$30 Million Grant for Cardiovascular Institute
Scripps Health has received a $30 million gift – one of the single largest philanthropic donations in the organization’s 83-year history – to support the new Scripps cardiovascular institute. This grant from The Howard Charitable Foundation will help Scripps create an integrated cardiovascular center that will serve as a destination hospital for cardiac care on the West Coast.
“There is no greater gift than to save a life,” says Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder. “The Howard Charitable Foundation’s remarkable generosity will allow patients to have greater access to many of the nation’s top cardiac experts and lifesaving services at Scripps. The gift to Scripps cardiovascular institute will leave a lasting legacy that will transform health care in our community – and save countless lives – for years to come.”
Unparalleled in its kind, the Scripps cardiovascular institute will offer people throughout San Diego, and beyond, with the most progressive cardiac care available. The cardiovascular institute will combine the well-respected cardiology programs at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Clinic/Scripps Green Hospital under one roof to provide patients with cardiovascular diseases the most advanced treatment options, as well as serve as a center for medical research, clinical trails and graduate medical education.
The cardiovascular institute, which is slated for completion in 2015 at an estimated cost of more than $430 million, will be built on the campus of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. It will include 168 inpatient beds, cardiac catheterization labs with the most advanced medical technology, centralized cardiovascular research labs, and a center for graduate medical education for physicians.
Scripps is the largest provider of cardiac care in San Diego with more than 45,000 cardiovascular discharges in 2005. Last year, the combined programs at Scripps La Jolla and Scripps Green led the state in coronary angioplasty procedures, in addition to the largest number of coronary artery bypass surgeries performed in San Diego.