With an $18 million gift from a former patient, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus will create the first center in the U.S. dedicated to treating patients with heart failure and arrhythmia.
The donation, from Bob and Corrine Frick, will establish the Bob and Corrine Frick Center for Heart Failure and Arrhythmia at Ohio State's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, part of Wexner Medical Center.
Mr. Frick was treated at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital after he suffered from a heart attack at age 40.
Typically, care for patients with heart failure and arrhythmia are not coordinated, which results in additional time in physician offices and waiting for tests, decisions and procedures. This trend in care delivery was the main motivation behind the center.
"We are deeply grateful to Bob and Corrine for their incredible gift," said The Ohio State University President Michael Drake, MD. "This is a remarkable example of how our doctors, nurses and staff members provided a patient and his family with unmatched treatment over the course of many years, resulting in generosity that will help others for generations to come."