The foundation of former Detroit Red Wings star Ted Lindsay today donated $1 million to expand and create a new facility at Beaumont Children’s Hospital that will offer therapeutic programs and resources for children with autism.
“It’s not just the child that has autism,” says Lindsay, who launched the foundation in 2001 after his friend’s son was diagnosed with the disorder. “It’s the whole family that has autism. It’s not a one person thing.”
In honor of the donation, Beaumont Health System will rename the HOPE Center the “Ted Lindsay Foundation HOPE Center.” The facility offers programs and workshops relating to behavioral intervention for children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
The foundation’s donation follows previous gifts that have supported autism treatment scholarships for children as well as electronic tablets and notebooks for the center.
Lori Warner, the center’s director, says the support from the Ted Lindsay Foundation has been instrumental to the program’s success. “They felt our passion and they wanted to support us in any way they could. We felt immediately energized because we knew they understood our mission … Their kindness and their generosity have allowed us to do things we didn’t think were possible,” Warner says.
In other medical industry news, the Detroit Medical Center is the first in the Midwest to use a new system to treat coronary artery disease. A team of doctors first used the Diamondback 360 Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System last month to remove plaque build-up on the walls of a patient’s coronary arteries.
“The ease of use, as well as the versatility of the device to shave off calcium both forward and backwards makes it very attractive,” said Dr. Antonious Attallah, the first operator with the team to use this device following FDA approval. “Overall, the device is a huge step forward towards treating such tough lesions and so far, we are encouraged by the results we have seen.”
