Story, photos by Dale M. King
BOCA RATON – Gloria Drummond celebrated her 80th birthday Sept. 30.
And it was a heck of a birthday. Not only did hundreds of people turn out to honor the woman most responsible for organizing and leading the drive to create a hospital in Boca back in the 1960s, but local philanthropist Christine Lynn was on hand to donate $10 million to BRRH in honor of Gloria Drummond.
The crowd packed the lobby of the Harvey and Phyllis Sandler Pavilion in the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute of Boca Raton Regional Hospital to hear Lynn announce her donation.
Gloria Drummond with friends Elaine Johnson Wold, center, and Kristen Alley.
Officials from the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation said the donation will name the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
The gift will be utilized to construct a new, state-of-the-art facility for women’s services, creating an attractive and comfortable setting with an emphasis on clinical excellence, efficiency and privacy, said Jan Savarick, president of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation.
“We are so appreciative of Christine’s generosity,” said Savarick. “This lead gift for the Women’s Health & Wellness Institute will further define the scope and impact of our women’s programs and help Boca Raton Regional Hospital fulfill its mission of providing advanced medical excellence to the women of South Florida. The gift launches a campaign to raise additional funds to support the services and technology of the Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute.”
The transformational gift, they said, is an important step in the creation of a regional destination for women’s health services at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. The Institute will serve as a “centralized address” for women’s health care needs and information, providing a convenient one-stop shop for women, with coordinated access to the broad spectrum of services at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
A comprehensive array of integrated services will be specifically targeted to women as they pass through the continuum of health care issues during their lifetime, from reproductive years and maternity care through menopause and aging.
According to HealthGrades®, the leading independent health care ratings organization, Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s women’s services are ranked in the top 5 percent nationwide for 2010, with advanced patient care, education, access to cutting edge research and support groups. The Institute’s Center for Breast Care performs more than 90,000 detection and diagnostic procedures each year.
Speaking at the podium, Lynn said her gift honors Drummond, founder of the hospital. “I know that Gloria shares my wish that women in our community be afforded the finest, most advanced health care,” Lynn said. “With the quality of our physicians, the superb staff and the dedication to emerging technology, the Institute will continue to make a significant difference in the lives of women throughout South Florida. I am so pleased to have my name associated with the Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.”
Lynn is one of the nation’s leading philanthropists. Inspired by her late husband, entrepreneur and philanthropist Eugene M. Lynn, Christine E. Lynn’s legacy of support for the community began years ago, and she has generously contributed to causes throughout South Florida. A member of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Lynn has made the hospital a priority and has played a significant and ongoing role in its success.
Crowds flocked to a chair where Drummond was sitting, enjoying a piece of her birthday cake.
In 1962, the Drummond’s two children, Debra Ann and James Randall, died after drinking l1uid from a milk container that was later found to have been tainted with arsenic.
The children died during the half-hour ride to the nearest hospital, Bethesda Memorial in Boynton Beach.
The deaths led Drummond to spearhead a campaign to create the Debbie-Rand Foundation and, in turn, the Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League, the fundraising arm of the foundation.
She organized a group that raised money with numerous events and, in 1967, the non-profit Boca Raton Community Hospital opened, with 104 patient beds.
At her party, Drummond offered tearful thanks to those who have supported the hospital through the years.