NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital announced today that it is embarking on an unprecedented capital campaign to create one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in the country. The campaign, which aims to raise $1 billion and has already raised a stunning $568 million, will help bring the latest medical innovations and technology to New York’s foremost health care institution.
Funds raised will be invested to strengthen the treatment of cancer, heart disease and neurological illness and will support two state-of-the-art sites, the SMART Complex, a facility for advanced research and therapeutics, and the Heart Hospital. Together these will provide comprehensive and unmatched services in the areas of cardiology, neuroscience, oncology, radiology, surgery, vascular and emergency services. The campaign is being chaired by Jerry I. Speyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tishman Speyer Properties. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the largest health care facility in New York and the second oldest in the country.
“We are thrilled to announce the kick-off of our $1 billion capital campaign, and are immensely gratified that generous donors have already gotten us halfway to our goal,” said Dr. Herbert Pardes, President and Chief Executive Officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. “We intend to create a hospital that transforms the experience of our patients and has a tremendous impact on our city.”
“I am pleased to participate in the launch of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s capital campaign, which will help bring the latest medical innovations to what many of us regard as New York City’s foremost healthcare institution,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “This is a hospital that treats more than a million New Yorkers along with people from around the world. It is a guardian in times of emergency, a beacon for people seeking humane care, and an innovator in the fight against disease. It is crucial for us to continue to do our part to raise the necessary funds to bridge the gap between technology and state-of-the-art health care.”
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which was formed by the merger of The New York Hospital and the Presbyterian Hospital, is heir to some of the major medical breakthroughs of the past 200 years. The hospital was the first to use the smallpox vaccine and the first to open a Children’s Hospital. More recently, among many revolutionary innovations, NewYork-Presbyterian was the first American hospital performing heart and lung robotic surgery and the first to use gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
During its initial “quiet phase,” the campaign already attracted 26 donors who have given $5 million or more and 102 donors who have given $1 million or more. In addition, the campaign is fueled by other initiatives, including the recent major philanthropic effort to build the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital led by John Mack, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Generous donations include the following:
* A $50 million gift from Corinne and Maurice Greenberg and the Starr Foundation for the SMART Complex (detailed above). * A pledge of $50 million, from Florence and Herbert Irving, to the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at the hospital’s Columbia University Medical Center. * A commitment of $25 million from Phyllis and David Komansky to name the Phyllis and David Komansky Children’s Service at the Hospital’s Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Today’s campaign launch, entitled A Day of Prevention, A Night of Discovery, started the day with free health fairs held around New York City in which physicians, nurses and other hospital personnel provided adults and children with health screenings, seminars and information on the benefits of preventive health care. The health fairs were offered in Washington Heights, Harlem, the Upper East Side, Inwood, and Long Island City, as well as Rockefeller Center.
The Day of Prevention will be followed by A Night of Discovery evening gala at Cipriani 42nd Street that showcased the hospital’s plans for new facilities and new technology, featuring architectural models for the planned facilities and several cutting-edge surgical and imaging machines. Leading physicians will be on hand to describe the various uses of the machines and answer any questions related to their fields. Mayor Bloomberg will attend the event and give brief remarks, as will leading members of the hospital.
NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital -- based in New York City -- is the largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital in the country, with 2,397 beds. It provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory, and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, The Allen Pavilion, and The Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive healthcare institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education, and community service. It consistently ranks as one of the top hospitals in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s guide to 15 major teaching hospitals, and in many other leading surveys. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the country’s leading medical colleges: Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.
The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System -- which includes acute-care and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes -- is committed to providing high-quality, cost- effective, and conveniently accessible care to communities throughout the tri- state metropolitan region. The System serves one in four patients in the New York metropolitan area.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
CONTACT: Maya Israel of Rubenstein Communications, Inc.,+1-212-843-8003, +1-917-445-0183 for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
