Cleveland Clinic in Florida announced today that it has received a $2.25 million gift from A. Stuart (Stu) and Betty Hamilton of Ft. Lauderdale to support cancer and pulmonary disease research. The gift was presented to Franck Rahaghi, M.D., a pulmonary medicine specialist, and oncologist Elizabeth Stone, M.D., at Cleveland Clinic’s physician staff reception held recently at the Weston Hill’s Country Club.
The gift was made in honor of Stu Hamilton’s physicians who treated him for lung cancer for more than four years before he lost his battle with the disease this past May.
“Our gift will help enable the caring people of Cleveland Clinic in Florida to continue their dedicated fight against cancer and pulmonary disease while putting their patients’ needs first,” said Betty Hamilton. “We know because we’ve lived it.”
“We are extremely honored to receive this gift from Betty in memory of her husband,” said Bernie Fernandez, Jr., M.D., chief executive officer of Cleveland Clinic in Florida. “In recognition of their donation, Cleveland Clinic is pleased to name the Hematology-Oncology patient waiting area The Stu and Betty Hamilton Pavilion. Their contribution will live on in the research and clinical care Cleveland Clinic provides to patients every day.”
The Hamiltons previously donated more than $200,000 to Cleveland Clinic for oncology programs at the Weston campus. Prior to moving to Florida, they lived in Cleveland, Ohio, where they worked together at APSCO, Inc. Stu Hamilton served as the company’s president and CEO for 20 years until retiring in 1998. Betty Hamilton resides in Ft. Lauderdale and Key Largo, Fla.
About Cleveland Clinic in Florida
Cleveland Clinic, located in Weston and West Palm Beach, Florida, is a not-for-profit, multi-specialty, academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic has approximately 150 physicians with expertise in 35 specialties. The medical campus is fully integrated and includes diagnostic centers, outpatient surgery, and a 24-hour emergency department located in the state-of-the-art hospital, which was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® in cardiovascular care by Thomson Healthcare in 2007.
Cleveland Clinic was 1 out of only 4 hospitals in the nation recognized at the Gold level by the American Heart Association for performance in all three categories of the Get with the Guidelines program: Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Failure & Stroke.
Cleveland Clinic in Florida is an integral part of Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where providing outstanding patient care is based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Physicians at Cleveland Clinic are experts in the treatment of complex conditions that are difficult to diagnose. For more information about Cleveland Clinic in Florida, visit www.clevelandclinicflorida.org/.
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