APRIL 11, 2018
Boca Raton Regional Hospital plans a $260 million expansion, including a new seven-story patient tower. (Rendering courtesy of Boca Raton Regional Hospital)
BOCA RATON, FL – April 11, 2018 – Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH) has received a transformative $25 million gift from Elaine J. Wold and the Bay Branch Foundation, directed to the Hospital’s expansion and renovation initiative.
This commitment will name a new seven-story facility the Gloria Drummond Patient Tower to be built in addition to the existing inpatient structure. The tower will honor the memory of Gloria Drummond, founder of Boca Regional and a life-long friend of Mrs. Wold.
The new tower is part of a planned 278,000 square foot, $260 million transformation of BRRH that also includes an expanded and renovated Surgical Suite, an enhanced and expanded Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Medical Intensive Care Unit, a new Cardiovascular Intensive Care and Stepdown Unit, as well as increased private patient rooms and a parking garage.
Mrs. Wold is one of the nation’s leading philanthropists and a long-time BRRH supporter and donor. She most recently donated $10 million to construct the Hospital’s 37,500 square foot, state-of-the-art Gloria Drummond Physical Rehabilitation Institute, also named in memory of her friend. Previously, Mrs. Wold donated the funds to expand and modernize the Hospital’s Emergency Department, creating the Wold Family Center for Emergency Medicine, which treats more than 50,000 patients annually. She has supported various patient care initiatives at Boca Regional, and has donated to a number of community and national organizations.
Mrs. Wold’s friendship with Gloria Drummond spanned more than 40 years until Mrs. Drummond’s death in 2011. The 1962 deaths of Gloria’s children, Debbie and Randall, galvanized Mrs. Drummond and the community to raise funds to build a local hospital; Boca Raton Community Hospital opened in 1967. Mrs. Wold actively supports the Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League, which founded the Hospital, was its first philanthropic organization and coordinates its robust volunteer services.
“Elaine and Gloria were two determined and compassionate friends. Their shared desire to make a difference has had a profound impact on our community,” said Mark Larkin, President, BRRH Foundation. “Elaine’s generosity, and the generous support of so many others, has made Boca Regional all that it has become today…something I’m sure that Gloria never imagined but would make her so very proud and grateful.”
Mrs. Wold’s gift comes on the heels of $35 million in donations for the Hospital’s master facility plan from Stanley and Marilyn Barry, Christine E. Lynn, and Richard and Barbara Schmidt and the Schmidt Family Foundation. All three made their announcements on January 8, 2018 in one of the most profound displays of philanthropy in one day in the 50-year history of the Hospital. The Barrys are gifting $10 million, Mrs. Lynn’s gift totals $15 million, and the Schmidts are making a $10 million gift.
“These donors are setting the pace for others in our community in order to ensure outstanding, best-in-class healthcare in Boca Raton. We are tremendously grateful of their support,” said Jerry Fedele, Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s President and CEO.
About Boca Raton Regional Hospital – Advancing the boundaries of medicine.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced, tertiary medical center (BRRH.com) with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The Hospital is a recognized leader in Cardiovascular Care, Oncology, Women’s Health, Orthopedics, Emergency Medicine and the Neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Media Contact:
Thomas Chakurda, 561.955.3586
Vice President, Marketing
tchakurda@brrh.com
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