One of the leading healthcare services providers in the region, Leon Medical Centers, is investing in the future of the industry by making a $5 million donation to Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed School of Nursing on Oct. 30.
The special event with students, faculty, alumni, healthcare professionals, and community leaders took place at MDC’s Wolfson Campus where a check presentation was made and remarks delivered. The donation also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the School of Nursing which opened its doors in 1962.
The school will be renamed the Benjamin Leon School of Nursing at Miami Dade College. More importantly, the donation will create program enhancements, opportunities for faculty development and a cohort of Leon nursing scholars to bolster Leon Medical Centers’ workforce and the industry’s.
The United States is facing a critical shortage of nurses, with no sign of abating. The problem is especially severe in South Florida. The Leon gift will go a long way in mitigating these hurdles in the region’s healthcare industry.
“I cannot think of many other institutions that have positively impacted as many lives in our community as Miami Dade College,” said Benjamin Leon III, president and CEO of Leon Medical Centers and an MDC Trustee. “This is our way of thanking this fine institution and encouraging it to continue building a better community through education and opportunity.”
Leon Medical Centers selected MDC because of its shared commitment to medical excellence and to the community both organizations serve.
“This donation is one more step in our commitment to medical excellence and our commitment to our community,” said Benjamin Leon Jr., chair and founder of Leon Medical Centers. “You can’t have medical excellence without having exceptionally prepared and professional nurses. They are the frontline of medical excellence.
“We are fortunate to have many MDC School of Nursing graduates serving the patients of Leon Medical Centers and with this donation look forward to having many more,” he added.
“We are extremely grateful and pleased with the generosity of the Leon family,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College. “They have raised the bar of civic engagement and giving for all to follow. Thanks to their gift, we will take our already nationally renowned School of Nursing to even greater heights and, more importantly, expand our impact in the community.”
Meeting local workforce demands, MDC’s Medical Campus has trained more than 50 percent of the nurses in Miami-Dade County. It also offers more than 20 indemand programs including Physician Assistant studies, Opticianry, Emergency Medical Technician studies, Physical Therapist Assistant studies, Dental Hygiene and much more.
Its students also serve the community providing critical healthcare services, performing 52,000 clinical days per year at 800 sites in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, plus an additional 30,000 hours of community service. The School of Nursing is celebrating 50 years of excellence during this 2012-13 academic year.
For more information about the School of Nursing, call 305-237-4101 or visit online at www.mdc.edu/medical/Nursing
