Ronald P. Stanton Gives $50 Million Toward Cancer Care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital
NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2009 — New York-Presbyterian Hospital announced today that it has received a $50 million commitment from noted business leader, longtime supporter and Hospital Trustee Ronald P. Stanton. The gift will establish the Ronald P. Stanton Clinical Cancer Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, strengthening and expanding the Hospital's ability to provide patients with the very best cancer care.
"Philanthropic support for our Hospital's clinical and research programs is always important, but never more so than in these uncertain financial times. We are grateful to Ron Stanton for his outstanding record of support and generosity over many years, and for his latest gift that will do so much to enhance care for cancer patients," says John Mack, chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Mr. Stanton has a long history of support for New York-Presbyterian. In total, he has contributed $75 million, mostly geared to the advancement of cancer care. His most recent philanthropy will help enhance the Hospital's radiation therapy capabilities by making possible the purchase and installation of state-of-the-art equipment, such as new linear accelerators. This new technology delivers radiation with amazing precision, while minimizing, even eliminating, damage to healthy tissue. The gift will allow for the creation of a cutting-edge infusion center with technologies including fast-track chairs for injections and apheresis chairs for whole-blood donations. It will also help recruit world-class physicians in various cancer specialties for further expansion of clinical programs and research initiatives.
His leadership has also helped make possible the modernization of the Hospital, including construction of the Greenberg Pavilion at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the recruitment of cancer-related clinicians, and the establishment of an endowment for the Hospital's Lung Cancer Center. He has also supported rehabilitation medicine and the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, as well as urological fellows at Weill Cornell Medical College. Mr. Stanton joined the board of New York Hospital in 1983. And in the decade since the completion of the merger with The Presbyterian Hospital, he has been an active member of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital Board of Trustees.
"New York-Presbyterian Hospital is an enormous asset to the greater New York community with its outstanding staff and leadership," says Mr. Stanton. "It is a pleasure to help it carry out its mission by supporting the clinical cancer program. I hope that this contribution will encourage others to offer their financial support to the Hospital as well."
"A diagnosis of cancer can be devastating for patients and their families. This remarkable gift will help our Hospital keep its promise to provide the best available treatments in a comforting and compassionate environment," says Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. "While the number of Americans dying from cancer has started to decline, there remains much more work to be done, and New York-Presbyterian will not stop fighting the war against cancer until it is won."
Mr. Stanton is the founder and chairman of Transammonia Inc. The company trades, distributes and transports fertilizer materials, liquefied petroleum gases and petrochemicals. Mr. Stanton has generously supported numerous educational and cultural organizations. In 1982, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Yeshiva University.
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is a leader in cancer treatment, with accomplished programs across the clinical spectrum, notably including the Weill Cornell Breast Center; the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health; the Center for Lymphoma and Myeloma; the Leukemia and Myeloproliferative Disease Center; and the Robert M. Ellsworth Ophthalmic Oncology Center.
