Cutler Family gifts $15 million to University Hospitals to transform mens health care – Newswise

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Newswise CLEVELAND Health care statistics for men are bleak: less than 50 percent have a primary care provider, their life expectancy is seven years less than women, fewer than half the men suffering from depression seek treatment and men have higher death rates than women in 14 of the top 15 leading causes of death.

University Hospitals, with a generous $15 million gift from Alexander Sandy and Sally Cutler, plans to revolutionize the way men seek and address their health care needs. In honor of the gift, UH will establish the new Cutler Center for Mens Comprehensive Care.

We will address the huge number of men not engaged with health care and redefine what mens health care will look like, said Lee Ponsky, MD, Chair and Professor of Urology at UH Cleveland Medical Center, who will also be the Executive Director of the new Cutler Center. In Greater Cleveland, 250,000 less men than women saw a doctor in the last year. We want to find out why, evaluate social determinants of health care, develop a model that engages men and bring that number down.

We will bring together primary care and specialists in heart disease, urology, digestive health, mental health, orthopedics and other key specialties to motivate men to receive comprehensive care throughout their lifetime, with the goal of enhancing their quality and longevity of life, said Dr. Ponsky who is also Director of the UH Urology Institute and holder of the Leo and Charlotte Goldberg Chair of Advanced Surgical Therapies and Master Clinician in Urologic Oncology.

The Cutler Center will significantly impact men in Northeast Ohio through a combination of proactive care and personalized treatments, said Thomas F. Zenty III, UH Chief Executive Officer. Sandy and Sally recognized the need and are true partners in helping bring about vital change. Their family legacy is clearly one of innovation, generosity and compassion for our community.

We will also have health navigators to remind men of appointments and guide them for seamless care sensitive to each patients needs. We will take advantage of our vast primary care network and offer certification in mens health to primary care physicians to better identify specific needs, said

Dr. Ponsky. He also emphasized that the new center will measure effectiveness to determine if we are making a difference. We want to improve mens health, period, then make the model available to other medical centers around the world.

As part of the centers development, the UH Ventures innovation team will use human-centered design to incorporate the use of apps, telehealth and other ways to make it easier for men to get the health care they need.

The new Cutler Center will have its initial locations at UH Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood, Ohio, and at the UH Otis Moss Health Center in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland. Other locations will follow.

The gift also includes an endowed chair in mens health to help in the recruitment, retention and research efforts of a renowned physician-scientist in this field.

In 2016, Sandy and Sally were shocked to learn that Sandy was suffering from bladder cancer despite excellent overall health. My physician team was outstanding over the course of treatment. They were accessible to me and Sally, at times answering our calls in the evenings or on vacation, to ensure my needs as a patient were being met, said Sandy, former chairman and chief executive officer of Eaton Corporation LLC. UHs patient-centered model of care, plus their research into how to effectively change mens behavior around health care, inspired us to make this gift.

The Cutlers will be recognized among an elite group of UHs most generous donors, known as UH Visionaries, for their extraordinary commitment to transforming the health of the community and hospitals mission.

For more information about UH mens health services, see https://www.uhhospitals.org/menscomprehensivecare or to make an appointment, call 866-585-8313

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About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio.The systems flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Clevelands University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top childrens hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including Americas Best Hospitals from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH isone of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees.

Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UHs vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organizations unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover.Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook @UniversityHospitalsand Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visitUHhospitals.org.

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Cutler Family gifts $15 million to University Hospitals to transform mens health care - Newswise