Hospitals Arrive To Serve The Wellington Area And Beyond 
The Two Major Medical Hubs Serving The Greater Wellington Community Both Date Back To 1986

By Joshua Manning

Wellington Regional Medical Center and HCA Florida Palms West Hospital started small in the 1980s and grew to become beacons of healthcare serving patients across central Palm Beach County and beyond. This month we go back in time to the early 1980s, where medical procedures meant a long trek east for Wellington residents.

It was a banner year for local healthcare in 1986, when, after years of planning, two hospitals opened to serve the Wellington area.

Originally small outposts on large tracts of land, Wellington Regional Medical Center and HCA Florida Palms West Hospital have grown exponentially over the past four decades, now offering the most state-of-the-art care available to residents who once had to trek 40 minutes or more to the coast for even the most basic medical procedures.

However, back in the early years of the western communities, that was exactly what regional officials wanted. These local hospitals, now anchors in the Wellington economy, had to fight state regulators and county officials for years before being awarded the necessary approvals to build.

The national companies that built the two hospitals in the Wellington area still operate them today. In the case of WRMC, that would be Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services (UHS), and in the case of Palms West Hospital, it’s Tennessee-based Hospital Corporation of America, now HCA Healthcare.

WRMC has provided a wide array of healthcare services to the residents of central Palm Beach County since 1986.

It started with the vision of UHS founder and Executive Chairman Alan B. Miller, said Ben Boynton, who served for years as a hospital board member.

“He chose that parcel of land based on the growth of what Wellington was envisioned to be,” Boynton said of Miller. “There were a lot of people who doubted his foresight on that property, but he pushed through as a visionary.”

Miller recalled observing the development of Wellington in the 1970s, noting that the population was growing rapidly.

“By 1986, three local doctors decided that the growing communities on the western side of the county needed a community hospital,” Miller recalled. “The doctors entered into negotiations with a number of major corporations but selected UHS to turn their vision into a reality. When UHS opened Wellington Regional in 1986, the population was growing at a rate of 50 percent.”

Dr. Jeffrey Bishop was the first physician working at the new hospital.

“I watched it being built. I was doing my internship at the old Humana Hospital,” Bishop recalled. “The doctors who opened that hospital — Dr. Harold Kirsh, Dr. Michael Longo and Dr. Albert LaTorra — recruited me. These guys were all DOs, and they wanted to open up an osteopathic hospital in the western communities.”

That dream was accomplished working with UHS. The company’s representative overseeing the project was Richard Wright. “They recruited me to open a practice in the western communities,” Bishop said. “My first office was on the third floor of the hospital before the medical buildings were built.”

Miller noted that the doctors — Longo, LaTorra and Kirsh — owned the certificate of need (CON) required to build the hospital and worked with UHS to develop the project, while developer Bruce Rendina helped the company acquire the land.

“We are always evaluating the opportunities within key markets across the U.S. to determine where there is healthcare need that we could address,” Miller said. “In the case of Palm Beach County, we had been monitoring the possibility of acquiring land in that region for several years. When the chance to acquire the land presented itself, we took swift action to seize the opportunity.”

Miller noted that in 1986, both hospitals were under construction at the same time.

“Community members expressed questions and were not certain that two hospitals were needed,” he recalled. “However, we had data indicating that the community would grow and that we would meet the need of future growth.”

In the early years, the main issue that Bishop recalled was keeping the place full. “There were days where patients from my practice were the only ones in the hospital,” he said, adding that competition was fierce with Palms West Hospital, which had already opened. “The big concern was if there’s a need for two hospitals in the western communities, but obviously, some people had good foresight.”

Bishop recalled the equestrian-themed décor and high-end caterer that ran the food service during the early years. “People came in off the streets to eat there,” he said.

He is very proud of how WRMC has grown over the past four decades.

“It has developed into a full-fledged community hospital that serves the community in a great manner,” said Bishop, who served on the hospital’s board for 25 years, including five as chair. “It has all kinds of specialty services, such as the NICU and a huge emergency department. It’s a certified stroke center, does cardiac catheterization and robotic services. They do the full gamut of what a hospital does now.”

Bishop also served as chief medical officer and program director for the hospital’s family medicine residency program, among other roles. He is also proud of his work developing the surgery and medical peer review committees.

Kevin DiLallo served as CEO of the hospital during its largest expansion years, from 1997 to 2010.

“I was there during the largest growth in the hospital’s history,” recalled DiLallo, who is now vice president of development for UHS and overseeing the construction of a new hospital for the company in Palm Beach Gardens. “We built medical offices one, two, three and four. We put the front tower on. We built the new emergency room. We built the Level III NICU, which is now named after me. There was massive growth during those years.”

During his time at the hospital, DiLallo saw a very distinct change underway, as Wellington stopped being somewhere “way out west” and became much closer to the center of life in Palm Beach County. Some of this may have been tied to the opening of the Mall at Wellington Green, just across the street.

“There was tremendous growth of the medical staff, and people becoming more accustomed to the western communities,” DiLallo said. “People didn’t come west before.”

This brought clients to WRMC from all parts of the county and beyond, often drawn by the unique offerings presented on the hospital’s campus.

“It has gone from being a community hospital, to a regional hospital, to being a true pillar of the community on the medical side,” Boynton said. “People have been travelling from other cities and states for medical procedures to be done here in Wellington. The hospital has done an incredible job bringing in these specialties. It really has been an incredible transformation.”

Miller has been very impressed by how WRMC has grown.

“In 1986, and up to today, we have seen an excellent reaction from and support by the community,” he said. “At Wellington Regional, we continue to contribute to the health of the community and boost the local economy. In 2023, we admitted 15,234 patients and had 58,961 emergency visits, and we made more than $4 million in capital investments.”

Like WRMC, it took time for Palms West Hospital to become what it is today.

In June 1981, the Town-Crier reported that, “The Hospital Corporation of America says it will have a 117-bed general surgical hospital operation by 1983.” That upbeat assessment, however, was off by several years. In October 1981, the regional Health Planning Council, which decided on hospital needs for the area, rejected the proposal, instead adding 80 additional beds to a hospital in Delray Beach. The Bureau of Community Medical Facilities in Tallahassee later agreed. Nevertheless, HCA officials said they would not give up on the plan. Eventually, approval was granted in December 1983, and a groundbreaking was held in 1984. Nearly 1,000 people were on hand to celebrate its grand opening on Jan. 19, 1986.

