DENVILLE, NJ – On the heels of opening the new Emergency Department at its Sussex campus, Saint Clare’s Health System marked the start of its latest building project with a “wall demolition” ceremony for The Roberta C. Ferguson Pediatrics Center at Saint Clare’s Hospital/Denville on March 15th. When completed this summer, the Ferguson Center, the latest construction project being supported by the Miracles capital campaign, will bring the highest levels of pediatric care and medical technology and diagnostics to the region’s children.

Lining up before the “wall demolition” ceremony that began construction on the new Roberta C. Ferguson Pediatric Center at Saint Clare’s Hospital/Denville were (from left): Sister M. Johnice Thone, SSM, Chair of the Saint Clare’s Board of Trustees; Thomas G. Ferguson, the center’s founding donor; Gary J. Blan, president and CEO of Saint Clare’s Health System; Dr. Arnaldo Abreu, chair of the Department of Pediatrics; and Dr. Sandy Waran, medical director of the Children’s Neurology and Epilepsy Center at Saint Clare’s. The new $3.2 million center, named for Mr. Ferguson’s late wife, is scheduled to open in July 2007.

Saint Clare’s currently operates a 12-bed pediatrics department in Denville, supported by a dedicated children’s emergency center, The Evelyn M. Spiro Pediatric Emergency Center and the Children’s Neurology and Epilepsy Center. In order to allow the pediatrics program to achieve its full potential in the years ahead, Saint Clare’s must renovate and expand the unit to meet the pediatric medical needs of the community. When completed in July 2007, the $3.2 million, 6,755 square foot Roberta C. Ferguson Pediatric Center will include 14 private and semi-private rooms with the latest medical equipment; a new reception and welcome area; a functional treatment room; a Family Center and meeting room for private consultations; and an multi-purpose interactive play area, all especially designed and decorated for children.

Thomas G. Ferguson, the Center’s founding donor and a long time friend of Saint Clare’s, named the center in memory of his beloved wife, Roberta, who worked as a pediatric nurse for many years. She passed away in mid-2003 following a brave seven-year battle with bone marrow cancer. “Roberta was a remarkable woman whose love went beyond her family to so many other people. Children, in particular, had a special place in her heart,” said Ferguson. “Roberta’s Center will truly be a special place for health and healing for the youngest and most vulnerable of patients, and a living memorial to the care, compassion and dedication that was so much a part of Roberta’s life. Saint Clare’s, with its own history of caring and compassion, is the perfect home for Roberta’s Center.”

“Roberta’s Center will offer Saint Clare’s the ability to provide the levels of care for children more commonly found in larger regional medical centers, ensuring that quality pediatric care is available in a single facility in the communities where our patients live,” says Dr. Arnaldo Abreu, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics. “The new center will also offer the latest in medical equipment to help ensure a quicker diagnosis and prompt and effective treatment. The goal is to make treatment as effective and convenient as possible, while keeping our young patients comfortable and limiting the stress on parents.”

In addition to the gift from the Ferguson family, major gifts to the Center include gifts from the Saint Clare’s Auxiliary of Denville and Boonton Township; Candor Construction; the Edward and Stella Van Houten Memorial Fund; Pediatric Neurology Associates, PA; Mrs. Ruth M. Hardin; Pfizer; Mr. and Mrs. Owen Rankin; and Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schautz.

For more information on The Roberta C. Ferguson Pediatric Center, or how you can support the Miracles capital campaign, contact Saint Clare’s Foundation at 973-983-5300.

Saint Clare’s Health System, which has served the healthcare needs of northwestern New Jersey residents since 1895, is the region’s premier provider of community-based healthcare and behavioral health services. Saint Clare’s operates hospitals in Boonton Township, Denville, Dover and Sussex Borough and other facilities located throughout Morris and Sussex counties.

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