MERCY FOUNDATION RECEIVES $500,000
FROM OCEAN BANK
MIAMI, FL (February 15, 2007) – Josie Romano Brown, president of Mercy Foundation, announced this week a $500,000 donation from Ocean Bank. The generous gift has been designated specifically for the purchase of Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) technology for cancer patients. This state-of-the-art image-guided radiation therapy enables the use of higher, more effective doses of radiation because, as a result of increased precision, there is far less risk that the radiation will damage nearby healthy tissue.
Currently, IGRT technology is not available in any hospital in Miami-Dade County. Dr. Raul Ravelo, Vice Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Mercy Hospital, has received the training in the application and operation of this modality. Having the technology at Mercy Hospital will bring tremendous benefits to oncology patients who are treated at the Ortega Bonet Miami Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital, a center that has been recognized as a consistent leader of excellence in the field of oncology.
In recognition of Ocean Bank’s gift to the Foundation, the lobby of the Ortega Bonet Miami Cancer Center located at Mercy Hospital will be designated as the Ocean Bank Lobby. A special cocktail reception will be held on Tuesday, February 20th at the center so that the gift can be formally presented by Mr. José A. Concepción, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and CEO of Ocean Bank.
“I am so proud that the lobby of the cancer center will bear the Ocean Bank name,” said Concepción. “I feel fortunate that the bank is able to help this immensely important hospital that does so much for cancer diagnosis and treatment, a disease that continues to take away from us so many family members and friends at far too early an age. I applaud Mercy Hospital for their excellence in healthcare as well as their compassionate treatment of every individual that comes through the doors.”
“I want to thank Ocean Bank and José Concepción personally for this gift and for their heartfelt support of the cancer center,” said Dr. Ravelo. “This technology will give our cancer patients an opportunity to be engaged in a more rapid, effective radiation treatment program. Easing pain and increasing the chance for beating this disease is the best gift anyone can receive.”
“We appreciate so much the generosity of Ocean Bank and thank them for their critical support,” said Romano Brown. “It is through individuals and companies like Ocean Bank that Mercy Hospital is able to continue to provide our patients the very best in care.”
The Mercy Foundation is the principal fundraising arm of Mercy Hospital. A volunteer board of directors comprised of community leaders and key supporters manages it. In the last five years, the Foundation has been instrumental in the success of many valuable projects and community outreach programs, including the St. John Bosco Clinic, the School of Licensed Practical Nursing, the Kohly Center for Rehabilitation and the Colt Neuro-Intensive Care Unit. The Foundation’s current priority project is the VISION campaign for the expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department.
