New Patient Tower Part of ‘Historic’ Expansion Now Underway at Boca Raton Regional Hospital

Boca Raton Regional Hospital recently broke ground on its new Gloria Drummond Patient Tower. When completed in 2025, the new seven-story facility will be the centerpiece of a “historic transformation” of the hospital’s campus, according to Lincoln Mendez, the hospital’s chief executive officer.

(Watch now: Highlights from groundbreaking ceremony for Gloria Drummond Patient Tower at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Video by George Carvalho.)

(Watch Now: Supporters of Boca Raton Regional Hospital talk about the importance of enhancing its ability to care for patients in the region. Video by George Carvalho.)

The new tower is made possible in part by an extraordinary lead gift from Elaine J. Wold, one of the nation’s leading philanthropists and a longtime Boca Raton Regional Hospital supporter and donor. Mrs. Wold made the gift to the hospital’s $250 million “Keeping the Promise” capital campaign – the largest fund-raising initiative in its 55-year history – to help support the hospital’s ambitious growth and expansion. The tower is named in memory of Mrs. Wold’s lifelong friend, the hospital’s founder, Gloria Drummond.

“I believe we all have a responsibility to improve the level of health care in our area, to forge new directions and bring new medicine to our families here,” said Mrs. Wold. “It is also important to remember and honor our origins, which is really the foundation of everything this hospital has become. Gloria Drummond’s name is synonymous with Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Her legacy and spirit remain deeply ingrained in everything we do and whatever future we create.”

Joining Mrs. Wold and Mr. Mendez at the March 23 groundbreaking ceremony were Bo Boulenger, president and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida; Mark Larkin, president of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation; Christine E. Lynn, chair of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Board of Directors and capital campaign co-chair; Stanley Barry, chairman of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation and capital campaign co-chair; Richard Schmidt, capital campaign co-chair; Barb Schmidt, founder of Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life and capital campaign co-chair, and other hospital supporters.

“This event is as much about the passion, inspiration, and heart of Elaine Wold as it is about any building we construct during this campus enhancement,” remarked Mr. Mendez during the ceremony. “Ultimately, the focus should always be on the people who allow us to reach such lofty goals and ambitions. We are truly in the midst of transforming Boca Regional and in doing so we will bring the very best care to Southeast Florida – every patient, every day.”

According to Mr. Mendez, the new Gloria Drummond Patient Tower will include retail, dining and meeting space, as well as a sanctuary, outdoor courtyards and other conveniences for visitors. “It will exceed the latest safety standards for patient care, with all private patient rooms and 20 new, state-of-the-art surgical suites,” he said.

Beyond the tower, other enhancements to the hospital campus will include the conversion of all existing rooms in the current hospital building to private, as well as comprehensive renovations to all patient units including maternity, oncology and orthopedics, Mr. Mendez said. An expansion of Marcus Neuroscience Institute is already underway, he noted, enhancing the ability of the Institute’s top neurologists to treat neurovascular conditions such as stroke, central nervous system tumors and spine, as well as epilepsy and other seizure disorders.

Also underway on the hospital campus, according to Mr. Mendez, is the Toby & Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion with outpatient surgery center, endoscopy suites, physician  clinical offices and the adjacent Eleanor Baldwin Parking Garage.

“Upon completion of these renovations, Boca Raton Regional Hospital will be able to better meet the needs of the community and continue its mission of delivering the highest quality patient care, all while keeping pace with the rapid evolution of the industry,” Mr. Mendez said.

Mrs. Wold has been a longtime supporter of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, said Mr. Barry, who chairs the hospital’s charitable foundation. “Her steadfast support over the years has undeniably helped turn this community hospital into the world-class institution it is today,” he said.

Mrs. Wold helped support construction of the hospital’s 37,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art Gloria Drummond Physical Rehabilitation Institute, also named in memory of her friend. This facility treats nearly 7,000 patients each year with its dedicated team of therapists and the latest rehabilitation technology, according to Mr. Barry. “She was also instrumental in expanding and modernizing our Emergency Department by funding the Wold Family Center for Emergency Medicine, which treats more than 50,000 patients a year,” he said.