Leonsis Family Donates $5 Million to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Photos

B-roll & Soundbites

The donation funds multiple pediatric areas including a new rooftop helipad with direct access to a state-of-the-art emergency department and operating rooms, benefiting children experiencing acute trauma and supporting their families in the new, world class Verstandig Pavilion.

WASHINGTON – MedStar Georgetown University Hospital recognized the generosity of Ted and Lynn Leonsis and their $5 million donation to support multiple pediatric health areas in the hospital including a brand-new rooftop helipad with direct access to the emergency department and operating rooms. Located atop the Verstandig Pavilion, a new world class facility setting the standard in patient care and the practice of medicine, the helipad ensures that patients experiencing acute trauma from around the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region will now have easier access to specialized, life-saving procedures when every minute counts. Of particular importance are the many critically ill newborns who are transported to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, one of the few Level IV NICU’s in the Washington region.

The donation signifies a deepened connection to Georgetown University, of which Ted, Zach Leonsis and Elle Leonsis Helme are alumni. The family’s generosity is commemorated with a special plaque located inside the lobby upon entering the Pavilion.

“Supporting this world-class facility at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in service to the students, neighbors and the entire Greater DC region is a big moment for us all,” said Ted Leonsis, Founder and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “To be involved with something that will save a life because patients are able to get the treatment that they need very quickly is a great privilege and honor.”

The Verstandig Pavilion opened in December 2023 and houses 31 state-of-the-art operating rooms, 32 private rooms in a modern and expanded Emergency department, and 156 private patient rooms offering a healing environment to support patients and their loved ones. The new rooftop helipad enables direct and immediate access to the appropriate point of care. The Leonsis family donation will also support pediatrics in the NICU, physical therapy and the emergency department play space.

"We are grateful to the Leonsis family for caring so deeply for people they will likely never get to meet, but our patients for generations to come will benefit from this act of generosity and the commitment to the region,” said Ken Samet, President and CEO of MedStar Health. “The medicine, teaching and research happening here will be enriched with this gift that will serve as a special part of the Leonsis family legacy.”

This life-saving donation is the latest in a history of partnership between MedStar Health and the Leonsis family. This past fall, the Leonsis-owned Monumental Sports & Entertainment organization contributed $1 million to D.C. Safe Babies Safe Moms, a collaborative initiative with MedStar Health that aims to bolster maternal and infant health in the nation’s capital. Additionally, Monumental supported MedStar Health’s Center for Wellbeing In 2022, they helped with increasing needs around COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts during the pandemic, and in 2019 Monumental pitched in to enhance the sports medicine program at MedStar Health’s Lafayette Centre, where patients receive outpatient surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.

For more information visit: www.medstarhealth.org/locations/medstar-georgetown-university-hospital.