Bank of America Charitable Foundation Donates $500,000 Gift to Planned Eastern Carolina Cardiovascular Institute.GREENVILLE, N.C., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC TYO: 8648 ) is the largest commercial bank in the United States in terms of deposits, and the largest company of its kind in the world. Charitable Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation for the planned Eastern Carolina Cardiovascular Institute (ECCI) in Greenville. At an announcement luncheon this week, Mike Williams, North Carolina Coast Market President from Bank of America, along with representatives from the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation, University Health Systems and Pitt County Memorial Hospital Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) is the flagship teaching hospital for the University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina. The hospital is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. (PCMH) celebrated the major gift for the approximately $178 million facility, set for completion in 2008. "I am thrilled to announce our support of the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation," said Mr. Williams. "At Bank of America, we believe in supporting cornerstone organizations that enhance the quality of life for our community. Our commitment to Eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina or (often abbreviated as ENC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the eastern third of North Carolina. It includes the Outer and Inner banks, thus it is often known geographically as the state's coastal region. remains strong." The ECCI, a collaboration between PCMH and East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, intensive research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statue and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina (ECU) in Greenville, will be the first facility in North Carolina devoted specifically and exclusively to the research, treatment, and prevention of cardiothoracic diseases (CVD CVD Cardiovascular disease, see there ). The planned ECCI, a five-story, 300,000- square-foot, 120-bed center, will combine the best of technology and clinical skills to combat cardiac disease. The ECCI also will contain 12 interventional labs and suites of dedicated operating rooms for minimally invasive cardiac surgery minimally invasive cardiac surgery Interventional cardiology Any of a number of techniques–MIDCAB, off-pump coronary-artery bypass, minimally invasive valve surgery, port-access coronary surgery, and port-access valve surgery–increasingly being used to , including robotic surgery, open-heart surgery, heart failure disease management, pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. cardiac surgery, and a variety of other heart disease treatments. Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., ECU cardiothoracic surgeon, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at PCMH and an internationally recognized leader and pioneer of robotic surgery, will serve as medical director of the Institute. "This major gift from Bank of America helps to pave the way for a complete, all-in-one, exceptional continuum of heart disease care in eastern North Carolina," said Chitwood. "The ECCI is our community's answer to a devastating clinical challenge, as cardiovascular disease accounts for 40 percent of all deaths in our state. With the new resources housed in the planned ECCI, our patients can confidently stay close to home and benefit from some of the best research, treatment and preventive heart disease care in the state." "We have a longstanding history of support in the area of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Department of Health and Human Services, HHS and this gift is another example of our commitment in North Carolina," said Graham Denton, Market President of North Carolina for Bank of America. Statistics about cardiovascular disease in North Carolina, especially in the eastern part of the state, are staggering. For example, one in four North Carolinians suffer from CVD. The national economic burden from CVD is more than $350 billion annually, and is estimated to be more than $6 billion each year in North Carolina. Additionally, if the eastern region of North Carolina were a state in itself, it would be second only to Mississippi in the number of cardiovascular deaths per year. "Donations such as Bank of America's most generous contribution to the ECCI are truly overwhelming," said Brenda Joyner, executive director of the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation. "On behalf of the Foundation, we thank Bank of America for this major gift that will help potential cardiac patients all over eastern North Carolina." About Bank of America Charitable Investments With a $1.5 billion philanthropic goal over the next 10 years, The Bank of America Charitable Foundation is one of the largest corporate charitable organizations in the country. The mission of Bank of America Charitable Investments is to deploy a targeted array of philanthropic resources that help neighborhoods grow and prosper, thereby creating thriving environments where the bank's customers, associates and shareholders live, work and invest. For more information about Bank of America Charitable Investments, please visit http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation. About Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving 33 million consumer relationships with more than 5,800 retail banking offices, more than 16,600 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 13 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has relationships with 98 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 85 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. . http://www.bankofamerica.com/ CONTACT: Claire Tyson of PCMH, +1-252-847-7735; or Nicole Nastacie of Bank of America, +1-704-388-7252 Web site: http://www.bankofamerica.com/ |
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