Parkland Doctor Opens Margate Healing Center After Son’s Near Drowning

Published May 15th, 2008

By Nicol Jenkins
Editor

His son’s near drowning and a battle with the hospital sparked Dr. Jeffrey Weiss to help others.

The Parkland doctor recently opened The Healing Institute in Margate for patients who need Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which treats neurological illnesses not typically covered by insurance including stroke, cerebral palsy, autism, near drowning, memory loss, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, lyme disease, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

The Institute will also offer speech, physical and occupational therapies, and biofeedback therapy.

“The Healing Institute is the only medical facility in South Florida to combine such therapies for patient and family convenience,” said Dr. Weiss, MD.

A near tragedy sparked the opening of the new Margate facility. On Memorial Day weekend in 2002, Dr. Weiss’ 22-month-old son Justin fell into his parents’ swimming pool.

“My little boy almost drowned,” said Dr. Weiss.

However, Justin survived but it was after a long battle with the hospital.

“At the time the doctors said he would be brain dead. They fought with me and my wife to kill him,” said the dad.

As a physician and graduate of Harvard Medical School and MIT, Dr. Weiss has heard of a treatment that could save his son’s life. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy delivers oxygen to the brain.

“It’s 100 percent oxygen under pressure in a chamber,” he said. “In New Orleans, if someone drowns they go right into a chamber. In Florida, they do nothing.”

The Weiss family ended up filing a lawsuit against the hospital for Justin to receive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and the family won.

“The judge said, ‘I have to choose to rule for life or death, and I choose to rule for life.’ I never forgot that,” said Dr. Weiss.

Justin is now 7 years old and is a functioning second-grader. Although, he does have some physical limitations including not being able to walk without assistance.

“He’s in a stroller and can’t walk. But he is awake and alert,” said his father. “He loves reading and politics and he’s a smart kid.”

Justin must still receive physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Prior to opening the Healing Institute, the family had to travel all over the state to receive various treatments.

“I wanted to open a center that has the best therapies all in one place, and one that provides the best treatment to children being neglected,” said Dr.

Weiss, who also invented Aqua Alert, a device that goes on a child and if the child falls into the water, an alarm goes off. All proceeds go to his son’s organization called Justin’s Club, which raises funds for ill children whose families do not have the funding for the treatment.

“These are all people who would have no hope,” Dr. Weiss said. “The Healing Institute gives them real hope.”

The Healing Institute is located at 1308 A-B North State Road 7, Margate, 33063. For more information, contact 954-975-3563, www.justinsclub.com, or www.thehealinginstitute.net.