Mike Pugh, the hospital’s first administrator, arrived in 1984 and oversaw the construction, opening and first decade of the hospital’s life serving the community.

“I just can’t get over what a change it is and how nice it is,” Pugh said upon returning to the hospital he built for its 25th anniversary in 2011. He recalled how the hospital opened with only four doctors on staff and a trickle of patients. At first, the hospital only used one floor of its initial three. However, it grew quickly.

“In our first 10 months of serving the western communities, Palms West Hospital admitted nearly 1,200 patients and performed more than 850 surgeries and endoscopies,” Pugh wrote in a newsletter marking the hospital’s first anniversary. “By the close of 1986, there were more than 7,500 visits to our emergency department and over 3,000 outpatient visits.”

An obstetrics department was added in 1989, and a pediatric division followed in 1994. In 1993, a new 60,000-square-foot pavilion opened. Through the years, 10 medical buildings were added to the campus to accompany the hospital itself. Today, the 204-bed facility includes a full-service children’s hospital.

Deborah Welky worked for Pugh doing public relations for the hospital when it first opened. “Everybody liked Mike. He had been part of the last M*A*S*H* unit in Korea and was there when producers came out to do research for the 1970 movie of the same name,” Welky said. “He had also been a member of the Chad Mitchell Trio back in the day, just like John Denver had. So, he had stories to tell, and I like people with stories.”

She recalls the heady excitement of those early days. “The first big story to come out of Palms West Hospital was that a baby had been born at the hospital,” Welky said. “It was before the hospital’s birthing ward had been set up and was, instead, born in the emergency room. Babies wait for no plan.”

Speaking of births, she recalled how the two hospitals argued over approvals for an obstetrics ward.

“No one could argue that another hospital was needed in the area, but what they could argue about was whether another birthing ward was needed. Permission is granted based on population and need. So, argue they did,” Welky said. “Viewed hopefully as a retirement community by hospitals firmly established east of Military Trail, those of us who lived in the Wellington area knew differently. Youth sports were booming. Recreation programs were bursting at the seams. And you know what young children often have? Baby brothers and sisters. It was clear that retirees weren’t the only ones populating the area. The WRMC birthing center was approved.”

Welky eventually left Palms West Hospital for a full-time position with the Village of Wellington.

“That’s when WRMC CEO Arnie Schaffer invited me to become a part of his Community Advisory Board,” she recalled. “In addition to being goodwill ambassadors of sorts, the primary job of this board was to analyze information gathered from questionnaires filled out by patients after they had been released. When the hospitals were young, this feedback was crucial. It absolutely shaped the way things developed.”

Wellington Expands Senior Ride Program New Freebee Program Offers A Convenient Alternative Transportation Service For Senior Citizens From Wellington

Wellington’s new agreement with Freebee offers a more convenient transportation service for senior citizens in Wellington. Wellington’s seniors now have access to this free program, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Since 2010, the Village of Wellington has provided a limited transportation program for senior residents 62 years of age and older. In an effort to expand this program and its services, the village recently received proposals from interested firms to provide alternative transportation services using a ride-share-type system.

The ride-share transportation service includes the following: Monday through Saturday service from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. using two fully electric vehicles with unlimited rides. There is a mobile app with an option to request service via dispatch/call-in. The program offers door-to-door, on-demand service; a custom dashboard with the ability to display performance metrics in real time; and single or shared-use service.

Freebee replaced Wellington’s previous senior transportation program, which often carried around 10 people per day. Now, two Freebee cars serve between 20 and 30 people per day. The initial term of the contract began on May 1, 2024, for a three-year initial term, and provides for five one-year renewal options.

Freebee is a free electric-car service funded by the village’s Parks & Recreation Department. All rides must generally be within the village limits, but the cars will travel as far north as Southern Blvd. and as far south as Lake Worth Road. Riders must be at least 55 years old and Wellington residents.

Freebee, which was created by two University of Miami graduates, serves many municipalities in South Florida. The company calls their drivers “ambassadors” because they’re expected to be friendly, welcoming and talkative with the riders.

Riders can order a car through the Freebee app, or by calling a centralized dispatch. Unlike the popular ride-share apps Uber and Lyft, there isn’t a way to see reviews for local drivers. The app has a feature where riders can post photos and reviews, however, they aren’t specific to any driver or service area.

Wellington’s Freebee cars are Tesla Model X electric vehicles. A phone app makes calling a car similar to the procedure for Uber and Lyft, but rides are free.

“It’s convenient, it’s free, you’re having fun and smiling,” said Jason Spiegel, co-founder of the company. “We are short-distance, inter-municipality transportation that provides high ridership at a lower cost for cities because our clean-energy vehicles require less maintenance and no gas, compared to trolleys and buses or traditional car services.”

This new village transportation ride service, in partnership with Freebee, provides an increased level of service. It is a free shuttle service for Wellington residents age 55 and older offering unlimited door-to-door pick-ups and drop-offs in these new Tesla Model X vehicles.

Residents who use the program no longer need to provide the previously required 24-hour notice. Rides can be scheduled for same-day service with an average wait time of 15 minutes. Commuters also have the added flexibility of scheduling their rides up to five days in advance, ensuring that they can plan their travel with ease and reliability.

The service area includes anywhere within the Wellington municipal boundaries, as well as HCA Florida Palms West Hospital and its surrounding medical offices, as well as along State Road 7 from Southern Blvd. to Lake Worth Road. Service hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Sunday.

Residents can sign up by visiting the Wellington Community Center for a one-time registration. Be sure to bring your ID and water or utility bill. Information can also be provided via e-mail to rides@wellingtonfl.gov.

To request a ride, residents should:

1. Call the Freebee dispatch number at (855) 918-3733 or download the Freebee App.
2. Request a pick-up.
3. Enjoy the free ride.

Village staff is working on targeted outreach to seniors, including current senior transportation commuters. The outreach plan includes senior workshops, pre-registration of current riders via the Freebee portal and direct mailers. Additional marketing and promotion of the service throughout Wellington will be scheduled in conjunction with Freebee’s economic development team.

