Jupiter Medical Center announced the opening of the De George Pediatric Unit, a new wing of the hospital that features state-of-the-art inpatient and outpatient medical and therapeutic services for children and adolescents through age 18. The De George Pediatric Unit is a continuation of a dynamic partnership between Jupiter Medical Center and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (formerly Miami Children’s Hospital).
“The creation of the De George Pediatric Unit is part of our ongoing strategy to increase the breadth and depth of high-quality, cost-effective medical services that we provide to Palm Beach County,” said Jupiter Medical Center’s President and Chief Executive Officer, John D. Couris. “Children in our community can now receive world-class medical treatment in an environment that has been designed with kids and their families in mind, right here in their own neighborhood, thanks to an extraordinary partnership and gift from the Lawrence J. and Florence A. De George Charitable Trust and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.”
The De George Pediatric Unit features 12 inpatient rooms, two state-of-the-art pediatric surgery suites, pediatric therapeutic services, a children’s playroom, and a room for resting called the “Bear’s Den,” a name inspired by Jack Nicklaus, widely known as the “Golden Bear.” A Child Life Specialist is also on-site to help children cope with the stress of their hospital stay. Patients benefit from the collaboration of local pediatricians, the Medical Center and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, who worked together to implement the highest quality clinical protocols.
“The De George Pediatric Unit and the further expansion of our work with Jupiter Medical Center build on the vision we share with the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation to provide access to unparalleled care for children—it has long been our commitment to be where the children are in South Florida,” stated M. Narendra Kini, MD, MHA, President and CEO of Miami Children’s Hospital.
The De George Pediatric Unit represents the continued growth and expansion of the existing pediatric services Jupiter Medical Center and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital currently provide. In addition to the two designated pediatric ER physicians, who are in place in Jupiter Medical Center’s Emergency Department during peak times, Jupiter Medical Center currently offers telehealth technology in its Emergency Department, which allows Jupiter Medical Center physicians to interact with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital physicians remotely on complex cases. This gives them the ability to consult on patient care—colleague to colleague—in real time. Physicians in Miami can review images, lab results and vital assessment information, while discussing the patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan. Also as part of the collaboration, Jupiter Medical Center currently offers pediatric MRI services.
Jupiter Medical and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, both not-for-profit organizations, are grateful to the generous community for sharing in their vision to offer their youngest patients and their families world-class care without having the added stress and financial burden of leaving the area to seek treatment.
“Our family is passionate about providing children with the resources they need to live happy, healthy and productive lives,” said Larry De George of the Lawrence J. and Florence A. Charitable Trust. “For us, it made perfect sense to harness the expertise and vision of these two hospitals and partner with the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation in order to help make the new pediatric unit a reality. We are proud and honored to be a part of it.”
“We strongly believe that there is nothing more important than helping children in need of medical care and supporting the families that love and care for these children,” golf icon Jack Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, said in a shared statement. “In addition, it is gratifying to be able to help the children in our own neighborhood. We are thrilled to support the De George Pediatric Unit in providing expanded high-quality pediatric services in Palm Beach County.”
About Jupiter Medical Center
A not-for-profit 327-bed regional medical center consisting of 207 private acute-care hospital beds and 120 long-term care, sub-acute rehabilitation and Hospice beds, Jupiter Medical Center is reimagining how to restore the community’s health and wellness. Award-winning physicians, world-class partnerships and innovative techniques and technology enable Jupiter Medical Center to provide a broad range of services with specialty concentrations in cardiology, oncology, imaging, orthopedics and spine, digestive health, emergency services, lung and thoracic, women’s health, weight management and men’s health.
Founded in 1979, Jupiter Medical Center has approximately 1,500 team members, 575 physicians and 640 volunteers. Jupiter Medical Center continues to perform in the top 10 percent of hospitals for patient quality and satisfaction. For more information on Jupiter Medical Center, please call 561-263-2234 or visit Jupitermed.com.
About Jupiter Medical Center Foundation
The Jupiter Medical Center Foundation, the fundraising arm of Jupiter Medical Center, is dedicated to obtaining philanthropic resources to fulfill the critical health care needs of our rapidly growing community. Revenues generated through tax-deductible contributions are reinvested in Jupiter Medical Center for new technologies, innovative programming, sophisticated outreach and enhanced facilities to sustain a healthy community.
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, formerly Miami Children’s Hospital, is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with several specialty programs ranked among the best in the nation in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014–15 by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.
About Miami Children’s Health System
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, formerly Miami Children’s Hospital, operates South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed nonprofit hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine and routinely has many programs ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. The organization has grown and evolved into the Miami Children’s Health System (MCHS) which includes Miami Children’s Health Foundation, the organization’s 501(c)3 fundraising arm; a network of eight nonprofit outpatient centers situated in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties; Pediatric Specialty Group, Inc., a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary; a management services organization, and an ambulatory surgery center, as well as an e-commerce line of children’s wellness and safety products that supports the hospital’s mission of serving the region’s pediatric population. MCHS is the region’s only health care system exclusively for children.
About the Lawrence J. and Florence A. De George Charitable Trust
The mission of the Lawrence J. and Florence A. De George Charitable Trust is to support seriously ill and at-risk children. The legacy of Larry and Florence De George includes two Florence De George Boys and Girls Clubs in Broward County and Palm Beach County; founders of Camp Boggy Creek, along with General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and actor Paul Newman, a camp for seriously ill children located in Eustis, Florida; a seven-year grant to the American Heart Association’s research on fetal heart development; and the Kravis Center’s De George Academy for Performing Arts, heralded as a shining star for economically disadvantaged students. In June 2015, the i-Ready program of mathematics and reading was implemented at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. This five-year remedial program focuses on raising mathematics and reading proficiencies for students in grades 1–6.
About the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation
Jack and Barbara Nicklaus founded the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation in 2004, in an effort to provide families access to world-class pediatric health care in their own communities. The Foundation has grown from a vision to reality, supporting innovative programs focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood illnesses. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.nchcf.org.
