2020 Summer - In the Know newsletter and updates

Summer 2020

Message from the Board Chair of Rhode Island Hospital Foundation

Bob Vincent I am deeply touched and humbled by the dedication and commitment of each and every member of our Volunteer Leadership Council, including you!

Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals are powerful places of healing because of your expertise, your philanthropy, your ability to expand our circle of influence, and your caring. You make a real difference for everyone in our community by supporting world-class health care close to home.

Though health care has been facing some challenging hurdles over the past six months, Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital are strong and resilient. No matter what lies ahead, we are at the ready. And together there is nothing we can’t accomplish.

Here are just a couple of our recent philanthropic success stories despite COVID-19:

2020 Heroes Ball & Hasbro Children’s Golf Invitational Raises $938,000

Although we couldn’t celebrate with you in person at the 2020 Hasbro Children’s Hospital Heroes Ball or the Golf Invitational, hats off to our committee, sponsors, and donors who helped us raise $938,000! Your continued support will provide the critical resources we rely on to establish and grow significant programs throughout Hasbro Children's for the 150,000 children, and their families, served annually.

Please watch the video below from Timothy J. Babineau, MD, President and CEO of Lifespan,
and take a moment to recognize our remarkable sponsors and supporters!

Every Child, Every Day Campaign – Heading Towards the Finish Line

To date, 98% of our $35 million-dollar goal has been raised to renovate Bradley Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital to ready them for the future. As the pandemic raged, renovations at Hasbro Children’s have been quietly underway. Though they won’t be fully completed until the winter of 2022, the healing garden, surgical services, the fourth and sixth in-patient floors, and much of the emergency department, are all anticipated to be completed within the next year. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported this significant undertaking. If you haven’t yet made a gift, please consider helping us reach our goal by December 30th!

Emergency Preparedness Fund Raises Nearly $3 Million

The COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness Fund for Lifespan and its five hospitals has raised nearly $3 million since the end of March. We are humbled by the outpouring of support from the community. And, it is heartwarming to see that so many of our volunteer leaders have contributed to this initiative.

Thank you again for being part of our outstanding team of 300 volunteer leaders. You make a tremendous difference in the lives of the children and families our hospitals serve. I hope you enjoy this enews!

Warmest regards,

Robert K. Vincent
Chair, Rhode Island Hospital Foundation

Volunteer Highlight
Celebrating Deanna and Scott Donnelly - Rock Stars of the 2020 Heroes Ball

Donnellys You have been involved and supporting Hasbro Children’s Hospital for over ten years now. We are so grateful for your longstanding commitment to the patients and families we care for. Why have you chosen our hospital as an area of focus for your philanthropy and your time?

It has been a pleasure to be on the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Leadership Council for the past decade. We have a great appreciation for every aspect of health care. Having a world-class children’s hospital in our community is something to be cherished. Knowing your child will be cared for in an emergency is everything a parent hopes for. We have been so impressed with the doctors, nurses and the leadership we have engaged with. Their talents and experience, coupled with their passion for delivering innovative, quality healthcare, is impressive. Our commitment and support of Hasbro Children’s continues because of that dedication we have witnessed first-hand.

You Co-Chaired the Hasbro Children’s Heroes Ball in 2019 and stepped up to Chair the event in 2020. Just days before the Ball this year, it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What did you learn from that experience? What motivated you to agree to serve as Chairs for our 2021 Ball?

We were honored to chair this year’s Ball. The committee of volunteers that worked on the event and the Lifespan team who put everything together were amazing! So much effort goes into planning a magical program that raises crucial funds for a children’s hospital – funds that increase its “margin of excellence”. Though the Ball was scheduled for Saturday March 7th and over 800 guests were expected, hospital leadership made the difficult, unanimous, and right decision to put public health above everything else. Needless to say the event was canceled but the Ball’s magic did not end there. The wonderful outcome really came from individuals and corporations who stepped up and turned their event sponsorship into an outright donation to the hospital. More than $938,000 was raised to support children’s health in our region! And, we are enthusiastically looking forward to chairing the 2021 Heroes Ball set for August 28th. We hope you will join us to celebrate!

If there is one thing you would want the community to know about Hasbro Children’s Hospital, what would it be?

When it comes to the health and welfare of your child, you can rest easily knowing that the team at Hasbro Children’s Hospital truly cares!

Shout Outs

Did You Know?

Lifespan News

Preparations are underway for Lifespan to partner with the RI Department of Health to offer antibody testing to all Lifespan employees and providers. Rhode Island is one of only three sites in the nation—along with Detroit and New York City—to be selected by the CDC for a study involving widespread antibody testing for COVID-19. All individuals tested will receive their individual results, while Lifespan will receive data about results only in aggregate.

John B. Murphy, MD, President of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, was the subject of a “5 Questions With” column in Providence Business News that focused on how he recently was awarded a prestigious honor for his work in geriatrics. Read story in PBN >>

Lifespan Welcomes New Talent

Kenneth Wood, MD joined Lifespan in June as Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer. He is coming to us from the University of Maryland Medical System, where his role was Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice President of the University of Maryland Medical Center, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. His prior experience includes serving as Chief Medical Officer for the Geisinger Medical Center and Director of the Center for Re-engineering Healthcare for the Geisinger Health System. Previously, he was a Professor of Medicine and Anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health where he was the Senior Director of Medical Affairs, Director of Critical Care and the Pulmonary Critical Care fellowship director.

Todd Conklin, BS, MBA, CPA, recently joined Lifespan as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a newly established position. In his role, Todd will report directly to Lifespan’s CEO and will help lead the hospital presidents and other relevant executive leaders in elevating the system’s operational and financial performance. Todd joins us from Ascension Health System, one of the nation's largest Catholic and non-profit health systems, with 150 hospitals in 20 states and the District of Columbia. In his role as chief operating officer for Ascension’s Wisconsin system, Todd oversaw 24 hospitals as well as ambulatory and physician clinic facilities.

Lifespan Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2019 The report showcases the advances and accomplishments achieved in FY2019. Read report >>

RI Top Docs - Scores of Lifespan Providers Make Top Doctors List

top docs

Nearly 200 of Lifespan’s outstanding providers made Rhode Island Monthly’s Top Doctors 2020 list.

The honor showcases physicians in numerous specialties, from addiction medicine to vascular surgery.

“Every year, I’m proud to see the large number of Lifespan physicians receiving recognition in the annual Top Doctors list,” said Timothy J. Babineau, MD, Lifespan president and chief executive officer.

“It validates what we witness every day: extraordinary doctors providing excellent patient-centered care. This has never been more evident than in the heroic efforts of our physicians throughout the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.”

Featured in the magazine issue are Q&A interviews with Leonard Mermel, DO, medical director of epidemiology and infection control, Rhode Island Hospital, and Adetokunbo Oyelese, MD, PhD, FAANS, director of the spinal surgery division and surgical director of the Comprehensive Spine Center.

The magazine uses a survey firm to ask physicians licensed in Rhode Island who they would trust to care for their family and friends. The tallied results are given to Rhode Island Monthly for final calculations to arrive at the “Top Docs” list.

Congratulations to all of Lifespan’s Top Doctors!

Read the Top Doctors feature in Rhode Island Monthly »