One of the leading healthcare services providers in the region, Leon Medical Centers, has invested in the future of the industry by making a $5 million donation to Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed school of nursing. The donation also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the school of nursing which opened its doors in 1962.
The school will also be renamed the Benjamin Leon School of Nursing at Miami Dade College. More importantly, the donation will fund a cohort of ten nursing students per year at the school for a period of 10 years to bolster Leon Medical Centers’ workforce and the industry’s.
The United States is facing a critical shortage of nurses, with no sign of abating. The problem is especially severe in South Florida. The Leon gift will go a long way in mitigating these hurdles in the region’s healthcare industry.
“I cannot think of many other institutions that have positively impacted as many lives in our community as Miami Dade College,” said Benjamin Leon III, President & CEO of Leon Medical Centers and MDC Trustee. “This is our way of thanking this fine institution and encouraging it to continue building a better community through education and opportunity.”
Leon Medical Centers selected MDC because of its shared commitment to medical excellence and to the community both organizations serve.
“This donation is one more step in our commitment to medical excellence and our commitment to our community. You can’t have medical excellence without having exceptionally prepared and professional nurses. They are the frontline of medical excellence,” said Benjamin Leon Jr., Chairman and Founder of Leon Medical Centers. “We are fortunate to have many MDC School of Nursing graduates serving the patients of Leon Medical Centers and with this donation look forward to having many more. “
“We are extremely grateful and pleased with the generosity of the Leon family. They have raised the bar of civic engagement and giving for all to follow,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College. “Thanks to their gift, we will take our already nationally renowned School of Nursing to even greater heights and, more importantly, expand our impact in the community.”
