LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the largest pediatric orthopaedic fracture centers in the nation has opened at Orthopaedic Institute for Children in downtown Los Angeles. The center was made possible through a $250,000 grant from The Ahmanson Foundation, the largest gift ever given to OIC from The Ahmanson Foundation, which has supported OIC for the past 40 years.
The Ahmanson Foundation Fracture Center includes 14 exam rooms and a staff as adept at monitoring injuries as they are at diagnosing trauma. The new Harbison Radiology department features three state-of-the-art diagnostic X-ray machines and a portable X-ray machine. Additionally, the new pediatric orthopaedic rehabilitation center includes a kids corner creating an environment that motivates the youngest patients (ages 0-4) to move, develop coordination and grow; new equipment that strengthen a child’s extremities using eccentrically controlled movement; and a new Alter G machine first designed for NASA that enables gravity-eliminated walking and running activities to return patients to running activities earlier in their rehabilitation.
“The Ahmanson Foundation has been a major cornerstone of the philanthropic landscape in our city for many, many years,” said Anthony Scaduto, M.D., CEO of OIC. “We are most grateful to its board of directors for their very generous gift to OIC and for their many years in support of our belief that all children are entitled to a future where they can grow well and play well.”
The Ahmanson Foundation Fracture Center is housed within OIC’s new medical pavilion, which was dedicated last month and which also includes renovated research laboratories in the J. Vernon Luck Research Center, a new Luck Family Conference Center, a new pharmacy and the new Ozzie’s Café. It is the centerpiece of the institute’s $20 million “Vision for Our Future” campaign that is designed to ensure that OIC’s surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff have the best facilities and equipment to care for the increasing number of children who come through its doors. Also as part of this effort, last year OIC opened the city’s newest and most modern urgent care center for children with musculoskeletal injuries and conditions.
“All of this activity on our campus will allow us to treat kids more efficiently, reduce pain and suffering, and truly serve as a national model of what pediatric medical care should look like in this early part of the 21st century,” said Dr. Mauricio Silva, OIC’s medical director. “Most important, it has all been carefully designed to greatly enrich the patient experience for both children and their families, while positively affecting quality outcomes.”
For more information about the “Vision for Our Future” campaign or to donate online, please go to ortho-institute.org/donate or call 213-742-1566.
About Orthopaedic Institute for Children
Orthopaedic Institute for Children was founded in 1911 as Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital and today is the largest pediatric orthopaedic facility on the west coast focused solely on musculoskeletal conditions in children. In alliance with UCLA Health and with the support of the OIC Foundation, we advance pediatric orthopaedics worldwide through outstanding patient care, medical education and research. Our locations in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood and Calexico treat the full spectrum of pediatric orthopaedic disorders and injuries. For more information, visit us at ortho-institute.org.
