A Diagnostics & Imaging Week
University Hospitals (Cleveland) reported it has received one of the largest financial gifts in its 143-year history — a $22.6 million donation from well-known Northeast Ohio philanthropists, the Harrington and McLaughlin families. The donation, believed to be among the largest in the country given to a cardiovascular institute, is unique in that it is earmarked for the development of innovative technologies and clinical advancements for the early diagnosis and prevention of heart disease.
"This extraordinary gift from the Harrington and McLaughlin families will be invested in developing significant new breakthroughs in preventing and treating heart disease," said Thomas Zenty III, CEO of University Hospitals. "This gift will enhance our ability to continue to attract internationally and nationally known cardiovascular experts to Cleveland to join our renowned Heart & Vascular Institute. It is with great pride that we accept this gift and establish the University Hospitals Harrington-McLaughlin Heart & Vascular Institute. It truly represents our mission — To Heal, To Teach and To Discover — which influences everything that we do."
Zenty said this historic gift to more than 300 guests, comprised of members of the Cleveland community, physicians, donors and board members at the home of Drs. Daniel Simon and Marcy Schwartz in Moreland Hills, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
The Harringtons were first introduced to University Hospitals through Dr. Carl Orringer, an expert in preventive cardiology. Dr. Orringer has developed an innovative screening program for assessing the risk of and preventing heart attack called The Early Detection Using Calcium Scoring for Treatment and Elimination of Coronary Heart Disease (EDUCATE).
EDUCATE utilizes CT imaging to check for the buildup of calcium in plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries. A portion of the families' gift will be used to honor Orringer and his extraordinary contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine.