GREENVILLE, N.C., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America 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 (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 remains strong."
The ECCI, a collaboration between PCMH and East Carolina University (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). 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, including robotic
surgery, open-heart surgery, heart failure disease management, pediatric
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 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 (NYSE: BAC) is
listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
http://www.bankofamerica.com
SOURCE Bank of America
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Related links:
http://www.bankofamerica.com
CONTACT:
Claire Tyson of PCMH, +1-252-847-7735; or
Nicole Nastacie of Bank of America, +1-704-388-7252
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