Broward Heart Project expands with Cleveland Clinic partnership and $1M donation

At the Nov. 18 reorganization meeting, Mayor Mark Bogan announced a new phase for the Broward Heart Project: the commission unanimously approved a contract for the Cleveland Clinic to take a lead role in the county’s free cardiac‑scan program, and the Florida Panthers Foundation (the Viola family) pledged $1,000,000 over five years to help fund ongoing free scans.

Mayor Bogan told the commission that the community had scanned roughly 7,000 people through the program; about 4,000 of those people required medical follow‑up — ranging from medication to stents and surgery — and an additional roughly 350 people were found to have other medical issues. He introduced Cleveland Clinic representatives in the chamber and thanked partners including HeartFlow, which will provide image analysis to identify arterial damage and blood‑flow issues.

Two participants who said they benefited from the program spoke during the meeting. Steve Sachs, a former Major League Baseball player, described being asymptomatic yet found to have 95–99% blockages in four major arteries; he underwent open‑heart surgery and credited the screening program and commission support with saving his life. Another speaker, identified as Barry, said a scan detected a spot on his wife Amy’s lung that led to treatment and removal of stage‑1 lung cancer, and both urged others to take the free scans.

Mayor Bogan and county staff framed the partnership and philanthropic commitment as steps to institutionalize and expand the screening program; the commission’s prior action to approve the Cleveland Clinic contract was described during the meeting as unanimous.

What happens next: Cleveland Clinic and county staff will coordinate implementation of the program under the approved contract; the five‑year donation is intended to support ongoing free scans, and program partners will continue outreach to residents.