University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital
Lebanese American University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH) was established in 1925 by Dr. Toufic Ibrahim Rizk (1892-1983) as a private family-owned clinic. His dream however, was to contribute to the medical development of Lebanon by founding a modern private medical center equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities and employing innovative surgical techniques. In 1953, he selected CIET, a French-Swiss company specialized in hospital construction to prepare the first building blueprints. In 1954, the first stone of his new hospital was laid. Rizk Hospital opened its doors to the general public on February 11, 1957, through the inauguration of its 1st building (Building A). It was constructed according to European standards becoming one of the first modern hospitals in Beirut and all of Lebanon.
In 1987, despite internal tensions, violence, and the clinic's geographic location on the green-line of demarcation, a second building was constructed and became fully operational (Building B). This building addressed the increasing demands on the hospital such as the need for a larger department for medical imagery and a technico-medical division with the latest laboratory equipment. Within this period the hospital's accommodation capacity increased from 70 to 130 beds.
Ten years later, in 1997, an expansion project added two new Buildings (C) and (D); increasing the hospital's overall accommodation capacity. During the same year, Rizk Hospital inaugurated a 10,000 square meter underground parking garage, offering access to 350 parking spots. In 2002, a heliport built on the roof of Building D became operational.
On June 30, 2009, The Rizk Family sold the hospital to Medical Care Holding, in which the Lebanese American University (LAU) possesses controlling interests. The hospital was renamed University Medical Center – Rizk Hospital and it now serves as the primary teaching hospital for LAU's schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. The hospital has been renamed another time in 2014. It's now called Lebanese American University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH) [1][2]
Awards, Certifications and Accreditations
In 2002, as Dr. Rizk Clinic, UMC-RH was the first hospital in Lebanon awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification. Today, the hospital is ISO 9001:2008 certified.
LAUMC-RH is accredited by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). In 2002 UMC-RH received its first accreditation from the Ministry of Public Health. Operating on a three-year accreditation cycle, we were reaccredited in 2005. Seeking to broaden and strengthen its accreditation standards, the MOPH, in conjunction with the French Health Authority (HAS), launched an expanded and more rigorous accreditation process in 2009. Currently UMC-RH is preparing for an accreditation survey that will take place in July 2011.
The hospital is currently undergoing major restructuring and expansion to transform it into a comprehensive university hospital containing several centers of excellence. It now has one of the best radiology departments in the middle east with state of the art equipment.
As Dr. Rizk Clinic, LAUMC-RH was awarded The National Order of the Cedar in 1992.[3]
Hospital leadership
John Rhoder, Chief Executive Officer Gladys Mouro, RN,MSN,PHD (H), Deputy CEO Elie Abi Nader, MD, Chief of Staff Cesar Hanna, Chief Financial Officer Youssef Comair, MD, FRCSC, Dean of the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine (LAU) [4]