Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida host Unveiling as Part of $1,500,000 Donation to Brain Institute

Published on: 04/04/2007
Miami Children’s Brain Institute, Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and the Gloria Estefan Foundation have partnered to host a special unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony for The Blue Concourse at Miami Children’s Brain Institute, named after BCBSF’s financial commitment of $1,500,000. The press conference and ceremony will take place on Monday, April 9, 2007, 10:30 a.m. at The Blue Concourse lobby of Miami Children’s Brain Institute, located on the 3rd Floor of the Ambulatory Care Building at Miami Children's Hospital. A special presentation will be made by Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida for the pediatric patients at Miami Children’s Hospital.
 

“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is proud of our long-standing partnership with Miami Children's Hospital,” said Russ Jollivette, senior vice president of public affairs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. “Every day, this ‘Blue Concourse’ at Miami Children's Hospital Brain Institute will welcome families into a state-of-the-art, caring environment where children will receive unparalleled care.”

 
The Blue Concourse will feature blue neon, overhead circular ceiling lighting in a mirror image of Miami Children’s Hospital’s entrance. Signs will also identify this area as The Blue Concourse, which will serve as a waiting room and focal point of all patient flow for approximately 35,000 patients, their families and visitors annually. The Blue Concourse, located on the third floor of the new 68,000 square-foot Ambulatory Care Center, will also function as an educational area with plasma television screens depicting the main aspects of the MCBI and educational segments specific to the type of disorder treated in the daily clinics, such as autism and epilepsy. The area further serves as the point of access to the Family Education Center, Multidisciplinary Corridor and the Neurophysiology waiting area.
 
BCBSF has also partnered with the Gloria Estefan Foundation to help raise funds and awareness for the MCBI. The two organizations recently hosted a fundraiser and concert at the Estefan’s Miami Beach home, with BCBS as the presenting sponsor, benefiting the MCBI.
 
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is proud to be partnering with the Gloria Estefan Foundation on a number of projects to raise awareness about health-related issues,” said George Foyo, South Florida market president for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. "Today we deliver more than 300 copies of Gloria's recent New York Times bestselling children's book to pediatric patients here at the hospital, the result of our sponsorship for a private benefit concert and dinner held at the Estefan's home. The books are in honor of each attendee from the recent one-of-a-kind event, En Casa con Gloria, and we hope the children and their families will treasure them.”
 
Russ Jollivette, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for BCBSF; George Foyo, Market President for BCBSF; Thomas M. Rozek, President and CEO of Miami Children’s Hospital; Gloria and Emilio Estefan; Dr. John Ragheb, Chief of Neurosurgery for Miami Children’s Hospital; and Lucy Morillo, President of Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation will be in attendance and available for interviews, along with other representatives and guest families.
 
“Miami Children’s Brain Institute is the culmination of our efforts to bring together all of the specialists who are needed to take care of children with disorders of the nervous system,” said Dr. John Ragheb, Chief of Neurosurgery at Miami Children’s Hospital.  "We are pioneering new treatments to help children with seizures and brain tumors. Miami Children's Brain Institute offers services that no one else in our community can provide, which means that families don’t have to leave South Florida to get the care they need.”
 
Miami Children’s Brain Institute
Miami Children’s Brain Institute aims to advance the frontiers of treatment, education and scientific research bringing new hope to children with neurological disorders; saving young lives, improving quality of life and enhancing productivity for a lifetime. The Institute will expand its status as the world leader in pediatric neurosciences, collaborating with other institutions in the community and providing a full spectrum of care and subspecialty excellence to children with neurological disorders.
 
Miami Children's Hospital Foundation
Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation raises funds and awareness for Miami Children's Hospital, its programs and projects. Working together, the foundation and the hospital are committed to ensuring that no child will ever have to leave the region to receive state-of-the-art pediatric care. For additional information about Miami Children's Hospital Foundation, please call (305) 666-2889.
 
Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Florida
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is a leader in Florida’s health industry. BCBSF and its subsidiaries serve more than 8.6 million people. Since 1944, the company has been dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of all those it serves by offering an array of choices. BCBSF is a not-for-profit, policyholder-owned, tax-paying mutual company. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., BCBSF is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information concerning BCBSF, please see its Web site at www.bcbsfl.com.
 
The Gloria Estefan Foundation
The Gloria Estefan Foundation has benefited many organizations; most recently a $1 million dollar donation was given to the Miami Project to launch a Human Clinical Trials program. Gloria served as the Chairperson for the Capital Campaign that raised $40 million to build the Lois Pope LIFE Center, the home of The Miami Project, which opened in 2000.  In addition, the foundation has made donations to the American Red Cross, Amigos for Kids, UNICEF and Save the Children among others.
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Where Children Matter Most (2024)

Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with approximately 850 attending physicians, including more than 500 pediatric subspecialists. The 307-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.

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