The Atrium Health Foundation in Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced a $7.5 million gift from the George Shinn Foundation in support of Atrium Health's regional stroke network.

The gift will establish the George Shinn Comprehensive Stroke Center at Carolinas Medical Center and support research, the acquisition of technology, and services such as psychosocial testing and family education for stroke survivors across more than thirty sites. The gift also will establish the George Shinn Endowed Chair in Neurovascular Medicine and strengthen the system's efforts to recruit researchers, rehabilitation specialists, clinical scientists, population health managers, and data scientists. In 1988, Shinn was treated at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center after he suffered a stroke at the age of forty-eight.

"I am thrilled to make this donation to create the George Shinn Comprehensive Stroke Center, and I am thankful that all those years ago the team here at Carolinas Medical Center was able to save my life," said Shinn, the former owner of the NBA's Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. "Stroke is a leading cause of death in our country, especially in African-American men. It is my prayer that with this center, we see those statistics change."

"Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, and it doesn't just affect the patient; it affects family, friends, and employers," said Anthony Asher, president of the Neuroscience Institute for Atrium Health. "And stroke doesn't discriminate. It can happen to anyone, at any time, and anywhere. We must do more. There's so much at stake."