To learn more about the Freebee service, visit www.wellingtonfl.gov/rides.

 

A Minister, Politician, Columnist And More Father John Mangrum Was An Instrumental Leader In The Early Years Of The Wellington Community

Father John Mangrum — also known as “Johnny The Stroller” — was a spiritual leader, early elected official, devoted community builder and beloved newspaper columnist. This month, our Wellington History series continues by featuring this instrumental leader from the early years of the Wellington community.

The early years of Wellington were filled with fascinating characters, but perhaps none of such well-rounded interests as Father John Mangrum.

Mangrum’s influence cut across many layers of the fledgling Wellington community. He was an Episcopal priest instrumental in growing one of Wellington’s earliest churches. Mangrum was also an ecumenical leader who helped several other religious congregations gain their foothold in Wellington. He was also an avid horse lover known as the “priest of polo,” who gave the opening prayers at the old Palm Beach Polo stadium.

Mangrum was also a political leader, joining the Acme Improvement District Board of Supervisors — Wellington’s pre-incorporation government — in 1981 as the first non-developer representative of the community. First by appointment, then by election, he served as an Acme supervisor for more than a decade as the community wrestled with the thorny issue of incorporation.

Beyond the religious and political spheres, Mangrum was also engaged in the crucial work of community building. His alter ego was “Johnny The Stroller,” the name of his long-running column in the Town-Crier newspaper. He went to events around the young community and wrote about them, always with a focus on weaving together a gathering of transplants from elsewhere into the backbone of a new Wellington community destined for greatness.

In 1976, St. David’s in the Pines Episcopal Church became the first church established in the new community of Wellington. It had a handful of member families when the Rev. John F. Mangrum became its second rector in 1979.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mangrum grew up with a deep love of baseball and music. He served in the Pacific during World War II after doing his basic training here in Palm Beach County. After the war, he studied at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University before returning to Michigan to serve as an Episcopal priest.

After several postings in Michigan, he moved to Florida with his wife Shirley in the mid-1950s, serving at congregations in Mount Dora, Avon Park, Tampa, Jacksonville and then Clewiston. He was serving in the Glades when he first heard of the huge new development known as Wellington, and when the position at St. David’s became available, Mangrum jumped at the chance to be involved.

Through the boom years of the 1980s, Mangrum grew his congregation from a few dozen families to more than 400. The church, under his leadership, built a new 300-seat building dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1987, and even hosted Prince Charles (now King Charles III) on Easter Sunday in 1980 during one of his polo-playing trips to Wellington.

“He was a very solid priest who brought people into the congregation when Wellington was growing,” recalled Father Steven Thomas, who followed Mangrum as rector at St. David’s. “He was actively involved in the life of the community.”

He first met Mangrum while Thomas was working at St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton.

“All of the priests in the southern part of Palm Beach County met once a month. I invited him to come to St. Andrew’s for chapel. He would come maybe once a year and give a talk during the children’s service. He was popular. They loved hearing him,” Thomas recalled.

When Mangrum eventually decided to retire in the early 1990s, he brought Thomas to Wellington and urged him to apply for the position.

“He was instrumental in my coming to Wellington and put in a good word for me with the church council. That led to me being involved in the church community for three decades,” said Thomas, who retired as rector at St. David’s in 2023.

Mangrum’s role in the religious life of Wellington wasn’t contained to St. David’s and his Episcopal flock. He was an active member of the community’s clergy association and used the resources at his disposal to support other congregations. As the leader of Wellington’s first established congregation, Mangrum believed it was his sacred duty to help others get started.

St. David’s housed the fledgling congregations of Wellington Presbyterian Church, St. Peter’s United Methodist Church and Temple Beth Torah while they waited for their own properties to be developed. While the parish that became St. Rita Catholic Church never met at St. David’s, a major fundraiser supporting St. Rita was held at St. David’s.

By the early 1980s, there were several thousand residents living in Wellington, which was still largely controlled by developers. In 1981, the developers chose Mangrum for appointment to a seat on the Acme Improvement Board of Supervisors as a representative of the growing residential population. When several Acme seats were opened to the residents through election in 1989, he stayed on the board, this time as an elected representative.

Acme, Wellington’s pre-incorporation government, had limited control, largely over drainage, roads and parks. But it was also one of the only outlets residents had to express their concerns.

“Father Mangrum was a team player. He was always willing to listen to other people’s points of view,” said Kathy Foster, who served alongside Mangrum in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “When I was president of Acme, I could always count on him to help build consensus.”

Foster, who went on to become Wellington’s first mayor after incorporation, said that Mangrum was “definitely committed to the community and to what the people wanted.”

He was particularly useful at representing Wellington before the Palm Beach County Commission and other areas of county government. “A lot of negotiating went on with the county to make sure they didn’t implement something the people of Wellington did not want,” Foster said.

She added that Mangrum’s importance to early Wellington could not be overstated.

“Father Mangrum was an integral leader in the early Wellington community,” Foster said. “He and Father [Walter] Dockerill [of St. Rita] started the ecumenical association to bring all of the different faiths together.”

She particularly recalled his jubilant personality and his love of polo.

“The thing I remember most was that he always had a smile and witty remark for everyone he met,” Foster said. “He reigned every Sunday at his box at polo. He would call out to everyone passing by. He knew everyone’s names, and always had a kind comment to say.”

In his multi-faceted roles as a spiritual leader, elected official and community builder, one of the tools at Mangrum’s fingertips was his weekly “Johnny The Stroller” column in the Town-Crier. He put that famous wit of his to work, pen to paper, to continue building the Wellington community.

Sometimes he mused about community events, such as the Fourth of July fireworks show (“A Big Bang in Wellington”); sometimes he called for needed amenities (“Wellington Needs Its Own Community Center”); or espoused his favorite pastimes (“Polo Is The Place To Be On Sunday Afternoons”). The goal was the same — further the creation of the community called Wellington.

Reflecting years later, he expressed thanks to his good friend, Town-Crier founder Bob Markey Sr., for giving him a platform to continue his mission of preaching the gospel of Wellington.

