Historic Gift from Taneja Family Foundation Surpasses $120 Million in Total Contributions Toward Tampa General's Initiative to Transform Health Care Through Innovation and Technology

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Apr 15, 2024, 21:12 ET

Tampa General Hospital breaks ground on new Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower, a symbol of innovation and a tribute to the generosity of the Taneja Family Foundation.

TAMPA, Fla., April 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) today celebrated more than $120 million in charitable contributions over a two-year period to advance its vision to transform health care through innovation. The latest gift toward the $120 million milestone came from the Taneja Family Foundation and is the largest in the foundation's history.

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) today celebrated more than $120 million in charitable contributions over a two-year period to advance its vision to transform health care through innovation. The latest gift toward the $120 million milestone came from the Taneja Family Foundation and is the largest in the foundation’s history. Tampa General leadership, community leaders and members of the Taneja family broke ground on the Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower.

As part of the celebration, Tampa General leadership, community leaders and members of the Taneja family broke ground on the Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower, a medical pavilion in the heart of Tampa Bay, where patients will have access to best-in-class providers, the latest research therapies and state-of-the-art technologies. The tower bears the Taneja name in honor of the Taneja Family Foundation's contribution to the TGH Foundation.

"Patients come to Tampa General for world-class care, and the addition of this new tower on our campus, thanks in part to the generosity of the Taneja family, enhances our ability to deliver the highest level of academic-based medicine," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "The Taneja family shares our vision that through innovation, we can transform health care and improve patient outcomes. The new Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower will be an intersection of academics, research and clinical care that will elevate how we are able to treat patients with complex conditions."

Construction on the Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower is expected to be completed in 2027, which will then serve as home for Tampa General's surgery, neuroscience and transplant service lines. The tower, which consists of a plaza level and 12 floors, will provide 144 patient beds, 32 operating suites and expanded intensive care unit (ICU) capacity. In addition, there will be space for education and training, emergency response and sterile processing, as well as two floors reserved for future growth.

"As Tampa General's academic health system reaches new communities across the state of Florida, the demand for Tampa General's world-class care grows, too," said Drew Graham, chairman of the board of directors of Florida Health Sciences Center, under which Tampa General operates. "The new Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower will help us fill that demand, welcoming patients from near and far for treatments and care for the most complex health conditions. The state-of-the-art pavilion will reflect the world-class care our providers and teams deliver every day."

"The Tanejas have built a successful business rooted in innovation, and their generous contribution is a testament to Tampa General's own commitment to innovation," said Gordon Gillette, chair of the board of trustees at Tampa General Hospital Foundation.

Giving back to the community was instilled in Jugal Taneja, president and treasurer of the Taneja Family Foundation, from a young age. His father emphasized the importance of generosity and encouraged his growing family to pay it forward. When Taneja moved to the United States more than five decades ago, he had little to give others with just $8 in his own pocket and a family back home in India to support.

Over the years, Taneja saved enough to bring his wife Manju to the United States. His career spanned from engineering to banking to venture capital. Through the ups and downs, he found ways to support the communities in which they lived and worked, lending his time and talents to benefit causes that were dear to his family. In 2010, Jugal and Manju Taneja together founded Belcher Pharmaceuticals, a company headquartered in Florida that focuses on innovating the development of complex genetic medications and antibiotics.

Tragedy struck the family in 2015 when Jugal and Manju's son Mandeep was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He passed away in 2018. While Mandeep's life could not be saved, the Tanejas chose to pay it forward and invest their resources in others in need of specialized care.

With their contribution to the TGH Foundation, the Taneja family is seeking to elevate impact, broaden research and provide unrivaled care to patients in need. Tampa General, the No. 4 transplant center in America and one of the nation's leading academic health systems, is a natural partner for the Taneja family.

"We have lived the American Dream, and now we want others to have that same chance at life," said Jugal Taneja on behalf of himself, Manju and the family. "What better way to pay it forward than to give greater access to world-class care for those who need it most?"

Through contributions from the Taneja Family Foundation, Jugal and Manju Taneja are creating a legacy that will have a meaningful impact for generations to come.

The Taneja family has long supported innovative efforts by Tampa General Hospital. In 2020, the family's foundation helped Tampa General and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine establish the Global Emerging Diseases Institute to fight infectious disease like COVID-19 during the pandemic. In 2019, the Taneja Family Foundation contributed to the University of South Florida to strengthen Florida's health care workforce and expand education programs at the College of Pharmacy.

"There are no bounds to the generosity of the Taneja family," said Frann Leppla, vice president and chief philanthropy officer of the TGH Foundation. "By naming the new tower in their honor, we're celebrating their passion for innovation, their impact on our community and the exceptional care we offer at Tampa General. I know the Tanejas will serve as a source of hope and inspiration for many who walk through the future doors of the Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower."

The plans for the Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower were first revealed in December before the Tampa City Council, where they received unanimous support from community leaders. The tower will be a 565,000-square-foot building adjacent to Tampa General's main campus on Davis Islands. This pavilion will be a pillar of the Tampa Medical & Research District, which is anchored by Tampa General and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. The district boasts a variety of health care organizations from academics and clinical care to research and biotechnology, all of which contribute to Tampa's growing health care ecosystem, making the region a global destination for world-class care.

Public access around the building will be preserved during construction so that residents and visitors can walk the perimeter of the Tampa General campus on the island and enjoy the beauty of the new space.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 981-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit of approximately $240.3 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes TGH North which is comprised of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties, 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.