Stars come out for hospital benefit
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 5, 2006 9:00 p.m.
UCLA held its annual Millennium Ball, a benefit gala, at the new
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on Thursday.
Though the hospital is not scheduled to open until September
2007, the benefit raised over $5 million for the new facility.
“I am so excited,” said Dr. Gerald Levey, vice
chancellor of medical sciences and dean of UCLA’s David
Geffen School of Medicine. “Having to rebuild the hospital
has been a part of my life for the last 12 years (and now)
it’s so beautiful.”
The new building, designed by I.M. Pei, will house a medical
center, trauma center and the Mattel Children’s Hospital.
Dr. David Callender, associate vice chancellor and CEO of the
UCLA hospital system, said construction in the Ronald Reagan UCLA
Medical Center is ongoing, and that it would likely open around the
same time as another new UCLA hospital facility in Santa
Monica.
The hospital’s construction has been delayed several
times, and it was originally slated to open to patients in
2004.
The dedication event drew a number of high-profile guests,
including Alicia Keys, Ellen Pompeo and Geena Davis, as well as
numerous entertainment-industry executives.
City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also attended the ceremony,
where he presented an award to Robert Iger, president and CEO of
The Walt Disney Company.
“This event has been a wonderful tribute to our
outstanding health care team at UCLA Medical Center ““ and the
future home of the Ronald Reagan Medical Center,” Callender
said in a statement.
Compiled by Julia Erlandson, Bruin senior staff.
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