MBNA
Gift of $7.5 Million to Fund New Emory Stroke Center and Endowed Chair
Emory University
physicians and researchers, specializing in stroke, will now be able
to offer a consortium of services to patients with the creation of The
Emory-MBNA Stroke Center. The Center is made possible through a $7.5
million gift from MBNA America Bank, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware.
"Stroke, like many health
complications, requires interdisciplinary management," says Daniel Barrow,
M.D., professor and chairman in the Department of Neurosurgery, Emory
University School of Medicine and director of the Center. "The primary
goal of this Center is to bring together physicians with expertise in
neurovascular disorders from different departments to meet the needs
of patients in just one stop. We want Emory to be the place where all
stroke patients come, whatever their needs may be."
Specialists in neurology,
neurosurgery, neurocritical care and interventional neuroradiology will
work together in the Center, collaborating in the areas of patient care,
education and research. From the exam room to the radiology room to
the operating room, this multidisciplinary approach will ensure quality
patient-focused medical care and treatment. The Center will also focus
on prevention by educating patients and future doctors about the many
risk factors for stroke. Cutting-edge stroke research will be another
primary focus of the Center.
"We are extremely grateful
that MBNA has chosen to honor Emory with this very generous gift," says
Thomas J. Lawley, M.D., dean of Emory University School of Medicine.
"Our hope is that this CenterŐs multidisciplinary approach will not
only foster state-of-the-art medical care, but also lead to advances
in the diagnosis and and treatment of stroke and neurovascular disease."
According to the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC), stroke is the leading cause of adult disability
and the third leading cause of death in the U.S., behind heart disease
and cancer. And Georgia is in an area of the country referred to as
the "stroke belt," which records a higher incidence of death and disability
due to stroke than any other region in the country.
The gift will fund start-up
operations and development costs of the Center, an endowed chair of
neurosurgery and the hiring of a second neurointensivist, or specialist
in neurocritical care. "Emory employs the only neurointensivist in the
state of Georgia," Dr. Barrow points out. "By bringing on a second specialist
in this field, we feel this addition, combined with the integrated services
of the new Center, will lead Emory to become one of the premier stroke
centers in the southeast and the country."
The Emory-MBNA Stroke Center
will be located in The Emory Clinic B on Clifton Road.
About MBNA:
On March 4, MBNA will open
its new Southern Regional Headquarters in a 251,000-square-foot facility
in Kennesaw, Georgia. In addition to administrative and support functions,
the regional office will house Business Development, Telesales, and
Customer Assistance departments. The facility is expected to employ
up to 550 by year-end.
MBNA Corporation, a bank
holding company and parent of MBNA America Bank, N.A., a national bank,
has $97.5 billion in managed loans. MBNA, the largest independent credit
card lender in the world, also provides retail deposit, consumer loan,
and insurance products.
About Emory Healthcare and
the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center:
The Robert W. Woodruff Health
Sciences Center encompasses those components of Emory University responsible
for education of health professionals, research affecting health and
illness, patient care, and policies for prevention and treatment of
disease. The Health Sciences Center includes Emory University School
of Medicine, Rollins School of Public Health, Yerkes Regional Primate
Research Center, and Emory Healthcare, the center's system of clinical
facilities.
Emory Healthcare is the most
comprehensive health care system in metropolitan Atlanta. It includes
The Emory Clinic, the Emory Children's Center, Emory University Hospital,
Crawford Long Hospital, Wesley Woods Center, and the jointly owned Emory-Adventist
Hospital. EHCA, LLC, a limited liability company governed jointly by
Emory Healthcare and HCA-The Healthcare Company, further broadens Atlanta's
access to care under the Emory umbrella, as does a strong hospital affiliate
program throughout Georgia and neighboring states.
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