Aside from all these other roles, Mangrum was also a charter member and president of the Wellington Rotary Club, a founding member of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, a founding member and board member of the Wellington Boys & Girls Club, and a board member with the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center.

In 1997, seven years after retiring from St. David’s, Mangrum and his wife left Wellington for a retirement community in Boca Raton. He did return on occasion, including to receive a community service award from the Town-Crier in 2000 and to have his name placed on Wellington’s Founders Plaque in 2003.

Shirley Mangrum passed away in 2001, while Father John Mangrum died March 18, 2010, at the age of 87.

“It was the great Henry Pitt Van Dusen who said that the minister is the duly accredited friend of the whole community,” Mangrum said when interviewed for his Town-Crier community service award in 2000. “That idea has governed my whole life. In Wellington, that is what I was, and that is why you were here talking to me today.”

A Expert Eye For Equine Art
International Fine Art Photographer Irina Kazaridi Is A Master With The Camera

By Mike May

Every year during the winter season, Wellington is home of many specialists in the equestrian world — riders, owners, trainers, grooms, breeders, coaches, journalists and more. Among the visitors are world-renowned equestrian photographers, and this year, that group included Irina Kazaridi, a fine art photographer who specializes in equestrian and polo photography.

Kazaridi hails from Beaulieu-sur-Mer, a scenic town in the south of France located between Nice and Monaco.

Recently, Kazaridi spent two months in Wellington, and she was not alone.

“My family joined me on this trip, so we combined it with a holiday,” she explained.

During the trip, she was able to mix business with pleasure.

“The main reason for coming to Wellington was the Winter Equestrian Festival, a unique and beautiful event that reunites the most elegant equestrian society and their most amazing horses,” Kazaridi said. “I had two small exhibitions of my work planned. One was at the beautiful private equestrian property in Wellington, Double A Stables, and another at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Miami. It was a great opportunity to showcase my work.”

Kazaridi has been taking photographs and showcasing her unique work for more than 10 years.

“I’ve been in the equestrian photography business since 2013, starting with polo in Saint-Tropez, which is near my home,” Kazaridi said. “Over the past 11 years, I’ve traveled the world to the most beautiful equestrian events.”

She excels in taking pictures of a wide variety of equine subjects.

“I photograph all types of horses, including jumpers, dressage, polo and racing horses,” Kazaridi explained.

She specializes in taking pictures of horses because of the appeal of the unexpected.

“I am drawn to taking pictures of horses because of the unpredictability of shooting, and the excitement of chasing the perfect shot,” Kazaridi said. “It’s also satisfying to see my works adorn the most sophisticated interiors.”

While Kazaridi knows how to take great pictures, her ability to bring that photo to life, so to speak, is what makes her artwork uniquely special.

“My specialty is creating fine art portraits for interior décor, and I collaborate with designers worldwide,” Kazaridi said.

One of Kazaridi’s biggest fans is equestrian Ariane Stiegler, president of Double A Stables in Wellington.

“What caught my eye was how she reached into horses’ souls and photographed them in a very unusual way — portraying only parts of their anatomy,” Stiegler said. “Her prints are large, extremely powerful and decorative. I knew when I called her that her uniqueness would set her apart from all traditional photographers in the United States and worldwide. I truly believe she is one of a kind.”

Kazaridi’s latest project is a new and different kind of equine pictorial.

“Now, I’m working on my new book of fine art photographs of the white wild horses of Camargue,” Kazaridi said. “It’s in the Provence region, in the south of France.”

Stiegler knows that Kazaridi’s new project will be well received by the general public, especially by horse lovers.

“She is extremely creative and her new endeavor of shooting horses in Camargue and putting together a book will propel her to new heights,” Stiegler said.

To learn more about the equine fine art photography of Irina Kazaridi, visit www.horseprintcollection.com.

Managing The Mall
Asad Sadiq, General Manager Of The Mall At Wellington Green, Enjoys His Job Helping Retailers And Residents

Asad Sadiq has always had a knack for numbers, a thirst for technology and a fervor for marketing. So, it should not be too surprising that he ended up as general manager of Wellington’s largest shopping venue.

“Looking back,” Sadiq said, “it’s almost as if I was destined for this career path.”

Sadiq is the general manager of the Mall at Wellington Green, a 1.2 million-square-foot, two-level, regional shopping destination featuring more than 160 retail stores, dining destinations and entertainment outlets, anchored by Macy’s, Dillard’s, JCPenney, City Furniture/Ashley Furniture and CMX Cinemas. He has served in his current role since July 2021.

Growing up in Chicago, Sadiq was the oldest of three children. His father was a professional electrician and drove a limousine as a side hustle for 15 years. That side hustle would also help Sadiq pay for college at DePaul University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in finance and commerce.

“I would drive for my dad for a semester, save my money, then be able to pay tuition the following semester,” Sadiq recalled. “It was really a great gig.”

He also learned the value of customer service in that role, which is an integral part of his current position.

“Working in a retail environment and interacting with our tenants and guests can be challenging at times,” Sadiq explained. “But I often find it to be the most rewarding part of what I do. Helping our merchants — particularly our small, independent retailers — achieve their dream of opening a store is easily the part of my job I love the most.”

Sadiq has more than 15 years of C-Suite-level accounting experience in both the public and private sectors. He previously served as property accountant for Starwood Retail Partners, a division of Starwood Capital Group, then transitioned into property management, first as the assistant general manager of Southlake Mall in Merrillville, Indiana, then at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan, both Starwood properties.

The Mall at Wellington Green is managed by the New York-based Spinoso Real Estate Group (www.spinosoreg.com), which oversees operations of more than 74.9 million square feet of enclosed malls throughout the United States. Spinoso brings a creative, entrepreneurial approach to real estate development and management, delivering and sustaining successful projects across a wide range of property types across the country. This portfolio includes work on hundreds of enclosed shopping malls, lifestyle centers and large-scale retail projects.

When he’s not leading his management teams to achieve sales and NOI (net operating income) goals with the latest innovation and technology, Sadiq is likely to be found cooking; enjoying a polo match with his wife Sadfeen and two daughters, Summer and Ellie; or volunteering his time as the leader of Switch, a weekly mentoring program for high school boys at Life.Church in Wellington.

