August 31, 2009 (Orlando, FL) -- Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children will celebrate its 20th birthday on September 10, coinciding with its legendary namesake, Arnold Palmer's 80th birthday. For the past 20 years Arnold Palmer Hospital has been providing advanced, highly specialized medical care to children and women from across Central Florida and the world. To commemorate this milestone birthday, several celebration events are planned throughout the month of September including a community leader breakfast hosted by the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and hospital visit by Arnold Palmer (September 4), a VIP 80th Birthday dinner for Arnold Palmer hosted by Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios Orlando® (September 5) and a community block party (September 26). For more information, log on to www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com/birthday.
"We are honored to be celebrating 20 years of caring along side Arnold Palmer as he celebrates his 80thbirthday. We are extremely appreciative of all he and his family have done for the babies, children and women here in Central Florida and beyond," said John Bozard, president, Arnold Palmer Medical Center. "Through his generosity and those of others thousands of lives have been touched over the past 20 years and we look forward to continuing the Palmer legacy of caring for many years to come."
Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children opened its doors on September 10, 1989, as Central Florida's first freestanding children and women's hospital. The 281-bed facility offered pediatric, obstetric and women's services all in one facility and was built to accommodate 6,500 births. Over the past 20 years, the hospital's staff has delivered 179,000 babies, cared for 296,000 inpatients and 840,000 outpatients. It also saw the birth of a new facility, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, named after Mr. Palmer's late wife Winnie. The 285-bed facility opened on May 30, 2006, expanding the hospital's obstetric, neonatal and gynecological services. With the opening of Winnie Palmer Hospital, Arnold Palmer Hospital became a dedicated, 158-bed children's hospital and the two facilities in addition to the Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families formed the Arnold Palmer Medical Center, which is one of the largest children and women's facilities in the nation.
Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, supported by the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation, is a 158-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children. Located in Orlando, Arnold Palmer Hospital provides expertise in pediatric specialties such as cardiac care, craniomaxillofacial surgery, emergency and trauma care, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, oncology, orthopedics, pulmonology and sports medicine. Visit arnoldpalmerhospital.com to learn more about all of our specialties.