CLEVELAND – The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation has again demonstrated its extraordinary community commitment and support of University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center with a $2.25 million gift for the development of a state-of-the-art Center of Excellence in Joint Replacement. In total, the Prentiss Foundation has contributed nearly $46 million to University Hospitals over 60 years, making it the largest independent foundation donor in the hospital’s long history.
“The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation has had a monumental impact on University Hospitals, helping our health system grow into the national leader that we are today,” said Fred C. Rothstein, MD, President of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “We are truly grateful for this latest gift supporting our renowned Joint Replacement Center and for the Prentiss Foundation’s enduring commitment to advancing our mission on behalf of the patients, families, and communities we proudly serve. The Prentiss Foundation’s legacy of support is unparalleled and I know our entire leadership joins me in thanking the foundation’s board of managers.”
The Prentiss Foundation’s recent gift is specifically for the renovation and opening of a new, state-of-the-art space at UH Case Medical Center for the Joint Replacement Center. Led by Matthew Kraay, MD, Director of Joint Reconstruction and Arthritis Surgery at UH Case Medical Center and an internationally recognized orthopaedic surgeon, the center is a leader in cutting-edge patient care for joint replacement surgery, rehabilitation and post surgical care, deploying the latest technologies, materials, and techniques. The Center of Excellence in Joint Replacement’s Patient and Family Education Resource Room and Physical Therapy Treatment Room will be named in honor of the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation.
The prominently located Patient and Family Education Resource Room will be a vital resource for patients and families to better understand their own orthopaedic needs, upcoming procedure, and post-operative care. The room will be equipped with multimedia resources to assist patients in being as well-informed as possible about their options and their caregivers. The Physical Therapy Treatment Room will accommodate on-site physical therapy services available to every joint replacement patient at UH Case Medical Center.
“University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s joint replacement program is renowned for our innovation, research leading to new discoveries, and expertise in patient care,” said Randall E. Marcus, MD, Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a leading orthopaedic surgeon. “The Prentiss Foundation’s generosity will help ensure that we continue to expand upon our century-long tradition of providing exceptional orthopaedic care to patients of all ages from across Northeast Ohio and the nation.”
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation was founded in 1939 and began grantmaking in 1944 upon the death of Mrs. Prentiss, a leading supporter of health care in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Dating back to the early 1950s, the Prentiss Foundation has supported University Hospitals in myriad areas, with gifts for nearly every capital initiative including a $10 million gift in 2006 to UH’s Vision 2010 strategic plan. In recognition of the 2006 donation, UH named the Quentin & Elisabeth Alexander Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in honor of longtime Prentiss Foundation trustees Quentin and Elisabeth Alexander. The Alexander NICU opened in the spring of 2009 and is among the world’s most advanced neonatal intensive care units.
“Recognizing the growth of our community’s aging population and the increased occurrence of musculoskeletal problems in the elderly, the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation has made this donation to help support University Hospitals’ efforts in advancing the comprehensive treatment and care of orthopaedic-related ailments,” said William R. Robertson, who serves on the Board of Managers of the Prentiss Foundation and the UH Department of Orthopaedics Leadership Council. “The Board of Managers of the Prentiss Foundation is pleased to support University Hospitals over the years and help in its efforts to raise health care to new heights in Northeast Ohio.”