“I’m extremely blessed to have an opportunity to mentor these incredible middle school and high school kids,” Sadiq said. “Programs like these are essential to help these kids find and build strength in their mind and soul, especially in today’s world where there are so many negative distractions.”

Sadiq also recently returned from a humanitarian aid trip to Cuba with Gateway of Hope, a nonprofit organization that funds care centers that distribute medicine and vitamins to children and pregnant women, organizes athletic programs for youth and other services.

Sadiq and his family love living in Wellington and, aside from their go-to dining spots at the Mall at Wellington Green, they do have a couple of local favorites in the community — both not far from his day job at the mall.

“Kaluz has a great kid’s menu, and our girls just love it there,” he said. “Sicilian Oven also never disappoints.”

The Mall at Wellington Green is home to more than 160 stores. The regional shopping destination is located at 10300 W. Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington. Mall hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information about the Mall at Wellington Green, call (561) 227-6900 or visit www.shopwellingtongreen.com.

Vision Zero Action Plan
The Village Of Wellington Has An Ambitious Goal Aimed At Eliminating Traffic Fatalities

The Village of Wellington is currently developing a Vision Zero Action Plan. This plan will guide policies and programs with the goal of eliminating traffic crashes that result in fatalities and severe injuries. Let’s learn more about what this means for residents.

I remember when automobile drivers and passengers could legally choose not to wear seat belts. Similarly, and almost unfathomably by today’s standards, automobile drivers were once able to consume alcohol while driving. Thankfully, legislators took away these choices. Additionally, in 2009, the law which makes it illegal to be unrestrained while riding in a car became a primary law. This means that you can be pulled over and issued a citation simply if you are not wearing your seatbelt. But the result — thousands of lives saved, and serious injuries prevented — has undoubtedly been worth giving up the dubious freedom to go beltless.

Better Vision
Today, as we see roadway fatalities rising and a disturbing 50-percent increase in pedestrian deaths during roughly the last decade nationwide, many transportation professionals are re-doubling their efforts using “Vision Zero,” an approach that has been successfully embraced in several states during the last two decades. This fundamentally new mindset envisions a transportation system in which most serious crashes are prevented. To achieve this, some of our cherished freedoms — especially the freedom to drive at maximum speeds — must be constrained.

First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has been adopted by the European Union with an intermediary target of a 50-percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Europe already has seen a 36-percent reduction in road deaths from 2010 to 2020.

Wellington’s Vision
The Village of Wellington is currently developing a Vision Zero Action Plan. This plan will guide policies and programs with the goal of eliminating traffic crashes that result in fatalities and severe injuries along Wellington’s roadways. The village’s Vision Zero initiative strives to improve safety for everyone traveling around the community, whether walking, cycling, driving, horseback riding or riding transit, and to improve the identified high-crash injury locations, all in an effort to prevent fatal and severe injury crashes. The Vision Zero Action Plan sets an ambitious long-term goal to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries from occurring along Wellington’s roadways. Vision Zero programs prioritize safety over other transportation goals, acknowledge that traffic fatalities and serious injuries are preventable, and incorporate a multidisciplinary Safe System approach.

The core belief of Vision Zero is that fatal and severe injury crashes are unacceptable and preventable. This approach to safety brings together education, data-driven decision-making and community engagement with context-sensitive, people-centric street designs that account for human error, promote slower speeds and improve mobility for all users. With this Vision Zero approach, Wellington’s departments and residents work together to make village streets safer and meet the goal of zero deaths and serious injuries attributable to traffic crashes in Wellington by 2030.

The Wellington Village Council formally adopted Vision Zero, an ambitious commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2030, through Resolution R2022-15 passed in July 2022 mandating a safe systems approach and equitable action plan aimed at saving lives on local roads.

What Is Vision Zero?
Vision Zero is an international effort to eliminate all fatal and serious injury traffic crashes. Adopted by dozens of communities across the United States, it is a heartfelt belief that these crashes are preventable, and that changed attitudes and approaches will enable success.

Vision Zero is based on five key principles: Traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable; human life and health are prioritized within all aspects of transportation systems; human error is inevitable and transportation systems should be forgiving; safety work should focus on systems-level change above influencing individual behavior; and speed is recognized as the fundamental factor in crash severity. The program encourages communities to adopt policies and implement programs and procedures that can eliminate the potential for serious injury and fatal traffic-related crashes to occur. Wellington’s goal is to eliminate all of these crashes by 2030.

How Does This Relate To You?
As you think about your family, friends and acquaintances, is there anyone you would be accepting of being killed or seriously injured in a traffic crash? Would you miss them and mourn them? You would not tolerate a baby product to remain on the market if it injured children. You would demand tainted foods that made people sick be removed from grocery stores. You expect that the water you drink is free from contaminants. You have zero tolerance for these and similar things. Yet, in the United States, nearly 40,000 people are killed each year on our roadways. Florida has one of the highest rates of fatal traffic crashes of any state. So, why is this considered acceptable? Frankly, it is not, and we individually and collectively should make changes in our attitudes, expectations and approaches to achieve the goal of no one being killed or severely injured when traveling along, around and across our roadways.

The village’s Vision Zero Action Plan will guide policies and programs with the goal of eliminating fatalities on local roadways. The plan focuses on providing near-term recommendations to rapidly implement safety improvements and begin the systemic changes needed to fully realize Vision Zero. Many recommended engineering treatments, enforcement directives and educational programs can and will be rolled out quickly over the first year. But we also understand that fundamentally improving traffic safety and ending senseless tragedies will require a generational commitment to changing culture, infrastructure and mobility planning.

Input From The Public
The Vision Zero Action Plan requires public outreach as it aims to improve road safety and reduce traffic fatalities, and gathering feedback from the community can help ensure that the plan addresses their concerns and needs. Your input is essential for the success of Wellington’s Vision Zero Action Plan. You can provide us with your concerns regarding traffic and safety on the village’s roads at www.wellingtonvisionzero.com.

With sustained vision and dedication to protecting human life as the top priority, the village believes this ambitious goal of zero severe injuries and death due to preventable crashes can become a reality over the next decade. This action plan provides a comprehensive roadmap to get Wellington to zero. It will require a massive community education effort and also necessitate a paradigm shift in how local government and drivers think about safety — like what we’ve seen with seat belts.

