Spring 2022
Message from the President and Foundation Board Chair
of Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals
Dear Volunteer Leadership Council Member,
Welcome to the spring eNews for our family of volunteer leaders. We applaud you for your dedication and commitment to Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals and want to be sure that we keep you in the know with a few highlights.
First of all, we are delighted to report that Covid-19 cases are significantly down at our hospital. This has resulted in revised visitation policies. We owe a lot to the team of twenty-six medical professionals sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in February. At that time, Rhode Island Hospital had seen an eight-fold increase in Covid-19 patients since early November, while at the same time had staffing being as much as 35% below normal. The doctors, nurses, and respiratory technicians were mostly Army personnel. They allowed us to open additional critical care beds, to support the emergency department and pulmonary consult service, and to provide relief to staff who had been working extended hours. Their 6-week mission made an enormous difference in helping to treat the surge in the number of coronavirus patients.
The Rhode Island Hospital Day of Giving, in partnership with NBC 10 WJAR, raised $318,000! This year’s daylong telethon on April 7, 2022 was an opportunity for us to celebrate health care heroes and their commitment to patient-centered care, while raising critical funds in support of The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center at Rhode Island Hospital. As the only Level I Trauma Center in southeastern New England, the center sees about 110,000 of the region's most critically injured and severely ill people each year. Funds raised will support a variety of initiatives aimed at improving the patient, family, and caregiver experience.
The Every Child, Every Day campaign crossed its finish line with flying colors. A whopping $42 million was raised toward a $35 million goal to modernize the inpatient units, clinics, lobby, and emergency department of our only full-service children’s hospital in Rhode Island. Renovations are now complete, and we are proud that the facility reflects the same exceptional quality of our amazing medical and nursing teams. Thank you for your unwavering support throughout the recent campaign. Hasbro Children’s would not be the region’s leading pediatric hospital without people like you who care so deeply about our children.
In closing, we want you to know that everyone at Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s, and Lifespan stand with the people of Ukraine. We extend our compassion and support to those in our own community of Ukrainian heritage, and our solidarity with all those personally affected by the current crisis.
Thank you for sharing your talent, treasure, and time in partnership with us at Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals. We are profoundly grateful to have you on our team. We are optimistic about the wonderful things we will accomplish in the future, together.
With sincere appreciation and warmest wishes,
Saul N. Weingart, MD
President, Rhode Island Hospital and
Hasbro Children’s Hospital |
Robert K. Vincent
Chair, Rhode Island Hospital Foundation |
P.S. Please feel free to contact either one of us with your questions or feedback.
Volunteer Highlight –
Celebrating Kristen Moshiek-Wilson and Miles C. Wilson
Business owners, philanthropists, and dedicated volunteers
Why have you chosen Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals as an area of focus for your philanthropy and your time?
“My connection with Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals started more than a decade ago with the late Dr. Mark Palumbo, who was an orthopedic surgeon,” said Miles. “Mark was a catalyst who inspired me to start up Nerves & Bones, Inc., a medical device distribution and consulting company specializing in neurosurgical and orthopedic implants and instrumentation. Mark strongly felt that such a company would benefit the research, clinical trials, and patient care in the region.
“As founders of Nerves & Bones, coupled with being proud Rhode Islanders, parents of four boys, and grateful patients, it seemed perfectly normal to us when we sat down together several years ago and made a unanimous decision to designate Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals as our main charity. By focusing our philanthropy and time on these two institutions, we know that we are supporting efforts to deliver quality medical services along with providing health education and innovative research to advance treatments.”
What advice do you have for other members of our Volunteer Leadership Council in their quest to assist in strengthening philanthropy for our hospitals?
“We strongly recommend participating on at least one of the hospital’s event committees and attending the event as well. For the past five years, we have served on the Heroes Ball Committee and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. Led by Events Manager Christina Haas and others from Development, the events are more than amazing galas. They share inspiring stories of remarkable health care workers, and courageous and resilient patients and their families who have been treated with exceptional and compassionate care. And, they have provided us with opportunities to meet some wonderful people.
“Given our family’s commitment to the hospitals as our main charity, we feel honored to ask others to sponsor the Heroes Ball. It is all about people and relationships and telling your peers about the great work going on at our children’s hospital. We want to be part of an effort that helps to move the needle in strengthening philanthropy for health care. And we feel fortunate to be part of the hospital’s team.”
If there is one thing you would want the community to know about Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals, what would it be?
“I work closely with a number of orthopedic and neurosurgery physicians in my role with Nerves & Bones” says Miles. “Traveling all around New England and up and down the east coast allows me opportunities to witness first-hand the level of health care offered in different cities. This has instilled in me an awareness that what Lifespan hospitals provide in Rhode Island is nothing short of top notch.
“Both Kristen and I feel strongly that Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals offer some of the best medicine available in New England. The quality of care is exceptional and it’s right here in our backyard.”
Special Acknowledgements