Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Cleveland Clinic
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Cleveland Clinic; Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
General information
Type	Research Center
Location	36°10′2.50″N 115°9′16.50″W / 36.1673611°N 115.1545833°W
Address	888 West Bonneville Avenue; Las Vegas, Nevada 89106; United States
Construction started	February 9, 2007
Completed	July 13, 2009 (patient care); May 21, 2010 (official completion)
Cost	est. $100 million
Owner	Keep Memory Alive
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Gehry Partners
Structural engineer	WSP Cantor Seinuk
Civil engineer	G.C. Wallace
Main contractor	The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (LRCBH) opened on May 21, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is operated by the Cleveland Clinic^[1] and was designed by Frank Gehry.

History

Keep Memory Alive (also known as KMA) was founded by Larry Ruvo, senior managing partner of Southern Wines and Spirits, in memory of his father, Lou Ruvo, a victim of Alzheimer's disease, together with his wife Camille, Mirage Resorts CEO Bobby Baldwin (who also lost his father to Alzheimer's disease), and Bobby Baldwin's wife Donna. KMA supports the mission of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and has held several star-studded galas, attended by celebrities and notables from around the world. It has become one of Las Vegas' most important charity initiatives and a key participant in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

Since its inception, the event has raised more than $20 million towards achieving its goal – the realization of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Funds committed by such supporters as the Spector Family Foundation, the Roland and Terri Sturm Foundation, Steinberg Diagnostics, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and America Online were utilized for the construction and continued operation of this state-of-the-art facility. The center has become a national resource for the most current research and scientific information for the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease); also focusing on prevention, early detection, and education.^{[citation needed]}

Design

The ceremonial groundbreaking of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health occurred on February 9, 2007. Dignitaries who attended the groundbreaking ceremonies for the $70 million project included founder Larry Ruvo, Frank Gehry, U.S. Senator Harry Reid and John Ensign; U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley, Jon Porter and Dean Heller, Gov. Jim Gibbons, Mayor Oscar Goodman, former Gov. Kenny Guinn, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Spacey, and John Cusack.^[2]^[3]

The center operates as an outpatient treatment and research facility in downtown Las Vegas on land deeded to Keep Memory Alive, the fund raising arm of LRCBH, by the City of Las Vegas as part of its 61 acres (25 ha) Symphony Park. The center is approximately 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m²) and includes 13 examination rooms, offices for health care practitioners and researchers, a "Museum of the Mind", and a community auditorium. The center also serves as the headquarters for Keep Memory Alive, the Las Vegas Alzheimer's Association and the Las Vegas Parkinson's Disease Association.^{[citation needed]}