Early Restaurants In Wellington
Recollections From Longtime Wellington Restaurant Owners Gabriel Finocchietti And Dennis Witkowski

By Joshua Manning

This month, Wellington History features two longtime restaurateurs who have served up great comfort food to generations of Wellington residents — Gabriel Finocchietti of Gabriel’s Café & Grille and Dennis Witkowski of the former Cobblestones restaurant.

Today, Wellington is home to a wide array of restaurants, representing all types of cuisines. However, that was not always the case. In its early years, Wellington had precious little to offer those looking for a decent meal outside the home.

Gabriel Finocchietti owns the oldest continually operating restaurant in Wellington. His café in the Wellington Plaza was initially run by the mother-in-law of builder Alan Black, who developed what was then called Wellington Country Plaza, the young community’s first shopping center.

Known as Annamarie’s Café, she ran it for several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s before the Black family moved to Australia. The restaurant changed hands and was known for a time as Angelo’s Café. That was until 1990, when Finocchietti bought the place, and it became Gabriel’s Café & Grille.

“When I moved to Sugar Pond, my neighbor owned Mom’s Kitchen on Lake Worth Road. I worked at the Breakers. We knew each other for a while. He came to my house and said there was a restaurant for sale down the street,” Finocchietti recalled. “That’s what did it. The deal was good, and I bought it. That was 1990, and we are still here today.”

While the community has grown exponentially during that time, so has the competition.

“When I bought Gabriel’s, there were only three breakfast restaurants, and now there are at least eight,” he explained.

Nevertheless, the café has garnered many regular clients through the years, all of whom become part of Finocchietti’s extended family.

“People-wise, there is still a lot of connection because we have known them for 30-plus years,” he said. “We share the good and the bad. That is the main reason why I am still here to today — the people and the connections.”

And that includes the staff, such as server Laurie Purvis, who has been working there for 33 years. She was working at nearby Squire’s Deli, came for lunch one day and never left.

“Some of the old generation people are still here,” Finocchietti said. “Now there’s the second generation with the third generation coming in.”

The growth on State Road 7, particularly around the Mall at Wellington Green, has made business more competitive but also brought in more people.

“Now we are looking at Southern Blvd. also getting competitive with traffic and businesses. But the heart of Wellington, where Gabriel’s is located, has not changed that much,” Finocchietti said. “In season, we definitely see more traffic due to the horse industry from January until the end of April. At the same time, that gives 100 percent of the businesses in the community more business this time of the year. Every restaurant or shop or supermarket is increasing its volume.”

He is proud to have spent the last 30 years producing homemade, good quality food that people enjoy almost like it was cooked at home.

“Everything is made fresh, from soup to salads. On our menu, everything is cooked to order,” Finocchietti said. “The menu includes standard breakfast and lunch items, but also some Italian dishes and Hispanic influence to give people a little more variety.”

He particularly likes it when people compliment the food. Popular breakfast items are waffles, omelets and Mama’s Stuffed Egg Crepes. For lunch, people love the burgers, Cuban sub, turkey club, Reuben sandwich and the wide array of salads.

Like the owners of most small businesses, you’ll usually find Finocchietti at the restaurant when it is open.

“The key is dealing with every single consequence. If it was not for me dealing with it, I don’t think it would survive,” explained Finocchietti, who personally manages the restaurant with help from veteran staff members. “A manager, a cashier and a host would take most of the profit away. You have to be able to take care of problems. If the chef is sick, I can go back and cook if necessary. I know all the jobs in this place.”

Meanwhile, life goes on. His two children, Lisa and Gabriel, grew up in the restaurant. They still live locally, along with Finocchietti’s four grandchildren.

“People ask if I get a day off. No, I love to come here. The people who come here are my friends. We talk all about our town,” Finocchietti said. “My wife Darlene and I have redecorated the restaurant through the years. Currently, with a Carolina country décor. It makes the restaurant cozy and homey.”

Fellow restaurateur Dennis Witkowski was a fixture in Wellington during the community’s early years.

“I came to Wellington in 1979. I had just moved down from New York’s Long Island, where I had a saloon in Hampton Bays,” Witkowski recalled. “I got tired of the Long Island winters and moved to my dream destination of West Palm Beach.”

His first trip to Wellington had been the year before, in the winter of 1978. “A couple of buddies of mine invited me out to play a round of golf at the newly opened Palm Beach Polo golf course,” Witkowski said. “It was the middle of nowhere and seemed like an eternity driving out on Forest Hill Blvd.”

Yet, Wellington is where he ended up working, taking a job as a bartender at the soon-to-be-open Wellington Country Club, now known as the Wanderers Club.

“We opened that club at the end of 1979, I think on New Year’s Eve,” Witkowski said. “It was a remarkable bar. It was the centerpiece of the community of Wellington, which had about 3,000 people at the time.”

Witkowski, who is quite tall, remembers his time as a bartender there fondly.

“It was a sunken bar. It was three feet below the area. My head could barely clear the glass rack,” he said. “People got a look of amazement when they realized how tall I was. Everyone from the community of Wellington gathered there. I particularly remember the newly formed Exchange Club. Everyone who was anyone was a member.”

The club had its weekly meetings and always started with cocktails at the bar, he said. “I got to know all of the who’s who of Wellington very quickly,” Witkowski said, specifically noting early Wellington leaders Frank Gladney, Frank Glass and Bink Glisson. “I held that job a couple of years until I got the opportunity to open Cobblestones.”

Witkowski’s new restaurant was one of the first businesses at the new Town Square shopping plaza when Cobblestones opened on Dec. 3, 1982.

“Up to that point, all we had was one shopping plaza in Wellington,” he said. “At the end of 1982, we had the opening of the original Wellington Mall and Town Square, nearly simultaneously. I was caught with the decision of where to open my restaurant. I chose to go where Publix was opening, which turned out to be a terrific location. We had an instant hit on our hands.”

Witkowski operated the restaurant until 1994, when he sold it to the Murphy family and, for a while, switched careers to become a financial consultant.

