Jupiter Medical Center Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Contact: Ernestine Williams

561-263-3852

Ernestine.Williams@jupitermed.com

JUPITER MEDICAL CENTER CELEBRATES 40^TH 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 40^th 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.