Earlier this month, in a rare coming together of technological behemoths, Apple partnered with eBay, HP, Intel, Intuit and Oracle in what was deemed an "unprecedented" philanthropic move to help Stanford Medical Center construct a new $2 billion hospital. The hospital would have the vision of being innovate in using the latest technology, much like the aforementioned tech companies.
The members of the new Stanford Hospital Corporate Partners Program are expected to give $150 million over the next decade and will raise an additional $400 million in private donation in order to construct the new facility.
Beyond monetary contributions, the companies will work with New Stanford Hospital planners in the development of new approaches in providing patient access, information, education and navigation, which will be a program that "has the ability to change the face of health care," says Stanford Hospital President and Chief Exec Amir Dan Rubin.
"All of us are very fortunate to have Stanford's world-class medical center right here in Silicon Valley. We are very excited about the development of their new hospital and really want to support their plans," said Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple.
"They have to solve the problem of 'how do you make what's intimidating, welcoming?' I think Apple's been able to do that through a series of great products from computers to iPods to phones now. I don't think it's been done well in the healthcare field. And that's the opportunity of the New Stanford Hospital," notes Ron Johnson, Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail.
Johnson goes on, "the science in the hospital is the highest level of science that's done in the world. And perhaps done for the most important reason: to provide life. What we're doing is really changing the way people interface with the hospital."
"If you look at the history of Stanford health care, the products that have been created here and their impact on the world is much greater than Apple: radiation therapy used to cure cancer, the MRI. Because that's what you want to do here. You want to enable great new scientific discovery to come to the forefront. You want people to be healed like they couldn't be healed before. And who knows if it will be regeneration or stem cells or what the application will be, but the speed at which things are moving, the work we do today will have a profound impact on our families and people throughout the world. And that's what makes it fun to be a part of."
Johnson adds that the companies surrounding the hospital have progressed along with the hospital itself, "and I think they believe that they can give back. And the impact will be profound."
via AppleInsider
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(Image courtesy of advance.org)
