Fall 2020
Message from the President and CEO of Lifespan and
Board Chair of Rhode Island Hospital Foundation
Dear Friend,
Welcome to the fall quarterly e-news for our family of volunteer leaders! Our relationship with you, and each member of our Volunteer Leadership Council, plays an essential role in the philanthropic success of our institution. Your engagement is key to help ensure the sustainability of our hospital’s “margin of excellence.” Thank you for your dedicated support and we hope you enjoy this e-news!
Nine months into the pandemic, we are continuing to adapt to our “new normal”. Our Alternative Hospital Site has just opened at the Rhode Island Convention Center and is designed to care for stable COVID-positive patients who still require hospitalization. It will offer a full suite of services, including case management, interpreter services, pharmacy, laboratory, and spiritual care. We are hopeful that with the actions we are taking, a vaccine coming soon, and continued vigilance to adhere to infectious disease standards of social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene, we will successfully manage what appears to be a coming peak to the second surge.
At the September Annual Meeting of the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation Board, eight new members of the Board of Governors were appointed including: Thomas Bucci, Jilline Fearons, Jay Gendron, Leah Gendron, Christopher Gentili, Joanne Patterson, Joseph Perroni, and David Winoker. Please join us in welcoming these community leaders and new Governors to our Volunteer Leadership Council!
We are pleased to report that the Every Child, Every Day campaign has just reached its goal of raising $35 million dollars to renovate Bradley Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital and ready them for the future. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported this significant undertaking. If you haven’t yet made a gift, it’s not too late. Please consider helping to push us above and beyond our goal to ensure that all planned renovations in the next 18 months are fully completed.
Also, on a positive note, we are delighted to let you know that after an exhaustive and national search, we have selected Saul N. Weingart, MD, as the next president of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Dr. Weingart is currently chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs for Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children’s Hospital in Boston and Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. He will join Lifespan in February 2021. Dr. Weingart brings a keen intellect, insightful wisdom and a true dedication to superb, compassionate patient care to his new role.
In closing, thank you again for serving as one of our key ambassadors in the community! As we move forward together, be well, be positive and know that your leadership, partnership and friendship are deeply appreciated.
Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season,
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Timothy J. Babineau, MD
President and CEO, Lifespan
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Robert K. Vincent
Board Chair, Rhode Island Hospital Foundation
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Volunteer Highlight
Volunteer Highlight – Celebrating Mahesh V. Jayaraman, MD
Mahesh V. Jayaraman, MD, is director of the Neurovascular Center at Rhode Island Hospital and Professor of Diagnostic Imaging, Neurology and Neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
You joined the Board of the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation in the fall of 2018. What made you jump at this opportunity?
I recognize firsthand the importance of philanthropy in health care. Philanthropy plays a vital role in funding capital investments and especially as “seed funding” in creating new programs. It’s great to be a part of a group actively working to increase these efforts. All of us have the important job of ensuring our community is both aware and supportive of the amazing care we have right here in our region, and that’s a responsibility I take very seriously.
In October, you helped us strengthen Rhode Island Hospital’s philanthropy in a big way by securing a seven-figure gift for neurosciences. Can you tell us how that came about?
Last winter, the Watkins family, who have a history of involvement with neurosciences at the hospital, approached us to talk about what it would take to begin a new fellowship program. This opportunity dovetailed perfectly with a key priority that we have recognized for several years – to secure funding to provide specialized training for advanced practice practitioners (APPs) in the neuroscience field. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of the Watkins family, the Helen D. Buchanan Family Endowment has been established for just that purpose.
Philanthropic dollars are a catalyst in helping to get a project off the ground. Once the project is up and running and its value can be measured, it tends to be much more sustainable. This model has proven results across the hospital campus.
What is the new $1 million gift from the Watkins family going to do for the future of Rhode Island Hospital and neurosciences around the globe?
The mission of neuroscience leadership at Rhode Island Hospital is to provide the most advanced and compassionate care to our patients, to train future leaders in neuroscience, and to advance our field through research and innovation. This significant gift from the Watkins family will allow us at Rhode Island Hospital to create a 12-month APP fellowship in neurosciences. The APP will be integral in the care of patients across all disciplines, in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. Ensuring specialized training for advanced practice fellows will transform the development of future leaders in the neurosciences.
What advice do you have for other members of our Volunteer Leadership Council in their quest to assist in strengthening philanthropy for our hospital?
Be proud of the level of care offered at Rhode Island Hospital and its community excellence. As members of the Volunteer Leadership Council, you are the best advocates for our hospitals. Keep your eyes peeled for creative opportunities and don’t hesitate to contact one of our Development team members to talk about how to bring your idea to fruition.
If there is one thing you would want the community to know about Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals, what would it be?
In these very trying times, I want you to know that Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals are here for you. Don’t let COVID-19 concerns delay you from getting the necessary care you need. Our doors remain open for you, your family and our community.