to-day operations by handling the refreshment cart, delivering mail, working the information center and even bringing in their dogs as part of Memorial Regional Hospital’s Pet Therapy program.

That’s the point, according to Reinmund. “We want all of our volunteers to feel like they’re a part of our professional healthcare team,” he said. “They are here to do what’s right for our patients and their families.”



Let’s face it. Managed care is squeezing the bottom line out of most medical practices. At the same time, one of the largest operating expenses for a doctor’s practice is rent. Focusing all of your time on increasing your income is only half of the battle. Reducing your operating expenses can also increase your bottom line. Managing expenses in your practice starts with creating a well thought-out, efficient physical platform within which to operate your practice. A well designed layout not only saves money, but enables you to deal in volume without compromising the quality of service you offer your patients.

In order to minimize the cost of your rent, you should only need to lease just enough space that you absolutely need. The waiting room and treatment rooms should be relatively small. For example, if an office is 2,000 square feet, an efficient layout could shave 20%, or 400 square feet, a possible savings of $15,000 annually.

The waiting room should be designed to accommodate 15 to 20 square feet per patient and should be designed to make patients feel comfortable. The seating of the waiting room should be asymmetrical. Patients feel uncomfortable sitting in a circle, facing each other. There should be seating areas, visual barriers, and there should be a permanent exposure of the office and reception area to the waiting area, allowing patients to view the physical activity of the medical staff while in the waiting room. There should also be visual movement within the waiting room, such as closed captioned, flat screen televisions, motion art, or calming, visual-sound devices.

The treatment room should be designed to make the patient feel comfortable, preventing the feeling of being claustrophobic. For example, the treatment room doors leading to the corridor should be French doors, but frosted for privacy. The treatment room ceilings should be painted a lighter color. The lighting should be soft and facing the ceiling. These features create the illusion of height and space, with a calming ambiance. Also, the corridors should have sconces with the lighting facing the ceiling.

A significant amount of attention should be focused on designing a file storage area that is as efficient as possible. The file storage area is merely storage and not income producing space, though it is essential for any medical operation. So, maximizing the utilization of the file storage space reduces the practitioner’s rental space. Therefore, a practitioner should seek professional assistance in designing and constructing file storage systems.

Savitar Realty Advisors owns almost 3 million square feet of office and medical space in six states and understands how critically important it is to have a very efficient, well thought-out design that is suited for the particular needs and operations of a tenant. One of Savitars’ holdings is a medical office building and known as the University Medical Plaza and is located in front of the University Hospital in Tamarac, Florida. Savitar bought this medical building two years ago, completely renovated it, and is offering it for lease to the medical community. Savitar gutted an empty space on the first floor and reconstructed it, creating an efficient, though generic, layout for a wide variety of medical users.

Chances are your practice will be situated in a space for at least five to ten years. (At the University Medical Plaza, many medical practices have been located at the University Medical Plaza for more than twenty years.) Therefore, it is critically important to invest time and some money upfront to create the most efficient and productive design of your office space that dovetails with your practice.