Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group, and Sandi Spika Borchetta celebrate the 49th Annual CMA Awards at event venue The Rosewall on Nov. 4, 2015, in Nashville.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced Tuesday that Big Machine Label Group founder and CEO Scott Borchetta and wife Sandi Borchetta have pledged a $5 million gift to support the neonatal intensive care program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.
Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group, and Sandi Spika Borchetta celebrate the 49th Annual CMA Awards at event venue The Rosewall on Nov. 4, 2015, in Nashville.
Getty Images/Larry Busacca
The Borchettas are longtime supporters of the Carell facility, according to a release.
In March 2020, the hospital opened the Big Machine Neighborhood, a 23-bed NICU wing on the 11th floor of the children’s hospital, made possible by the Borchettas and Big Machine Label Group. The space is decorated with music-themed art (including some of the label’s artists) and the group’s race car logo.
The Borchettas also serve as members of the Monroe Carell Advisory Board.
Monroe Carell’s Level IV-designated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ranks among the nation’s largest of its type, treating between 1,500 and 1,600 infants each year. With a recent four-floor expansion (sitting atop the existing facility), the hospital now offers 131 NICU beds. A portion of those beds will be housed on the hospital’s recently opened 14th floor, to be named the Scott & Sandi Borchetta Floor.
The floor will include specialized NICU care and a Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/Complex Airway Center of Excellence. About 50 percent of infants born at a gestational age of 22 to 32 weeks — two to four months early — develop BPD, a life-threatening chronic lung disease that requires respiratory support and oxygen to facilitate breathing.
The center’s multidisciplinary pediatric team includes specialists in neonatology, critical care, pulmonology, otolaryngology, nursing, respiratory therapy, social work and case management.
“Sandi and Scott’s generous gift allows us to expand our premier neonatal intensive care unit’s services to provide even more specialized care for our most vulnerable patients,” Jeff Balser, VUMC president and CEO and dean of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, said in the release.
“Their gift supports crucial programming, neonatal equipment, space and staffing. We are grateful for their long-standing commitment to Monroe Carell.”
The Carell facility is home to one of the nation's first neonatal intensive care units. It was established in 1961 by the late Dr. Mildred T. Stahlman, who pioneered the treatment of lung disease in premature infants. Her legacy is seen today with the hospital’s specialized care for premature infants and those born at term with complex health concerns.
“Children should never be sick, let alone not being ensured a safe entry into life in their golden hour,” Scott Borchetta said in the release.
“Sandi and I have taken great joy in the extraordinary success stories of the Big Machine Neighborhood, and we know the great team at Monroe Carell will put every dollar toward saving more lives.”
