Rastetter donates $1 million to establish Maternal wing at Lucas do rio Verde Hospital
Construction begins in April following the donation
March 24, 2022 - A historic donation promoting health in Lucas do Rio Verde. On Wednesday, March 23rd, representatives of the City Hall, businessmen and health workers unveiled the plaque for the beginning of the Maternal-Infant Center of the São Lucas Hospital. The construction was made possible through a $1 million donation from the American businessman, Bruce Rastetter.
Bruce Rastetter explains that the gesture is one of gratitude. "In American culture, we contribute to the community in which we thrive. I've been doing business in Lucas do Rio Verde for 11 years, I've made good friends. And helping to invest in healthcare is delivering a better quality of life to residents. After this pandemic period, I thought about contributing to the hospital, reflecting on the well-being of the city and the symbology of a maternal center that brings life," he explains.
Mayor Miguel Vaz thanked those involved and remarked that with the donation, a needed project will be implemented. "It was a dream of Luverde's community and of future Luverdean mothers. For the São Lucas Hospital, it is a very big improvement, because mothers will be able to have their children here in the city in a comfortable and safe facility. I just have to thank Bruce Rastetter for the gesture. A gift to our community," he said.
Hospital São Lucas is a philanthropic network that provides care for many Brazilian patients. The municipal secretary of Health, Dr. Fernanda Heldt Ventura, commented that, in addition to the construction of the maternal center, there will be collaboration amongst doctors in Brazil and the U.S. "Brazil has a unique system that does not exist in other countries. The collaboration with the United States will be a very rich exchange of experience for both countries", she adds.
The president of the Luverdense Health Foundation, which oversees the São Lucas Hospital, Marino Franz, describes the moment as a historic milestone for Mato Grosso. "In the maternity ward here in Lucas, we have an average of five to six births a day. It is necessary to improve facilities for these people, to the employees who work here, collaborators, health professionals. A CT scanner, state-of-the-art mammography machine will be installed, we are going to build this maternal and child ward and renovate what is necessary in the hospital", he concludes.
The Maternal-Infant Center will have an area of 7,770 sqaure feet with construction to be complete by December this year.