University Hospitals expanding with $3.2 million donation
The gift will help fund the 30,000-square-foot Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Center, an education, conference and training facility.
Photo: Emir Memedovski/Getty Images
University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio has received a $3.2 million donation it will use toward construction of a new training center, as well as caregiver education and simulation programming.
The 30,000-square-foot Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Center is being billed as an education, conference and training facility at UH Cleveland Medical Center. In addition to conferences, lectures and events, the center will house a ballroom, classrooms, simulation labs and breakout spaces to support caregiver education and training.
The $3.2 million donation comes from community leaders Ernie and Patti Novak. Announced this summer alongside a $15 million lead gift from Iris S. Wolstein and the late Bert L. Wolstein, the center is estimated to cost $30 million. Ernie Novak is helping lead a campaign to fund the project solely through philanthropy.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT
Ernie Novak joined the UH Board of Directors in 1999 and was the inaugural chair of the UH Cleveland Medical Center Board of Directors, while Patti, a passionate supporter of UH Rainbow Babies and Children's, was a founding member of the Naples Circle of Friends in Naples, Florida.
Today, Ernie Novak is an active executive cabinet member for "Because of You," UH's current $2 billion campaign.
The couple's past support includes the creation of the Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in Health Care Leadership, an endowed position held by Dr. Daniel I. Simon, president, Academic and External Affairs and UH chief scientific officer.
"More than once, University Hospitals has blessed us with life-saving care," said Patti Novak in reference to Ernie's complex heart issues and her own breast cancer diagnosis. A portion of the new gift will benefit breast cancer patient care at UH Seidman Cancer Center.
ON THE RECORD
"Ernie and Patti are pillars of this community and are concerned about the health and well-being of everyone in it," said Simon. "Everything they do is done with sincerity and conviction; their philanthropy is much more than a check – it's a vote of confidence and a show of faith."
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
