January 2009

Alan H. Ginsburg's late wife and son would be proud. Wanting to do something special for the community in their memory, the Ginsburg family donated $20 million to Florida Hospital Orlando to support the facility's Cardiovascular Institute. In December the hospital opened the Ginsburg Tower, a 15-story, 675,000-square-foot patient tower that is the tallest hospital building in the state. It will include 440 patient beds — 200 now and 240 in the future — and one of the largest emergency departments and cardiac catheterization labs in the country.

"My whole family is touched," says Winter Park resident Ginsburg, chief executive of CED Cos. of Maitland, a developer of apartment communities. But "it's not about putting our name on a building for us. It's about doing something that will benefit this community for years to come, and it's about helping a great hospital become even better." He says he supports Florida Hospital because he believes in its faith-based mission of providing total care to patients.

One of the highlights of the Ginsburg Tower is its 62,000-square-foot emergency department that is designed to accommodate about 90,000 annual visits. The building also houses the Cardiovascular Institute, which sees more cardiac patients than any other hospital in the country. Its features include 12 cardiac catheterization labs, a rehabilitation center, cardiac stress testing areas and a chest pain observation unit. Lake Estelle is visible from patient rooms, guest waiting rooms and the three-story atrium lobby.

The donation, from Ginsburg and the Ginsburg Family Foundation, was the largest gift in the history of Florida Hospital, which kicked off its centennial celebration in November. Ginsburg's wife, Harriet, and son, Jeffrey, died in a plane crash several years ago.