The donation was spearheaded by 37-year-old Reid Buerger, who joined the board of directors in September, but is from his entire family. It's part of a $100 million capital campaign to pay for the center, which will be called the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care. It is slated to open in 2015.
"We are extremely grateful to the Buerger family for this transformational gift, which will ensure that The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia continues to provide the highest level of pediatric care available to children and families in Philadelphia and around the world," Mortimer J. Buckley, chair of CHOP's board of trustees, said in a statement.
Children's Hospital chief executive Steven Altschuler said the Buerger gift will go toward the 700,000-square-foot outpatient center, which will feature 12 floors of clinical care services and patient, family, and visitor amenities. The building will also be positioned for the possible addition of another four floors, for a total of 875,000 square feet, if needed in the future, the hospital said in a news release.
"As a patient family treated at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, we know the infinite value of having a world-class pediatric facility so close to home," Buerger said in a statement. "As a parent, and as a member of the Hospital's Board of Trustees, I believe there is no better way to help ensure every child receives top medical care than to invest in a facility that will house the very latest medical expertise and technology."