“I’ve had half a dozen restaurants in my life, but that was the star of all of them,” he said of Cobblestones. “I remember it fondly, and so does the community. It was Wellington’s finest restaurant in terms of the community. Everyone in Wellington embraced it and used it.”

Before the place even opened, Witkowski recalls going out to the site and drawing out its layout in the dirt.

“I enjoyed the whole building process — creating something from the ground up,” he said. “It was such a wonderful gathering place for the community. It was a place where we had the owners of the polo teams, polo players and the grooms. It encompassed everyone in the community, and the equestrian aspect was definitely significant.”

Through Cobblestones, he became friendly with polo royalty, such as Memo Gracida and the entire Gracida family. The place also had its fair share of celebrity sightings.

“We certainly had a huge number of celebrities that came to Wellington back then, particularly due to polo,” Witkowski said. “One of my favorite customers was Zsa Zsa Gabor. She became a great customer and friend. She returned and brought Fifi, her chihuahua. We made an exception and let her bring the dog in. Later, she brought her good friend Merv Griffin, back then the No. 1 TV producer in the world. He became a friend, and we got to play tennis together. Perhaps even more famous was the day Paul Newman came in with his wife Joanne Woodward. He was probably the top movie actor at the time. I was totally awestruck to have him in the restaurant.”

During his time in Wellington, he saw the community grow quickly from 3,000 to 20,000 residents.

“It had such a wonderful, small-town feeling. Everyone just knew everybody. We were all coming off the ark onto this new land together,” Witkowski recalled. “Everybody was in the same boat coming into this brand-new community. It had little to offer, but it gave us a chance to create a sense of community.”

After Cobblestones closed, the site later became a Mexican restaurant called La Fogata. “I went to the Mexican place a few times, but there were too many ghosts for me,” Witkowski said.

After a major health scare, Witkowski returned to the restaurant business in the early 2000s with support from his longtime friend, developer Bruce Rendina.

“In 2001, I suffered a brain tumor, and as I was lying in JFK Hospital in recovery, Bruce came to my bedside and told me that we would open a new restaurant in Abacoa,” Witkowski said. “Soon thereafter, we did just that. In 2001, I opened Stadium Grill with Bruce as my partner, and I have remained in that restaurant until today.”

Nowadays, he operates Stadium Grill with his son, Ryan Witkowski, who grew up at Cobblestones in Wellington.

 

 

Fallen Firefighter Memorial Project
Retired Firefighters Group Raising Money To Honor All Those Who Have Made The Ultimate Sacrifice

By Joshua Manning

The Retired Firefighters of Palm Beach County have a long history of projects that give back to the community, and that includes the nonprofit’s current effort toward creating a memorial to honor fallen firefighters.

The Fallen Firefighter Memorial Project will create a Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park at Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue headquarters on Pike Road. Included at the memorial park will be a statue honoring those who have given their lives in service to the community.

“We are always giving back to the community,” said Vicki Sheppard, president of the Retired Firefighters of Palm Beach County. “We looked at what would be our fundraiser this year, and we have decided to give back to our fallen firefighters, creating something local to honor them.”

This unique project serves two purposes: design and designate the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park, which will contain a Fallen Firefighter statue, and to provide financial assistance for the families of fallen firefighters to attend national and state ceremonies honoring their heroes.

“The fallen firefighters’ statue in a memorial park seemed like a wonderful, lasting tribute to the fallen firefighter families,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard noted that many Palm Beach County firefighters have given the ultimate sacrifice while serving their community. To honor them, the Retired Firefighters of Palm Beach County partnered with the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics of Palm Beach County Local 2928 I.A.F.F. Inc. to create this memorial project, which will honor fallen firefighters from all departments in the county. The organizations have held fundraisers to bring this project to fruition but are also reaching out to the community for financial support.

Fallen firefighters are those who have died as a result of occupational injuries or diseases, including heart and lung issues, and specific types of cancers. The local Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park will provide a central venue for ceremonies where fallen firefighter families will be honored and recognized for their sacrifices.

Firefighting is recognized globally as one of the most dangerous professions. In the United States, about 45 percent of firefighters’ on-duty deaths are due to cardiovascular events.

In addition, firefighters have a nine percent higher risk of an occupational cancer diagnosis and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from an occupational cancer than the general population.

Meanwhile, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation estimates that there are between 100 and 200 firefighter deaths by suicide each year. While there has been a renewed emphasis on prevention, occupational deaths still occur at an alarming rate.

The Retired Firefighters of Palm Beach County acknowledge the dangers of firefighting and the unacceptably high rates that active and retired firefighters are passing away and believe that these sacrifices need to be memorialized locally.

“This project is important because the fallen firefighter families have given so much. Their spouses have given so much to serve the community. They lost their spouses at relatively young ages. The average age for our firefighter cancers deaths is 58 years old,” Sheppard said. “We try to make sure that they are remembered.”

Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue is the primary agency providing lifesaving services for residents here in the western communities. A number of local families have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

In 2008, PBCFR Capt. Butch Smith, who worked in The Acreage, was diagnosed with Stage 4 multiple myeloma and was initially given two years to live.

Smith took his cancer fight public, determined to raise awareness on firefighter cancers through fundraising events. For nearly nine years, he fought through stem cell therapy, hospital admissions and releases, rounds of chemotherapy and other procedures. Meanwhile, his annual fundraiser provided more than $250,000 to local charities. In 2017, Smith passed as valiantly as he lived.

In Royal Palm Beach, firefighters who merged into PBCFR from the village’s independent fire department in 1999 included Fire Marshal Tom Vreeland and Training Capt. Dave Haggerty. They passed away in 2011 and 2017, respectively, from occupational cancers.

In Wellington, fallen firefighters to heart disease and occupational cancers included Capt. Earl Wooten in 2019. Prior to his death, Wooten and his wife Mary donated the Fallen Firefighter Remembrance Table that the Retired Firefighters use at their gatherings to remember “those who have gone before us.” Mary Wooten is now supporting the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Project. “A lot of people don’t have contact with fire-rescue families and don’t know what has happened to these guys,” Wooten said.

She urged people from across the community to support this worthy project. “During their lives, the retired firefighters have given their all to help the community,” Wooten said. “They run in as people run out to help people and save lives. It is about time that everybody learns what these gentlemen did.”

