Greenwich Hospital Announces $5 Million Endowment

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Hospital announced this week the facility has received a $5 million endowment gift from the Jean and David W. Wallace Foundation. According to an announcement, the gift will go toward establishing "The Jean and David W. Wallace Medical Director Neurovascular Surgery Program" at the hospital.

Hospital officials said Akli Zetchi, a leading cerebrovascular neurosurgeon, will serve as inaugural director of this position. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The $5 million gift is intended to "create a permanent footprint for neuroscience-specific patient care, research and education" at the hospital, officials said.

"[The $5 million gift] will have an immediate impact in the delivery of innovative techniques for treating patients with stroke, carotid disease, brain aneurysms and vascular malformations of the brain and spinal cord," the announcement reads. "Patients needing neurosurgery for brain tumors, adult-onset hydrocephalus and traumatic brain injury will receive the highest level care with state-of-the-art technology."

The gift also further secures the hospital's stature of excellence in the neurosciences, in partnership with Yale New Haven Health and Yale School of Medicine.

Greenwich Hospital president Diane Kelly said the "groundbreaking" gift will greatly benefit the community.

"This is a groundbreaking investment in Greenwich Hospital as it recognizes the extraordinary talent of one of our revered physicians while ensuring the future of neurovascular surgical services in perpetuity," Kelly said in a statement. "The Jean and David W. Wallace Foundation are leading the way in support of our Greenwich Hospital endowment with a gift that will benefit our community with accessibility to the highest level of neurovascular care at any hour of the day."

Officers of the Jean and David W. Wallace Foundation, a longtime benefactor of the hospital, said the gift is "an acknowledgement of Greenwich Hospital's vision for advanced neurological and neurosurgical standards of care."

The foundation's recent gifts in the amount of $4,250,000 accelerated the hospital's neuroscience capabilities through procurement of sophisticated 3D technology, a capital fund for the construction of a neuroscience interventional laboratory and an EEG system for advanced monitoring of patients having seizures.

Board-certified in neurosurgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Zetchi has expertise in brain surgery and interventional neuroradiology. His research interests span diseases and structures of the brain, carotid artery and spinal cord, as well as testing tools for improving surgical education.

"I am honored to be the first holder of The Jean and David W. Wallace Medical Director Neurovascular Surgery Program," Zetchi said in a statement. "At Greenwich Hospital, we are now offering all the latest treatment options for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, including neuroendovascular therapies for brain aneurysms, vascular malformations and carotid stenosis. We have medical expertise and sophisticated technology that saves brain tissue and can prevent or reverse the symptoms of stroke."