Marcus Neuroscience Institute

In what is the largest, single philanthropic gift in the institution’s history, Boca Raton Regional Hospital is using a $25 million grant from the Marcus Foundation to create the Marcus Neuroscience Institute on the Hospital’s main campus. The facility will serve as a new, state-of-the-art nexus of care for neurologic and neurosurgical patients and transform the landscape of clinical capabilities available in the region. Groundbreaking for the Institute is scheduled for February 2013 and the facility will be completed in the spring of 2014.

Recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reveal that with an aging population one of the largest anticipated needs in healthcare will be in the neurosciences including the treatment of vascular diseases of the brain such as stroke and transient ischemic attack, Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and malignant and benign brain tumors.

The 56,000 square-foot facility will house a 22-bed Neuro Intensive Care and Step-Down unit. The rooms, all of which are private, will be equipped with special monitoring capabilities that provide vital information on both the patient’s neurological and cardiovascular functions. Each of the rooms features an abundance of natural lighting and an antechamber where family members can stay during the patient’s hospitalization, as both of these factors have been shown to positively influence recovery in neurological conditions.

Technology at the Institute will be cutting edge and provide clinicians with capabilities that are the gold standard in neurological and neurosurgical care.

The Institute will contain two dedicated operating rooms, one equipped with intraoperative MRI. This technology provides real-time scans during all stages of a procedure, ensuring greater accuracy and patient safety.

A Flash CT scanner will be an important component of the radiologic capabilities offered at the Institute. This imaging technology provides high-quality scans in virtually seconds and at very low radiation dosages. Its speed is invaluable in the neurosciences where time is critical in the recognition and treatment of such conditions as stroke and brain aneurysm.

Another distinctive feature of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute will be its Biplane Angiography Suite. The second such suite at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, it is crucial in the diagnosis and care of a host of neurological conditions. With this technology, physicians can produce highly detailed, three-dimensional images simultaneously from two regions of the head, from front-to-back and side-to-side. This superior visualization greatly enhances diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities and significantly reduces the time to complete a neurological angiogram.

The Institute’s medical staff will include highly experienced and qualified clinicians in all facets of the neurosciences including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-interventionalists, a neuropsychologist and a Research Director. The Executive Medical Director position of the Institute will be filled through a national search of prominent physicians in the neurosciences.

The staff will also include three neurointensivists, physicians who are specially trained in neurocritical care. Recent studies have demonstrated that neuro intensive care units utilizing a neurointensivist-led team see lower mortality rates, shorter lengths of stay and a decrease in discharges to nursing homes.

A robust clinical research component will be a feature of the Institute and collaborate extensively with scientists at Florida Atlantic University. The Institute will also be affiliated with the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center.

Patients at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute will also benefit from its synergistic relationship with Boca Regional’s Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute (LCI), offering patients with neurologic malignancies the most advanced radiation and medical oncology therapies available in the Institute’s renowned and award-winning facility. The combination of LCI with the Marcus Neuroscience Institute on the Boca Regional campus will make for a tandem of facilities, programs and services that is among the finest in the nation.

Development of clinical programs and physician recruitment for the Marcus Neuroscience Institute has commenced and includes such areas as neurosurgery with a focus on cranial tumors, Parkinson's Disease and spinal disorders; a Comprehensive Stroke Center and state-of-the art treatment of brain aneurysms and neurology with an emphasis on vascular disease, movement disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and memory disorders.