Carrying on the family legacy, Wooten’s son, Earl II, is the fire chief at Okeechobee County Fire Rescue, while another son, John, works as a firefighter at Highlands County Fire Rescue.

Heart disease and cancers can affect all firefighters, regardless of department. In 2012, Eric Patrie from Delray Beach Fire Rescue passed away at age 37 from brain cancer. In 2023, Capt. Brian Wolnewitz passed away at the age of 44 from lung cancer, even though he never smoked.

Wolnewitz, a father of four, was a 20-year veteran of Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue and was told by his doctors that his cancer came from breathing in toxins while on the job as a firefighter. During his two-year battle with cancer, he raised awareness of firefighter cancers and fought to advance treatments so that others might benefit from his journey.

“These heroes selflessly gave everything they had to protect us and our neighbors,” his widow Julie Wolnewitz said. “By building a memorial here in Palm Beach County, we ensure that no one forgets the courage, bravery and dedication of our firefighters. It also gives the families and friends of the fallen a place to honor their loved ones. Many of these firefighters have young children, including mine. A local memorial is something that our children can be proud of, knowing that their dad or mom was a true hero that the community respects and will never forget.”

PBCFR’s Battalion 2 covers the western communities and is led by District Chief Amanda Vomero.

“The Fallen Firefighter Memorial Project is unlike any other memorial we have in our area,” Vomero said. “The lifelike statue holding a folded flag over the kneeling or fallen firefighter is a constant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who chose to serve their community. They chose to put the safety and needs of their neighbors over their own.”

She believes this is a great way to honor those who gave their lives.

“Every time the family, friends and co-workers of the fallen look at the memorial, they will feel pride and gratitude, knowing the community they served supported them and are thankful for the sacrifices made,” Vomero said.

In 2014, PBCFR took the lead on firefighter cancer prevention by organizing a new cancer prevention and research team called FACE (Firefighters Attacking the Cancer Epidemic). FACE formed a successful partnership with the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami.

Departments from all over South Florida came on board, and the first Florida firefighter cancer study was launched, known as the Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI). FCI was the catalyst to what is now the Firefighter Cancer Law, adopted in 2019 to provide assistance to firefighters with specific cancers. Firefighter cancer prevention now includes standard procedures such as post-fire decontamination, fireground air monitoring and annual medical screenings.

Firefighter occupational cancer deaths are now recognized on the state and I.A.F.F. fallen firefighter memorials, resulting in approximately eight firefighter names a year being added to the wall from Palm Beach County fire departments.

There is a national fallen firefighter memorial statue in Emmitsburg, Maryland, at the National Fire Academy, as well as a fallen firefighter memorial statue in Ocala at the Florida State Fire College and in Tallahassee at the Florida State Capitol. The I.A.F.F. Inc. has a fallen firefighter memorial statue in Colorado Springs. But there is currently no statue or memorial park in Palm Beach County to honor the sacrifices of fallen firefighters and their families.

The Retired Firefighters and Local 2928 plan to donate a fallen firefighter memorial statue to Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, the county’s largest fire department. To accomplish this, they worked with Art in Public Places to design the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park with a bronze statue at the entrance to PBCFR headquarters at 405 Pike Road, located at the roundabout in front of the Chief Herman Brice Headquarters and Regional Training Center.

“We thought that was a great spot with so many people coming to it. They can see the dangers of firefighting and pay tribute to those who have already fallen,” Sheppard said.

The Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park will provide a centerpiece and visual reminder to the fallen firefighter families, current fire service members and the community to recognize the dangers of firefighting, strive for health and wellness prevention, and reinforce the solemn oath to never forget those who have been lost.

Sheppard noted that Florida Power & Light, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Baptist Health South Florida are key supporters of the project, and she invited others from the community to get involved as well.

“The firefighters are there to protect everyone in their time of need, and I think it is nice when the community can support firefighters in their time of need,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to support your firefighters and the community.”

The project is expected to be complete in the last quarter of 2024 or the first quarter of 2025. Donations to support the project are being accepted through the Retired Firefighters of Palm Beach County, a nonprofit organization.

To learn more about the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park and how you can become involved, visit www.ffmemorial.com.

HSS Donation To Support Florida Trauma Care
Contribution By Marina Kellen French And Wellington’s Annabelle Garrett Will Boost Growth In The Palm Beach Region

The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) recently announced a $2 million contribution from HSS Trustee Marina Kellen French, and her daughter Annabelle Garrett of Wellington, to endow the trauma directorship at HSS Florida in West Palm Beach, as part of its growth plans.

The announcement of the donation was made earlier this year during a cocktail reception hosted by Palm Beach residents Nick and Barrie Somers with HSS physicians and notable members of the community in attendance.

As a leader of excellence in orthopedics, HSS is dedicated to bringing its world-class musculoskeletal care closer to home for Florida residents. Since the opening of HSS Florida four years ago, the facility has become a top choice for care in sports medicine, joint replacement, hand and upper extremities, physiatry, radiology, trauma and rehabilitation. Clinical leaders at the forefront of orthopedic research and care ensure a high level of expertise from diagnosis through treatment and recovery.

Most recently, spine surgeon Dr. Zachary J. Grabel and hand and upper extremity surgeon Dr. Matthew A. Butler were welcomed to the team. Continued collaboration among colleagues across the organization to pioneer cutting-edge treatments with the use of robotics, machine learning, regenerative medicine and wearable technology allows for continued optimization of patient outcomes.

“Our growth strategy underscores our commitment to providing accessible, high-quality healthcare to Floridians in new ways and in new places,” said Tara McCoy, CEO of HSS Florida. “We will utilize our knowledge and expertise to establish clinical collaborations and partner with other organizations, like the new HSS partnership at Naples Community Hospital, to extend our reach and impact across the state and southern region.”

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is the Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics, No. 2 in rheumatology, and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Founded in 1863, the hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics and among the lowest infection and complication rates. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida.

In addition to patient care, HSS is a leader in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through the prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration.

In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices, while the HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees and consumers in over 165 countries.

Learn more about HSS at www.hss.edu. For more information about HSS Florida, visit www.hss.edu/florida.