POST RELEASE

CONTACT:        MARGE SULLIVAN, PALM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, 561-833-6333

MELANIE OTERO, WPO, 561-626-0026, ext. 11

                        JENNIFER ABBOTT, WPO, 561-626-0026, ext. 19

PALM BEACH, FL– On Tuesday, February 20, 2007, at the home of Michele and Howard Kessler, co-chairs Michele Kessler, Susan Keenan and Edie Schur, hosted a cocktail reception to unveil plans for the new Palm Healthcare Pavilion. Supporters, healthcare professionals and new friends of Palm Healthcare Foundation mixed and mingled while learning about the Foundation’s largest project to date, The Palm Healthcare Pavilion, home of the Mollie Wilmot Children’s Center. 

At the event, the campaign’s leadership was announced, including Mosse Hvide as honorary chair, and David Mack as general chair together with his campaign leadership team, Joan Eigen, Tom Quick and Lesly Smith.  “With the incredible leadership that we have been so fortunate to draw to this project, we know that our campaign will be successful,” said Bob Jaffe, Palm Healthcare Foundation President.  “Tonight, with their support, we are one step closer to giving special needs children a healthier tomorrow.” 

The fun-filled evening was very helpful in raising awareness about the state-of-the-art $12.5 million project designed to improve the health and quality of life for children with special healthcare needs. Through a strong collaborative effort with the leading academic medical institutions and healthcare organizations in South Florida, Palm Healthcare Foundation has developed an innovative plan to create four distinct medical and educational support services for special needs children within the Palm Healthcare Pavilion that will offer real solutions for current healthcare challenges.  These four support services include: a new clinical home for Children’s Medical Services to provide outpatient services to children with special healthcare needs and support services for their families; the Diabetes Center for Prevention, Education, Management and Research; the Patient Safety Center and Mobile Sim-Lab Unit to provide families and care-givers with hands-on training; and high-tech telemedicine and conference facilities for healthcare workers to exchange information locally, and around the world.

 “This event is so important to educate the Palm Beach community about the need for services and support for the 7,000 special needs children in our county with chronic health conditions such as juvenile diabetes, severe hearing loss, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, kidney disorders, sickle cell disease, and asthma,” said Suzette W. Wexner.  “Thanks to Michele Kessler, Susan Keenan and Edie Schur, tonight we were able to educate current and potential donors about this innovative, collaborative project that has brought together South Florida’s foremost academic and medical institutions to provide leading-edge services to children and families struggling with these health issues.”

Guests included:  Ellen and Robert Jaffe (Palm Healthcare Foundation Chair); Mosse Hvide and John Brogan; Sondra and David Mack; Joan and Robert Eigen; Lesly Smith; Tom Quick; Edie and Marvin Schur; Susan and James Keenan; Renate and Alex Dreyfoos, Jr.; Reverend Gerald Kisner; Paula and Mark Cook; and Marianne Castle.

For more information about the Palm Healthcare Pavilion, including naming opportunities, please call Suzette Wexner at 561-833-6333.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.

Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $14 million to over 70 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County operating over 130 programs that met its funding goals.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcare.org.