Roper St. Francis Names New Surgical Pavilion In Honor of the Late Julian T. Buxton, Jr., M.D.
October 17, 2005

Roper St. Francis Healthcare is pleased to announce that it will name the seventh floor Surgical Pavilion in Roper Hospital’s new patient care tower in memory of Julian T. Buxton, Jr., M.D., the system’s first board chairman and one of Charleston’s best-known and admired physicians.

“Dr. Buxton was a surgeon whose entire professional life was dedicated to providing the very best health care for Lowcountry residents,” said David L. Dunlap, Roper St. Francis Healthcare President and CEO. “The Julian T. Buxton, Jr., M.D. Surgical Pavilion will be the crowning jewel of the new seven-story Heart and Vascular Tower and will offer the finest technology and patient care amenities. This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a fitting tribute to Dr. Buxton’s lifelong dedication to his patients and to his community.”

The Tower, including the Buxton Surgical Pavilion, will be completed in March 2006 and will be open and ready to see its first patients shortly thereafter. The seventh-floor Buxton Surgical Pavilion will house 42 private patient rooms. It will feature photographs of Dr. Buxton, his family, friends and colleagues from throughout the years. A special dedication and grand opening events are being planned to celebrate the new Patient Care Tower and Buxton Surgical Pavilion.

“Our family has been touched and overwhelmed by the thoughtful and poignant tributes in Julian’s honor,” said Anne Buxton, wife of the late surgeon. “We are very grateful to each person who has taken the time to write and reaffirm that Julian’s life was indeed dedicated to helping others.”

Dr. Buxton’s involvement on the Roper Hospital Board spanned 20 years. During his tenure as Chairman of the Board, he played an integral role in the August 1998 union of Roper and Bon Secours St. Francis hospitals, creating what is today known as Roper St. Francis Healthcare.

Described by colleagues, employees and patients as a unique blend of compassion, humility, intellect and jocular high spirits, Dr. Buxton’s medical career extended over four decades.

A native of Sumter, SC., he attended Woodbury Forest School in Virginia and was graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a B.A. degree in history. At Princeton, he served each year as a student body officer and lettered in both football and wrestling for the Tigers. He had been a trustee at both Woodberry Forrest School and Princeton University.

Dr. Buxton began his medical studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, earning his M.D. in 1954, after which he spent a year’s internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a one-year residency at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Following service in the U.S. Navy, he finished his surgical residency in 1962 at the Medical College of South Carolina, now known as the Medical University of South Carolina. He then went on to form Coastal Surgical Associates, a general, vascular and thoracic medical practice in Charleston.

During his medical career, Dr. Buxton was involved in several surgical missions including those to Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Russia and Kenya. He published more than 20 academic articles in professional journals. He served as president of the Medical Society of South Carolina, Charleston County Medical Association, Southern Surgeon’s Club and South Carolina Surgical Society.

Dr. Buxton’s passion for his work came second only to his first love for his family: his wife, Anne, and their seven children, Julian III, Annie Misic, Lucy Lukens, Eddie, William, Geordie and Jim.

Roper Hospital’s new, Patient Care Tower is a $77.4 million expansion project and will serve as a central location for all Roper St. Francis Heart and Vascular Services. When completed, the new tower will house 147 patient rooms and the following services and features:

First Floor
· New main entrance and lobby to Roper Hospital
· New Ambulatory Surgery Center to include 6 operating rooms
· 14 Pre/Post-Surgery Patients Rooms
· 13-bay Post Anesthesia Recovery Unit
· New Patient/Guest Information Desk
· Expanded Registration and Admitting Department (Phase 2 of the project)
· New Gift Shop
· New Chapel and Pastoral Care Offices
· New Café Space

Second Floor
· 8-bed CICU, including waiting areas
· 15-bed Outpatient Cardiac Cath Unit
· Cardiac Catheterization Lab (3 Cath Labs, 1 Electrophysiology Lab, holding/recovery area, and future device lab)
· Hospital Administration
· Conference Room

Third Floor
· 24-bed Cardiac Intermediate Care Nursing Unit
· Outpatient Vascular Center (Vascular Clinic, Vascular Lab, Wound Care, and future HBO)
· Non-Invasive Cardiology Department

Fourth Floor
· 46-bed Cardiovascular Intermediate Care Nursing Unit

Fifth Floor
· Cardiac Surgery Operating Suite consisting of two Cardiac Surgery Operating Rooms
· 1 Vascular Surgery Operating Room
· 1 Endovascular (“Specials”) Lab
· Pre-Operative Holding Area and Surgical Support Space
· 12-bed Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, including a 6-bed recovery unit

Sixth Floor
· Mechanical/Surgical Interstitial Space

Seventh Floor
· Buxton Surgical Pavilion including 42-bed Nursing Unit