Image courtesy of Oscar de la Renta
The legacy of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta will live on in his native Dominican Republic for years to come after the opening of a children’s healthcare facility.
On April 26, the Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Center was built in the late designer’s memory by the Grupo Puntacana Foundation. The pediatric center will provide professional health services for the more than 15,000 children living in underserved communities in and around Veron Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Shared mission
Mr. de la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic before moving to the United States as his career took off, but kept ties to his home country throughout his life.
The Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Center is located in the Veron Punta Cana region of La Altagracia, where Mr. de la Renta was a homeowner and investor in the Puntacana Resort & Club.
Named in his memory, the Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Center will offer free services for 50 to 60 children per day, ranging in age from infants to 15-year-olds. The only charge for patients will be a modest free for laboratory results.
The facility will diagnose and treat illnesses as well as provide checkups and immunizations in addition to x-rays, scans and tracking children’s growth and development.
Left to right: Frank Rainieri, Mr. de la Renta's widow Annette de la Renta, Danilo Medina, C·ndida Montilla de Medina, HaydÈe Kuret de Rainieri and Altagracia Guzm·n at the opening of the Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Center
Mr. de la Renta’s memorial healthcare facility will be managed in partnership with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Dominican Republic Ministry of Public Health, Servicio Nacional de Salud, Akron Children’s Hospital and Grupo Puntacana Foundation.
“We are very pleased to open the Oscar de la Renta Pediatric Center and bring high-caliber medical care to the children of Punta Cana,” said Frank Rainieri, CEO of Grupo Puntacana in a statement.
“This facility means a great deal to us,” he said. “It is the result of a shared mission with Oscar de la Renta to ensure that the children in our region will thrive for generations to come.”
Mr. de la Renta passed away in 2014 at the age of 82 after a battle with cancer.
He is known the world over for crafting dresses and gowns worn by numerous first ladies and celebrities. During his several decades as a designer, and up until the end of his life Mr. de la Renta sustained his brand and influenced the fashion industry (see story).