Introducing Leon Levine Drive
Road leading into Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center renamed to honor late donor
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 15, 2023 – Earlier this week, leaders from Atrium Health, Atrium Health Foundation and members of the Levine family gathered together in a small, private ceremony for the renaming of Medical Center Drive to Leon Levine Drive. Leon Levine Drive connects South Kings Drive to Atrium Health’s flagship facility, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, located in the heart of Charlotte. The renaming of the road on Tuesday, Dec. 13, honors the late Leon Levine, whose generosity impacted health care programs across the entire Southeast. The unveiling of the name was a surprise for Levine’s wife, Sandra Levine. Leon Levine passed away on April 5, 2023.
“Leon Levine was a tremendous friend and supporter of Atrium Health, leaving a lasting legacy of impactful philanthropy,” said Ken Haynes, president of the Southeast region of Advocate Health, of which Atrium Health is a part. “Just as he paved the way for Atrium Health to elevate our care to world-class levels in pediatrics, cancer and other specialties, the road bearing his name now leads people to our doors, where they can find the highest quality of care – which his generosity helped make possible.”
Leon Levine was the founder of Family Dollar Stores and his support of Atrium Health, directly and through the Leon Levine Foundation, dates back more than 30 years and totals more than $80 million. It includes a transformational $10 million gift to establish Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in 2003. The Leon Levine Foundation has also provided financial support for Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute and the Mindy Ellen Levine Behavioral Health Center, in Davidson, N.C., and other health care programs across the state.
Perhaps most impactful has been the investment by the Levine family toward improving cancer care. Donations totaling $45 million established Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute and, subsequently, a second Levine Cancer facility, both on the grounds of the Carolinas Medical Center campus. Their support created endowed chairs in cancer research, an adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship clinic and, at Levine Children’s Hospital, a bone marrow transplant unit. Most recently, the Levine family provided a generous gift that is helping build the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton Beam & Advanced Radiation Center. The state-of-the-art facility will introduce two groundbreaking radiation therapies to the Charlotte area for the first time: proton beam therapy and gamma knife radiosurgery.
“It’s fitting that much of Leon Levine Drive is made up of a bridge,” noted Haynes. “Mr. Levine was the bridge to our future on many occasions – ensuring state-of-the-art facilities with advanced technological capabilities for our hospitals and fortifying an unyielding desire to make the highest quality of care available close to home for the people in Charlotte region, providing health, hope and healing – for all.”
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