PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia today breaks ground on the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Primary Care Center at 48th and Market Streets in West Philadelphia. This $30 million, 52,000-square-foot facility will provide top-quality pediatric care and community programs to children and families in the surrounding community.
Established with a $7.5 million gift from Nicholas and Athena Karabots and the Karabots Foundation of Fort Washington, Pa., the new Center will give West Philadelphia families convenient access to standard-setting pediatric healthcare. As a new component of the robust CHOP Care Network, the Karabots Center represents a continuing commitment to medical care by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"We are grateful that Nicholas and Athena Karabots are so passionate about ensuring all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, receive high quality care," said Mortimer J. Buckley, chair, Board of Trustees at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Their generous gift makes it possible for The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to better serve the families in West Philadelphia. We are honored to continue the Karabots' tradition of helping children in need and will fulfill the promise of excellent care."
The 1 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony at 48th and Market Streets will feature remarks by Steven M. Altschuler, M.D., chief executive officer of Children's Hospital, Mr. Buckley, and Nicholas and Athena Karabots.
"My wife and I are delighted to be able to support the creation of this facility that will help so many in need. The West Philadelphia community will benefit enormously with the opening of this state-of-the-art center," said Nicholas Karabots. "I feel strongly that all children, especially those living under difficult circumstances, deserve the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. To do this, they need to have access to good healthcare services."
"We are proud to create additional economic and community benefits to Philadelphia at the same time we provide a higher level of care for children," said Dr. Altschuler. "This generous donation from Nicholas and Athena benefits our community on so many levels."
Located on a four-acre site, the two-story, 52,000-square-foot building will contain 56 child-friendly examination rooms, plus rooms dedicated to radiology, hearing and vision testing, and a phlebotomy laboratory. The facility will also house community programs offered by Children's Hospital, such as Early Head Start, Reach Out and Read, domestic violence education and asthma education. The Center plans to accommodate over 45,000 outpatient visits annually.
The principal architect for the Center is Brawer & Hauptman Architects and the contractor is INTECH Construction. Stanley, Beaman and Sears are the interior design consultants and Medequip International is the medical equipment consultant. The Procz Group is serving as the building systems engineer, while the civil/structural engineer is Klein and Hoffman. Construction is projected to finish in late 2012, with an opening planned for early 2013.
The existing CHOP Pediatric & Adolescent Care Centers in South Philadelphia and Cobbs Creek will remain in their current locations. The centers at 39th and Chestnut Sts. and 3550 Market St. will relocate to the Karabots Center.
Once a shoeshine boy in the South Bronx, Nicholas Karabots has achieved prominence in the printing and publishing industries. He is the Chairman of the Spartan Organization, Inc., and its family of Kappa-related operations, encompassing children's activity books, puzzle magazines, maps, and related printing facilities in several states. The Karabots family is well-known for its philanthropy, having often supported projects focused on youth and inner-city causes.
