Grateful Family Makes an Uncommon Gift to UHealth Emergency Department
When they visit the emergency room, patients are usually scared, in pain, or in distress because of an acute or chronic medical problem. Once well enough to be discharged, they rarely remain in contact with the doctors and nurses who treated them. Such was not the case recently at UHealth Tower, the flagship hospital of UHealth – University of Miami Health System, when the grateful family of a patient donated $500,000 to the emergency department.
“It’s extraordinarily rare for an emergency department to receive this type of donation, as the nature of the work they do involves short-term patient care,” said Dipen J. Parekh, M.D., chief operating officer of UHealth, founding director of the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, chair of the Department of Urology, the Dr. Victor Politano Endowed Chair in Clinical Urology, and executive dean of clinical affairs at the Miller School of Medicine. “Therefore, this donation speaks to the exceptionally high level of care and service delivered by our staff at the UHealth emergency department. We are very appreciative.”
The gift is in honor of the work of David Lang, D.O., the clinical chief and medical director of emergency medicine, in appreciation of the treatment and compassion he and his team provided.
Personalized Care
Dr. Lang says he strives to make a positive impact in the lives of his patients, who very often are in their greatest time of need.
“The vast majority of people who come to the emergency room don’t want to be there,” said Dr. Lang. “They come because they are sick or injured, and it is a very trying time. So, in addition to offering medical care, it is my responsibility to offer personalized care.”
Kym Manni, chief executive officer of UHealth Tower, said that the donation will be used to enhance the patient experience.
“We already have a high level of medical care because of our affiliation with the University and world-class staff, but we want to continue to improve things that make the patient experience better during a most likely challenging visit,” Manni said. “This generous donation will allow us to expand those services to make them better and more widely available to more people.”
If you would like to donate to UHealth, contact Rosemarie Ugalde at [email protected] or 305-243-4191.
Tags: Dr. David Lang, Dr. Dipen Parekh, Dr. Kymberlee Manni, emergency medicine, UHealth, UHealth Tower