NASCAR Driver Jamie McMurray Visits Patients & Staff at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - July 8, 2015 - PRLog -- Staff and patients at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center received a special surprise on July 2: a visit from NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray.

McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, will be competing in this weekend’s 57th annual Coke Zero 400. McMurray is one of the most successful drivers in Daytona International Speedway history. He has claimed victory in three of the biggest races at the Speedway, winning the 2007 Coke Zero 400, 2010 Daytona 500 and the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona; he is the only driver to have ever won all three races. McMurray also joins racing legends AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to ever win both the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the Daytona 500. Additionally he is one of three drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year.

While visiting Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, McMurray toured the birth care and cardiovascular units. The stop at the hospital’s BirthCare Center was a personal highlight of the tour, as McMurray and his wife Christy have two children. Upon learning that the Daytona Beach hospital was in the midst of building a $10 million Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to treat sick and premature babies, McMurray shared his experience with his son.

“One of the cooler parts of our tour through the hospital is the fact that they are building this new NICU,” McMurray said. “When we had our first child, we took him home, and three days later we had to go back to the hospital and were actually in the NICU for a few days. As a parent, I know how important a unit like this is. It was also great to see how the rooms will be laid out in the NICU; your child is going to be in the room with you. That's a huge deal because it is different from a lot of other hospitals, and even the hospital that we were at. The plans they have for the future are pretty awesome.”

While in the BirthCare Center, McMurray visited with new parents and gave a special racing onesie to some of his newest fans.

“It was a really fun day,” McMurray said. “One of the new moms I met, she shared with me that every year her grandparents have a Daytona 500 party and she always looked forward to that and enjoyed it. It's always fun to walk into a room when someone is excited to meet you.”

After the tour of the facility, McMurray took time to meet and sign autographs for Florida Hospital employees from the five facilities in Volusia and Flagler counties.

“It was interesting coming here, because we got to meet such a wide range of people, from employees that work here, to mothers that have just given birth over the last couple days,” McMurray said. “It was cool to see how excited all the employees were and to take selfies or pictures, and hear their stories of being racing fans. It was just a really fun day.”

McMurray’s visit to Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a reflection of the hospital system’s partnership with the Daytona International Speedway. In October 2014, Florida Hospital became the second Founding Partner at Daytona International Speedway, as part of its historic $400 million DAYTONA Rising redevelopment project. Through this multiyear partnership with the Daytona International Speedway, Florida Hospital provide another key access point for health care in the Daytona Beach community where guests will experience Florida Hospital’s commitment to whole person health and wellness.

About Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler
Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and nearly 8,300 licensed beds in 10 states. With five hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, Florida Hospital is the largest hospital system in the area, with 788 beds, 4,800 employees, and 650,000 patients every year. Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler’s mission is to extend the healing ministry of Christ, and in 2014, the hospitals collectively contributed nearly $101 million in benefits to the underprivileged, the community’s overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.