Top-notch care, increased capacity for colic cases, and state-of-the-art biosecurity to control the spread of infectious disease were the driving forces behind the construction of the 18,540-square-foot James M. Moran Jr. Critical Care Center at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center (NBC) in Kennett Square.

Although the new 24-stall facility had yet to be stocked and the first equine patients won't be admitted until June 14, donors, media, NBC staffers, government dignitaries, and other VIPs–including U.S. Olympic gold medalist and Thoroughbred racehorse trainer Michael Matz–toured the building and attended a reception June 4 following speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Wielding the scissors was Betty (Mrs. J. Maxwell) Moran, mother of the late James M. Moran Jr., for whom the center is named. James Moran was active in Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Pennsylvania and served on the NBC's Board of Overseers for 18 years.

Fundraising and construction for the center took six years, according to Raymond Sweeney, VMD, chief, Section of Medicine, Department of Clinical Studies, at NBC. Although Sweeney declined to draw comparisons between the Moran Center and similar facilities at other large-animal hospitals, NBC's incorporates the most advanced design features and biosecurity measures available today, he said