Contact: Ernestine Williams
561-263-3852
Ernestine.Williams@jupitermed.com
JUPITER MEDICAL CENTER CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Hospital opened its doors on Valentine’s Day in 1979
Jupiter Mayor Todd Wodraska (left) presents a proclamation from the town
to Steve Seeley, vice president and chief operating officer of Jupiter
Medical Center. The document, presented on February 5, proclaims February
14, 2019, as “The Fortieth Anniversary of Jupiter Medical Center.”
JUPITER, FLA. (February 5, 2019) —Jupiter Medical Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Thursday, February 14, in recognition of its historical
transition from a small community hospital to an award-winning regional
medical center. The celebration officially began on Tuesday, February
5, when the Town of Jupiter presented the hospital with a proclamation
in recognition of its four decades of service.
“Since its inception, Jupiter Medical Center has responded to the
needs of its community by providing excellent patient care, while expanding
its range of medical specialties, and investing in advanced technology
to remain on the cutting-edge of health care,” said Don McKenna,
president and CEO. “We have remained true to our vision and values,
and the medical center continues to excel.”
When Jupiter Hospital, as it was known then, opened its doors in 1979,
it was a small facility serving a town of less than 5,000 and providing
care for approximately 1,800 patients annually. The medical center adopted
a new name in 1993, transforming to “Jupiter Medical Center”
to better reflect the breadth of the services it provides. Today, the
not-for-profit medical center serves a town of approximately 62,000. It
also attracts patients from across Palm Beach County and the Treasure
Coast, as well as locales across the nation and around the globe, logging
more than 180,000 outpatient visits and nearly 40,000 visits to the emergency
department each year.
“Over the course of its history, Jupiter Medical Center has served
a growing community with more complex health care needs,” said Martin
A. Dytrych, CPA, chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees. “The
era of people traveling outside of Jupiter to receive their health care
has transitioned to a time when more and more people outside our community
now turn to Jupiter Medical Center for the excellent care that it provides.”
While Jupiter Medical Center was founded in 1979, the groundwork began
long before, starting in the mid-1950s with the Salhaven retirement community,
which occupied land that is now home to Jonathan’s Landing and the
Jupiter Medical Center campus. In 1971, a consortium of doctors led by
Dr. George Ford purchased the retirement community. They sold 600 acres
east of the railroad to Alcoa for Jonathan’s Landing and donated
the remaining 30 acres for a medical center.
Throughout its history, Jupiter Medical Center has continued to grow and
expand—and that has never been more apparent than it is today. Last
June the medical center completed an acute recovery unit for cardiac patients
and officially launched its new Comprehensive Stroke Program in early
January. The James J. Felcyn and Louise Brien Felcyn Observation Unit
also opened in January, and the Timothy and Jayne Donahue Cardiac Surgery
Program is expected to launch later this year. Meanwhile, construction
is well underway on the Anderson Family Cancer Institute; the Mastroianni
Family Pediatric Emergency Department; and a new five-story patient tower,
which will include the Level II De George Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
All are expected to be completed later this year.
As a testament to its commitment to excellence, Jupiter Medical Center
recently earned an “A” for patient safety from The Leapfrog
Group, a national organization focused on health care quality and safety.
In addition, Leapfrog reviewed all of the “A” providers to
single out the country’s highest quality hospitals. Jupiter Medical
Center is one of only 118 facilities across the nation to be named a Top
Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, placing the medical center in the top
6 percent of more than 2,600 hospitals evaluated.
Jupiter Medical Center is also the only hospital in Palm Beach and Martin
counties to earn a 4-star rating awarded by The Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) for overall quality. Patients also consistently
give Jupiter Medical Center high marks. Among hospitals in Palm Beach,
Martin and Indian River counties, it is ranked as the hospital patients
are most likely to recommend and it has the highest overall patient satisfaction
rating, according to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers
and Systems (HCAHPS), a national survey that asks patients about their
experience during a recent hospital stay.
“These achievements are reflected in our commitment to providing
quality care and to enhancing our patients’ overall experience,”
McKenna said. “That commitment has sustained our medical center
for the past 40 years, and it will carry us forward in the years ahead.”
About Jupiter Medical Center
A not-for-profit 327-bed regional medical center consisting of 207 private
acute-care hospital beds and 120 long-term care, sub-acute rehabilitation
and hospice beds, Jupiter Medical Center is reimagining how to restore
the community’s health and wellness. Award-winning physicians, world-class
partnerships and innovative techniques and technology enable Jupiter Medical
Center to provide a broad range of services with specialty concentrations
in cardiology, neurosciences and stroke care, oncology, imaging, orthopedics
& spine, digestive health, emergency and pediatric services, lung
& thoracic, women’s health, weight management and men’s
health. Founded in 1979, Jupiter Medical Center has approximately 1,680
team members, 650 physicians and 640 volunteers. Jupiter Medical Center
continues to perform in the top 10 percent of hospitals for patient quality
and satisfaction. For more information on Jupiter Medical Center, please
call (561) 263-2234 or visit
www.jupitermed.com.