Florida Hospital to Become Global Site for Training Surgeons - 11/16/06

Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement to Train up to 20,000 Surgeons Annually

Minutes before the start of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission’s (EDC) November Board meeting, Florida Hospital, the EDC, and global Fortune 500 healthcare leaders, came together to announce plans for the new Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement (NCSA), which aims to be the global site for training and educating surgeons.

"This is an exciting day for Central Florida, as the momentum continues for economic development in our region. Announcements like the one made by Florida Hospital today are diversifying our economy and helping to ignite a new economic engine based on bio-medical research, surgical innovation, and education," said Ray Gilley, president/CEO of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission.

"As the chair of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, I’m excited that our region is becoming a bio-medical and life science destination. Much like Disney is a visionary company that creates lasting memories for children and families, the NCSA positions Florida Hospital as a visionary in the medical field, capturing the imagination of aspiring surgeons all over the world," said Jim Lewis, chair of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and president of Disney® Vacation Club.

Florida Hospital, with corporate partners GE Healthcare, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Karl Storz Endoscopy – America Inc., and Getinge USA, intends to build a new 35,000-square-foot, $20 million facility called the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement, within approximately two years. The NCSA will host 20,000 surgeons annually in Central Florida and will accommodate at least 20 surgical stations and have conference capacity that will accommodate more than 500 people.

"As a global leader in minimally invasive surgical technologies, Karl Storz Endoscopy is committed to benefiting humanity by advancing medical technology through innovation and education. Working together with Florida Hospital and other leaders of the medical community, we have an opportunity to help make Central Florida a vital hub of medical innovation and advanced surgical training. By supporting development of the NCSA, we hope to expand training of physicians on cutting-edge surgical technologies and the most advanced procedures. We are certain that the technologies and surgical techniques developed here will have a positive impact not only on this community, but globally as well," said Charlie Wilhelm, president of Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc.

"Ethicon Endo-Surgery is pleased to support this unique Center that shares our vision to help accelerate surgical innovation from the laboratory into the global marketplace, which we believe will help transform patient care," said Kevin Lobo, president of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.

The NCSA is named after Tony and Sonja Nicholson, who made a $5 million pledge to help fund the new facility anchored at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. The Center will rely heavily on private and corporate resources to achieve the ambitious global pacesetting vision.

"It is my hope that this facility will transform healthcare by uniting the efforts of researchers, entrepreneurs, medical device companies, and surgeons to meet the needs of patients both here and all over the world," said Tony Nicholson, owner and president of Nicholson Homes.

The seeds for the NCSA were planted with the opening of the Surgical Learning Institute (SLI) in Celebration, Florida in 2001. Since its advent, the SLI has filled a critical need within the surgical community, training more than 17,000 surgeons in just five years. Yet much more needs to be done.

"In the United States alone, the demand for specialty surgical care has exploded. As the baby boom generation ages, our healthcare system is being stressed to capacity. The need for highly trained, skilled surgical professionals has never been more critical," said Lars Houmann, president and CEO of Florida Hospital.

The NCSA will include an international surgical training and education program that will host surgeons annually in Central Florida, who will come from around the world for educational conferences on the latest and best surgical techniques and technologies provided by global Fortune 500 healthcare leaders. It will be anchored at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, with components of the NCSA also being launched at Florida Hospital Orlando and Florida Hospital Winter Park. The Center positions Central Florida not only as the global site for educating surgeons in site-based conferences, but also as a central distribution site for satellite-based surgical learning worldwide.

"Just like families and tourists come to Central Florida for Disney and our world-class attractions – physicians will be coming to Central Florida for our world-class surgical training," said Dr. Steven McCarus of Florida Hospital, who trains surgeons on minimally invasive procedures. "These partnerships will also advance progress in the realm of minimally invasive surgeries, resulting in more lives saved and faster healing for patients with less discomfort."

Additional facilities at the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement include a Technology Accelerator to increase surgical technology innovation; a full Multi-Media Production Center, enabling surgeons around the world to be trained in their own countries while sharing in the advanced expertise and techniques available at Florida Hospital to improve healthcare outcomes worldwide; a Willed Body Program to ensure surgeons have access to preciously needed anatomical tissue; and a Surgical Simulation Laboratory, featuring multiple stations using computer simulation and sophisticated models that mimic human response to surgical procedures. The Laboratory will offer surgeons an experience more anatomically correct than other training methods. Additionally, simulator usage may allow a surgeon to master a surgical technique before he or she ever enters the operating room.

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