Charity pledges $50,000 for construction of Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center
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| The Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center, which will open Jan. 8, is the first new Parkland Hospital facility to be built in 20 years. The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas has named the Parkland Foundation as the beneficiary of its fourth annual fundraiser to be held at the Old Red Courthouse on March 24, 2007. |
The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas has pledged $50,000 to the Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center, the first new Parkland Hospital facility built in 20 years.
“The members of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas understand Parkland’s importance to the community,” said Dr. Ron Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Parkland Health & Hospital System. “Their support of the Simmons Ambulatory Surgery Center is an investment that will help us continue our mission of providing quality medical care to all people, regardless of their circumstances in life or how they came to our door.”
Kinetic sculptures of large monarch butterflies welcomed visitors to the grand opening of the new center on Wednesday night. Local politicians mingled with Parkland Foundation’s supporters while awaiting a tour of the new building.
The new two-story center, located at 4900 Harry Hines Blvd., houses six surgical and four endoscopic suites, preparatory and recovery rooms and an orthopedics and pain center. It will open on Jan. 8.
More than 15,200 procedures were conducted last year in the existing operating room, originally built in 1954, exceeding any other academic hospital in the country. The facility currently operates 24 hours a day to meet demand.
“Our work together is ongoing,” said Anderson. “This spring, I have the privilege of joining Veletta Forsythe Lill, chairperson of the board of directors of Parkland Foundation, as honorary co-chairs for the major fundraiser of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas.”
The Parkland Foundation will be the beneficiary at the fourth annual Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas fundraiser. The event is set for March 24, 2007 at the Old Red Courthouse, 100 S. Houston St. in Dallas.
“We are grateful to the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas for choosing Parkland as the beneficiary of their major fundraiser,” said Lill in a press release. “We believe in the mission of this organization and are honored to receive their donation and serve as honorary chairs for the fundraising event.”
Enrique MacGregor and Mark Niermann founded the non-profit organization in 2001. Since then, the Fund has donated more than $500,000 to Dallas agencies.
“Parkland’s importance cannot be overstated,” said MacGregor in a press release. “They provide care for thousands of people and they consistently rank high among U.S. hospitals in several areas.
“Our spring fundraiser is a great opportunity for our diverse community to make a visible contribution to an institution that is essentially in the business of saving people’s lives.”
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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, October 20, 2006.