Groundbreaking Ceremony
Brigham and Women's Hospital leadership and the Shapiro family at the groundbreaking of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center.
Punctuating a celebratory event, BWH staff and friends placed ceremonial shovels in a ceremonial ‘sandbox’ to signify the public groundbreaking of the hospital’s new, state-of-the-art cardiovascular center – the 420,000 SF, 10-story Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital located at 70 Francis Street, across the street from the hospital's main entrance.
View video of the groundbreaking (40 minutes)
“This new building is an extension of BWH’s vision to learn the best approaches in health care as we build on the excellent work we do here every day in every nook and cranny of our hospital,” said BWH president Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA in welcoming Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, BWH Board of Trustees Chairman Marshall Moriarty, the family of philanthropists Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro and many others.
Gottlieb continued, “In the early 1960s, the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital opened one of the first cardiovascular wards in the country. Now, some 40 years later, this hospital will continue its leadership role with our new Shapiro Cardiovascular Center as we provide a new model of patient care that will be unique among our peer institutions.”
Brigham and Women's Hospital leadership and the Shapiro family at the groundbreaking of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center. The new center will expand the capacity of one of the country’s leading cardiovascular care programs, providing 16 new operating rooms for cardiac and vascular surgery, 136 beds for cardiovascular patients and outpatient cardiovascular clinics. Construction is currently under way on two levels of passageways beneath Francis Street that will connect the hospital’s existing Patient Tower with the new Center, which is scheduled for completion in 2008.
The Center’s patient-focused care is evident in many areas of the design and construction of the building. For example, single-bed acuity-adaptable in-patient rooms are designed to foster patient health, with ample daylight, increased quiet and privacy and daybeds to accommodate family members’ overnight stays. The Center’s underground floors will house operating rooms, radiology and support spaces. Above Francis Street, a bridge will extend the hospital’s primary circulation arm, the Pike, into the new facility.
According to Ken Baughman, MD, director of Advanced Heart Disease, on behalf of Cardiovascular Medicine Chief Peter Libby, MD, the Center will bring together Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Radiology, Pathology and Emergency Medicine for the best in research, education and patient care. “The Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center will be a beacon to draw the best and brightest minds from around the world. It will enhance innovation and integration, redefining cardiovascular care.”
“The collaborative nature of the center will allow Brigham and Women’s Hospital to continue to provide the highest level of patient care while promoting discovery of new treatments and accelerating the translation of scientific research into proven clinical practices. This embodies our mission to provide the highest level of care for those in need,” said Gottlieb.
