LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced today that longtime supporters Kirk and Anne Douglas have committed $2.3 million in new funding to purchase a da Vinci robot for the Division of Pediatric Urology in the Department of Surgery.
“This generous gift from the Douglas Foundation, which also supports the training of physicians in the use of the equipment, comes at a critical time in advancing the hospital’s pediatric surgical program,” says Richard D. Cordova, FACHE, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “This single piece of equipment will create more hope and better treatment outcomes for thousands of children suffering from a variety of issues that can be improved surgically.”
Established in 2009, CHLA’s Robotic Program was the first pediatric facility on the West Coast and remains one of the busiest in the country. The use of robotics is particularly beneficial for urologic conditions, with more than 400 successful surgeries performed to date. In the past two years, CHLA expanded the scope of its program to include children as young as four months.
“The new robot will expand the hospital’s capacity to perform major surgery on infants and children using technology that permits faster in-patient and at-home recoveries,” says Roger E. De Filippo, MD, chief of the Division of Urology at CHLA. “It allows for smaller incisions, precise levels of accuracy and magnified high-resolution 3D images of the surgical field. It is an incredible gift.”
The Douglas Foundation, established by the legendary actor/producer/writer and his wife Anne in 1964, is committed to helping those who might not otherwise be able to help themselves. Their achievements include the creation and support of many charitable causes, among them, the rebuilding of playgrounds at more than 400 Los Angeles Unified School District schools; the Anne Douglas Center for homeless women at the Los Angeles Mission; and Harry’s Haven, the Alzheimer’s unit at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s main campus in Woodland Hills.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s hospital in California and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also one of America’s premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
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