Chuck & Jay Ames
A Donor's Story
New Video
Feeling Grateful?
News: Advocate Story
Donors Make a Difference
Thanks to Philanthropy
|
Our community is home to The Heart Center affiliated with Duke University Health System, the first of its kind in the state of Florida and one of only four in the nation.
|
IRMC Foundation Receives $24 Million Transformational Gift for Cancer Care
|
|
Indian River Medical Center Foundation Chairman C. B. 'Jack' Rogers and Chairman-Elect Tony Woodruff take
great pride in announcing a combined gift of $24 million to support the medical center's plan for Excellence in
Cancer Care.
Bill and Marlynn Scully and Pat and Carol Welsh, the donors who have committed these funds so generously, have
been close personal friends and enthusiastic supporters of the medical center for years. With these landmark gifts,
Indian River Medical Center proudly establishes the Scully-Welsh Cancer Center, an affiliate of Duke Medicine.
The Scullys shared that their family has been touched multiple times by cancer, most recently with the loss of
Mr. Scully's brother John in September 2012. As they learned about the plan for cancer care at IRMC, they
considered the urgency of getting this new program up and running as quickly as possible. Their decision to invest
$12 million, then matched by Pat and Carol Welsh, allows the timetable for every aspect of the program to be
moved dramatically forward. With these gifts the Campaign for Excellence in Cancer Care has exceeded the $30
million mark, the original campaign goal.
When asked why he and his wife made this decision, Pat Welsh said, "Carol and I are pleased to invest in the
addition of vital clinical services to meet the healthcare needs of this unique community. We are very happy with
the progress that we've seen at IRMC in the past 10 years and glad to contribute when we can make a difference. It
is our strong hope that others will join us by investing in IRMC as it continually raises the bar in patient care."
Bill Scully notes, "Marlynn and I are very impressed with IRMC's strategy for cancer care excellence and want to
see the enhancements for the existing program in place as quickly as possible. While every aspect of the program is
critical for the care of cancer patients and their families, we are most excited to know that our support will attract
the best and the brightest in clinical talent and will allow patients in our community to have access to thousands of
clinical trials right here in Vero Beach."
These monumental gifts are truly transformational for the medical center and, in particular, to cancer care at IRMC.
President/CEO Jeffrey Susi said, "The Scullys and the Welshes are wonderful people and we have benefited
tremendously from their support of the medical center in the past. These amazing new gifts will catapult the
cancer program forward, greatly shortening the timeframe for development, and allow the community to benefit
from expanded services much sooner than anticipated."
The Scully and Welsh gifts, along with those committed to the campaign since it was kicked off in November 2012,
enable Indian River Medical Center to move full steam ahead with its plan. The funding allows for the immediate
design and construction of a new facility on the IRMC campus dedicated to the care of cancer patients, including
treatments such as radiation oncology and chemotherapy. It will also house the IRMC cancer care coordination
team and serve other needs of patients and their families via a patient resource library, a multimedia conference
center, a location for support groups and a healing garden. These gifts additionally provide for major advances in
cancer diagnosis and treatment technology and support an array of start up costs for the expanded cancer program.
Construction of the new Scully-Welsh Cancer Center at IRMC is expected to begin in 2014.
The Scullys and the Welshes have asked Indian River Medical Center Foundation to use their gifts to encourage
others to invest in the Excellence in Cancer Care program. Foundation Chairman Rogers and Chairman-Elect
Woodruff have in turn committed to the donors that their extraordinary generosity will accomplish just that.
A new campaign goal of $48 million will allow for a dramatic expansion of the original plan for clinical trials,
benefiting patients for whom standard protocols are no longer effective; renovation of the oncology inpatient unit
at Indian River Medical Center; and enhancements to other diagnostic and treatment capabilities.
Foundation Chairman Rogers observed, "The Scullys and the Welshes inspire all of us to think differently about
the potential for our cancer program as well as Indian River Medical Center as a whole. They are astute investors
and compassionate in their philanthropy. Our whole community benefits from this kind of transformational
thinking."
Chairman-Elect Woodruff stated, "I have known the Welshes and the Scullys for a very long time and am deeply
touched by their incredible show of support. Thanks to them and others who have been so very generous, we are
blessed to have an exceptional hospital for a community of this size. Philanthropy is what makes this possible."
Marlynn and Bill Scully have been generous supporters of Indian River Medical Center since 1999 and have lived
in Vero Beach since 1995. When not in Vero Beach, they reside in Dorset, VT. IRMC has benefited from Pat and
Carol Welsh's philanthropy since 2004, when they moved to Vero Beach from Summit, NJ.
Click below to see news articles about this transformational gift:
Press Journal Article
Press Journal Editorial
Vero Beach 32963 Newsweekly Article
Vero Beach 32963 Newsweekly Insight - Op Ed
|
|
