By Yassin Jobarteh
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The University of Maryland Children’s Hospital’s new state-of-the-art pediatric hybrid catheterization and operation room is set to open in spring 2020.
According to Lisa Clough, the hospital’s spokesperson, the project is supposed to take 18 to 24 months to complete. The suite was donated by Orioles’ first baseman Chris Davis and his wife, Jill who made history by donating $3 million to the hospital this fall.
“It will provide critical support to expand the resources and technology available at the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital,” said Mohan Suntha, the president and chief executive officer at UMMC. “Allowing our world-class experts in children’s heart disease to provide the most advanced care possible. We are grateful to Chris and Jill Davis for their generosity and partnership.”
The suite will be called the Evelyn Kay Davis Congenital Hybrid Catheterization Suite. This is inspired by the Davis’s daughter Evie, who was born with a heart defect but is doing well.
“It is a pretty serious disease because once your heart is blocked up you will die of a heart attack,” said Dr. Stewart Finney, Jr., the chief of the cardiac surgery at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. “The earlier a person seeks help the better their chances.”
“This is a cause that is close to our hearts,” Chris Davis said in a Nov. 4 press conference. “Everyone at the hospital has inspired our family, from the patients and families who show such courage in the face of overwhelming challenges, to the medical professionals and caregivers who dedicate their careers to saving and improving lives.”
Davis and his wife toured the only hybrid operating room the University had a few months ago. Seeing what other families had to go through confirmed to the couple that they wanted to donate to this cause. Davis said not only was the decision easy but it was a humbling experience seeing how positive and charismatic the children are.
“We wanted to do something on a bigger scale.” Chris said in an interview with the MLB network. “Something that was not just going to be in a media impact but they were going to be able to use for years to come. We are excited to see how it shapes up moving forward.”
Davis and his wife already work with the hospital in hosting a charity home run derby at Oriole Park at Camden Yards every year called “Crush’s Homers for Hearts.” They both serve as ambassadors for University of Maryland Children’s Hospital at the University of Maryland Medical Center, helping to raise awareness for childhood illnesses.
In total, the event has raised over $250,000. The couple has also donated their time to helping the community in other ways, such as at food banks, missions, the Casey Cares Foundation and other organizations.
“We are incredibly grateful to Jill and Chris for their steadfast generosity, commitment and the time they spend with our young patients,” Steven J. Czinn, the chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the hospital, said in a statement.