NASCAR Foundation Presents $250,000 To Homestead Hospital’s Speediatrics Unit

Donation To Kick Off Capital Campaign For New Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 18, 2011) – The NASCAR Foundation today helped kick off Homestead Hospital’s capital campaign to build and equip a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with a check presentation for $250,000. The presentation was officially made by The NASCAR Foundation Founder and Chairwoman, Betty Jane France, during a special ceremony hosted by NASCAR President Mike Helton at Homestead Hospital’s Speediatrics Unit.

Creating a Level II NICU is a top priority, as more than 150 babies born each year at Homestead Hospital need intensive care that currently is provided only at hospitals located more than 20 miles away. This distance between hospital and home creates hardships for families and interferes with the parental bonding that is so vital to a newborn’s health during the first weeks of life. A Level II NICU at Homestead Hospital will allow these babies and their families to stay close to home while receiving the care they need.

The NASCAR Foundation, through Betty Jane France and her Speediatrics unit, has played a crucial role in the success of Homestead Hospital’s pediatric programs. The unique unit is one of only two in the country founded by France and is the only Emergency Center in south Miami-Dade County dedicated to children. Brought to Homestead Hospital in 2002, more than 23,000 patient visits a year are handled in the Speediatrics Children’s Emergency Center.

“We are proud to make this donation to benefit Homestead Hospital’s capital campaign,” said France. “It really is an honor for the foundation and Speediatrics to be involved with Homestead Hospital. This is all about improving the quality of life for children who are patients at the facility. That’s a great goal to aspire to; this donation is a huge step in that direction.”

Part of the donation made by The NASCAR Foundation will be used to purchase Giraffe OmniBed Isolete Incubators, which are the most advanced and developmentally supportive microenvironments available today. The beds combine state of the art technology and thermal performance to create a healing environment for intensively ill newborns.

In addition, the ceremony honored Betty Jane France for her vision, work and dedication to Speediatrics at Homestead Hospital and Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., the first hospital to receive the racing-themed pediatric center. A portrait of Mrs. France was unveiled during the ceremony, which will be permanently on display in the Speediatrics unit.