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 Wednesday, 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.”

 

About Atrium Health

Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.

 

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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