Description
In Boca Raton, a small town on Florida’s Atlantic coast, a tragedy became the impetus for a hospital.
In 1962, two children became severely ill after drinking milk. Their parents drove them to the nearest hospital, but the hospital’s laboratory was unable to test for poison. Florida’s Turnpike had recently connected Miami with other cities, so officials shut down the road so that a sheriff’s deputy could race a blood sample to Miami for testing. Still, the trip took an hour and 45 minutes. Tests showed the milk was tainted with sodium arsenate. But it was too late to save the children.
At her children’s funeral, Gloria Drummond asked for donations to start a hospital in Boca Raton. Not only did the town rally behind the cause, but soon donations came from far beyond the town. In 1967, Boca Raton Community Hospital opened its doors to all.
With Gloria Drummond’s tireless efforts and the whole-hearted support of the community, the facility has fulfilled the vision she and other founders had: to provide accessible, quality healthcare. Now called Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH), the hospital includes an array of facilities dedicated to specific needs and offers sophisticated treatment options beyond what many larger, more urban areas provide.
The hospital’s reputation for quality draws respected, talented medical personnel to the area. Manufacturers of the latest in medical devices eagerly partner with BRRH to showcase their technology. Individuals can prevent or treat conditions with greater ease and efficacy than ever before. Boca Raton residents still volunteer hundreds of thousands of hours each year at the hospital.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital truly is “The Miracle on Meadows Road.”
