NewYork-Presbyterian Announces $50 Million Gift from the Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation to Expand World-Class Och Spine Care Across the New York Metro Area

• Builds on the original 2017 donation from the Ochs that transformed the way spine care is delivered
• Brings together dedicated spine care specialists from two acclaimed medical schools: Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine
• Supports the development of new locations and facilities, including a one-of-a-kind outpatient center dedicated to spine care at The Spiral in Manhattan's Hudson Yards district
• Expands the operative and non-operative teams to provide more high-quality, personalized care for each spine patient's unique needs
• Increases access to world-class spine care in communities such as Westchester, Brooklyn and Queens

NEW YORK, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NewYork-Presbyterian announced today a foundational gift of $50 million from the Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation to expand the renowned Och Spine program across the New York metro area, providing more adults and children with access to world-class spine care.

Established in 2015, NewYork-Presbyterian Och Spine Hospital ("Och Spine Hospital"), located in Northern Manhattan, brings together the world's top orthopedic and neurosurgical spine surgeons and other spine care specialists in one location to treat all spine problems, from the simple to the complex, using surgical and nonsurgical procedures. Och Spine merges the world-class spine programs of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine, giving patients access to leading physicians and specialists from two acclaimed medical schools.

The transformative gift will increase access to Och Spine care by establishing more Och Spine facilities across the New York Metro area, including in underserved communities. Non-operative services and care are also a significant focus for the development of the program, which will now include a state-of-the art outpatient center in The Spiral, a newly constructed, 65-story office tower in Manhattan's Hudson Yards district.

"With Jane and Dan's generous support, Och Spine and its team of world-class specialists have transformed the way spine care is delivered, setting a new standard for exceptional, innovative care, personalized patient experience and community access," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift that will strengthen NewYork-Presbyterian's position as a global leader in spine care and enable us to provide exceptional spine care to more patients in our communities and beyond."

This is the second major gift from Jane and Dan Och, who donated $25 million in 2017 to transform spine care at NewYork-Presbyterian, helping to build Och Spine Hospital as the premier spine program in the world. Dan Och has been a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital trustee since 2005.

"We would first like to recognize the tremendous work and heroic efforts of each and every healthcare worker over the last few years. Their dedication to patients and communities is extraordinary," said Jane and Dan Och. "The mission of Och Spine, since our first involvement, has been to help countless patients with spine problems, and we are thrilled to continue to support its role as a global leader in spinal care and research."

"Jane and Dan's gift reflects their vision of improving the health and well-being of our communities by providing outstanding spine care to as many patients as possible," said Jerry I. Speyer, chair of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Board of Trustees. "We look forward to expanding access to our Och Spine services across the Greater New York area."

A key part of the expansion will be the establishment of a new Och Spine facility in The Spiral, where clinicians from Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine will collaborate side-by-side to provide comprehensive, individualized spine care. Occupying the entire second floor of The Spiral, developed by Tishman Speyer and set to open in 2023, the 50,000-square foot facility will:

• Leverage innovative technology to provide seamless access to care and a second-to-none patient experience
• Serve as a one-stop shop for spine evaluation, imaging, and treatment, as well as improving spine health
• Feature on-site radiology, procedure rooms, a physical therapy gym, and a collaborative space for physicians
• Be conveniently located within blocks of major transportation hubs, making it easily accessible for patients from all five boroughs, as well as New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, and those traveling nationally and internationally.

The Ochs' gift will also fuel the growth of the non-operative team. At Och Spine facilities, every aspect of each patient's care is delivered by a clinician who specializes in meeting the unique needs of spine patients – not just surgeons, but physiatrists, pain specialists, neurologists, psychologists, physical therapists, nurses and more. As most patients experiencing back or neck pain can be treated without surgical intervention, the gift will support the recruitment of more non-operative specialists dedicated to providing the right care plan for each patient's specific needs.

The gift will also support the opening of a new inpatient unit dedicated to spine care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2023, and expand Och Spine services to NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital in Westchester in 2022. In the coming years, Och Spine care will be available at NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens.

"Och Spine is dedicated to providing the most innovative, advanced spine care for the treatment of everything from common disorders to the rarest, most complex conditions," said Dr. Lawrence Lenke, co-director and surgeon-in-chief at the Och Spine Hospital, and chief of spinal deformity surgery in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. "Jane and Dan's extraordinary support will not only allow us to expand access to care, but also improve our ability to provide the very best spine care to our patients."

"Thanks to the remarkable support of Jane and Dan, Och Spine has expanded to include a team of leading specialists from two renowned medical schools," said Dr. Roger Härtl, co-director of Och Spine, director, neurosurgery spine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and director of Weill Cornell Medicine's Center for Comprehensive Spine Care. "At Och Spine, our operative and non-operative clinicians work together to deliver personalized, comprehensive care to each patient for their particular spine issue." 

Och Spine, which is run jointly by the orthopedic and neurosurgical spine services at Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine, treats more people with spine problems than any other hospital in New York City, according to the New York State Department of Health. As leaders in using both minimally invasive and complex surgical techniques, Och Spine experts work together to determine the best approach to treating issues such as scoliosis, spinal tumors, degenerative spine disorders, and spinal trauma. Children and adults travel from all over the country and world to receive care from Och Spine operative and non-operative specialists.

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services. 

A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country's leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.

Ranked the #1 hospital in New York and the #7 hospital in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals rankings, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is also recognized as among the best in the nation in the U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals rankings. Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.

NewYork-Presbyterian's 48,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world.

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SOURCE NewYork-Presbyterian