May 15, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital recently received a gift of $1 million from the Ross family to further advance the hospital’s award-winning nursing program. It is among the largest single gifts to nursing care in the country.
As a longtime donor and the family namesake of the hospital, Elizabeth M. Ross wanted to provide new opportunities for career development to ensure the continued success of the cardiovascular nursing staff. The gift establishes the Elizabeth M. Ross Cardiovascular Nursing Education and Leadership Fund and The Elizabeth M. Ross Nursing Fellowship program.
“We are thankful to Mrs. Ross and her family for their ongoing support of our Heart and Vascular program,” said Dr. Thomas Ryan, director of Ohio State’s Heart and Vascular Center. “We are proud of our talented and dedicated team of nurses and we look forward to implementing these programs to help them further their careers.”
A 1940 graduate of Ohio State, Ross has been a generous supporter of many organizations and initiatives in the central Ohio educational, health care and art communities. She is an emeritus member of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center board. Ross has donated approximately $13 million to various areas of The Ohio State University.
The Ross Heart Hospital is one of three Ohio State hospitals to achieve Magnet status, the highest award a hospital can receive for nursing excellence. Only two percent of U.S. hospitals are Magnet and the designation is considered the benchmark in measuring quality of patient care. Additionally, two Ross nursing units (2 Ross and 4 Ross) have earned the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
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Media Contact: Marti Leitch, Wexner Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations, 614-293-3737 or Marti.Leitch@osumc.edu