Barton Health breaks ground on Robert Maloff Center of Excellence

Construction is underway on Barton Health’s new health and sports performance center after a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 23.

“We are changing the face of healthcare in our community,” said Chris Proctor, administrative director of Barton Health’s Tahoe Center of Orthopedics. “We are moving from a traditional, reactive healthcare model focused on treating illness to providing guidance and support on the front end with wellness and prevention services.”

The Robert Maloff Center of Excellence is a two-story, 26,000-square-foot facility that was made possible largely due to donations from two local residents, Lisa Maloff and Dr. Paul Fry, one of the area’s first orthopedic surgeons.

Lisa Maloff, who participated in the groundbreaking, donated $10 million in honor of her late husband, Robert Maloff. Fry, who passed away last year, donated funds for the center’s sports and performance services and was represented by his family at the event.

The center is slated for completion in September 2017, and will focus on orthopedics, rehabilitation, sports performance and wellness services. A holistic approach to health will be promoted through acupuncture, nutrition, education classes, meditation and yoga.

“When I was an ER doctor at Barton Hospital, I saw many patients with acute illnesses and found the best treatment was prevention,” said Dr. Clint Purvance, CEO and President of Barton Health, at the groundbreaking.

“The Center of Excellence is helping create a paradigm shift that is innovative, addressing potential disease upstream, and delivering care in the form of wellness, prevention and education.”

The center will also feature a space for athletes in partnership with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and Atlis, an elite coaching and training environment for track and field athletes from 30 countries.

State of the art technology such as anti-gravity treadmills and hot and cold water therapy pools will be incorporated for both training and rehabilitation.

The Robert Maloff Center of Excellence will be located on the east side of Barton Memorial Hospital at 2170 South Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. The three-story parking garage opened earlier this month.