More Medical Center News June 30, 2008 Medical Marvel Karen M. Johnson writes on the Ruffian Equine Medical Center in The Blood-Horse. June 21, 2008 issue.  Full Story June 13, 2008 The Ruffian Equine Medical Center on BloodHorse.com Richard Schiavo, IEAH co-president, discusses the Ruffian Equine Medical Center on BloodHorse.com.  Full Story May 21, 2008 Big Brown's owners plan equine facility near Belmont Ridgely Ochs of Newsday writes on the Ruffian Equine Medical Center.  Full Story September 20, 2007 Ruffian Equine Medical Center at Belmont Park IEAH Corporation announced its equine medical facility currently under construction will be named “Ruffian Equine Medical Center at Belmont Park.”  Full Story July 20, 2007 IEAH featured on "Inside Racing" FSNY's "Inside Racing" recently featured IEAH Corporation and its plan to construct an equine medical facility at Belmont Park.  Full Story July 10, 2007 Groundbreaking of IEAH's equine hospital scheduled for July 13 IEAH Corporation is proud to announce the commencement of construction on its state of the art equine medical facility at Belmont Park.  Full Story June 14, 2007 IEAH profiled in The Blood-Horse International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., was profiled by The Blood-Horse's Paul Volponi in the magazine's June 9 issue.  Full Story June 08, 2007 IEAH equine medical center update IEAH Corporation has targeted July 1 to commence construction on their state-of-the-art equine medical facility to be built within walking distance to Belmont Park.  Full Story March 12, 2007 A new equine hospital is coming to Belmont Park Bill Heller, in Trainer Magazine, writes on IEAH Corporation's plan to construct a full-service equine hospital near Belmont Park.  Full Story December 13, 2006 IEAH Corporation unveils new plans for significantly larger equine medical facility IEAH Corporation management has released expanded plans for the development and construction of its proposed world-class equine medical facility.  Full Story August 28, 2006 IEAH equine medical center press The following news articles detail IEAH Corporation's plan for a veterinary clinic, the hiring of Dr. Patricia Hogan, and more.  Full Story August 24, 2006 IEAH Corporation, Dr. Patricia Hogan, and Dr. James Hunt join forces to construct world-class equine medical facility outside Belmont Park As a result of a collaborative agreement between all parties, Belmont Park and local horsemen will be the beneficiary of a state-of-the-art equine healthcare facility just outside its gates.  Full Story August 23, 2006 IEAH press conference on tap IEAH Corporation, in conjunction with NYRA, will hold a press conference at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday, August 24.  Full Story August 18, 2006 IEAH Corporation comes to terms with highly-regarded equine surgeon Dr. Patricia Hogan IEAH Corporation has come to an agreement with world-class equine surgeon Dr. Patricia Hogan and her services will be in place in anticipation of the grand opening of IEAH’s equine medical center.  Full Story

     Construction on IEAH Corporation's Ruffian Equine Medical Center at Belmont Park continues to progress in anticipation of the facility's mid- to late-summer opening. The groundbreaking on the world-class equine medical facility, located just yards away from the Belmont Park barn population in Elmont, New York, took place last summer and the construction has progressed well, according to Richard Schiavo, co-president of IEAH.
     “For the most part, the construction has gone according to plan,” he said recently. “We remain hopeful for a mid- to late-summer opening.
     “The physical portion of the actual hospital construction for the most part is complete. The outside structure and inner walls are in place and we have now turned our efforts toward the inside. Carpenters and others are inside at work and the facility is starting to take its shape, gain its identity.”
     The facility will encompass approximately 23,000 square feet and the project cost is currently estimated at about $16 million. It will offer multiple surgical suites, nuclear scintigraphy, treadmill endoscopy, and all other equine healthcare necessities. IEAH has secured the services of top equine practitioners Dr. James Hunt and Dr. Patricia Hogan for the facility.
     Dr. Hogan is encouraged by feedback, especially now as compared to last summer.
     “Absolutely there has been a change in the attitude of outsiders looking in,” she said. “At first, there was a skepticism involved largely because people have talked about putting an equine veterinary hospital of this high caliber at Belmont for so many years and it has never happened.
     “I'd say at first people were excited, yet reserved, about this project. Now, the reservation is gone.”
     Schiavo said in the addition to the primary hospital structure, which will include three horse stalls, the greater stall section is beginning to take shape.
     “Phase Two of the project is beginning now,” he said. “There will be twenty six additional stalls for horses, bringing the total to twenty nine, and the foundation for that is being laid. It is starting to come from the ground up now. This will be a one-story unit and much less sophisticated and less time consuming than Phase One. We are also in the process of filling additional staff positions, and are very excited about the direction in which we are moving.”
     Dr. Hogan's current project involvement entails regular meetings with all parties working on the project, largely to guarantee the facility is “designed with the safety of horses in mind,” and Hogan's experience in having previously aided in the design of two hospitals goes a long way.
     “We are really excited about the way the facility is taking shape,” she said. “The flow of the hospital must be taken seriously in order to avoid any possible pitfalls for horses. Sometimes, construction that would otherwise make sense must be approached a touch differently to consider the horses. This is the fun part, the facility is starting to look like a hospital, we are ordering equipment, setting up vendors, interviewing surgeons, and taking on tasks of that nature.”
     Since she joined the project, Dr. Hogan has been excited not only on a personal level, but by the impact the project has as a whole.
     “This is a great opportunity, not only for the horses at Belmont and in the area that includes the sporting horse community, but for veterinary medicine to have a private entity express such an interest in horses,” Dr. Hogan said. “It has never happened here in the equine arena, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.
     “From the very beginning, this group has approached the project with an attitude where everything had to be done first-class. As a result, we have never run into a situation where we couldn't do what was best for the horse, and that's a valuable advantage. I commend the IEAH team for the amount of financial risk and physical effort put forth.”


Click on any of the individual photos, taken recently, below to see a larger version of the construction taking place on the Ruffian Equine Medical Center at Belmont Park.