Bridgeport Hospital Foundation marks 30 years of “Inspiration, Investment, IMPACT”

BRIDGEPORT, CT (Nov. 19, 2018) – “Inspiration, Investment, IMPACT” is the theme of Bridgeport Hospital Foundation’s 30th anniversary. Not surprisingly, those words sum up the Foundation’s work since it was established as Bridgeport Hospital’s fundraising arm in 1988.

“Our mission is to secure gifts for Bridgeport Hospital by building extraordinary relationships,” says Steve Jakab, Foundation president. “We match the philanthropic aspirations of donors with the highest quality patient- and family-centered services to support the healthcare needs of our community.”

The anniversary also celebrates the Foundation’s recent highest-level platinum Seal of Transparency recognition by GuideStar, which measures the progress and results of nonprofit organizations.

In the last three decades, the Foundation has inspired charitable giving to support a wide variety of services and facility upgrades, including, most recently:

• Modernizing the Allison Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to transform care for the most fragile infants and their families, a project funded entirely by philanthropic dollars
• Opening the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Hybrid Operating Room to provide minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery to high-risk patients
• Increasing Comprehensive Oncology Services from prevention to survivorship in collaboration with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center specialists at Park Avenue Medical Center (PAMC) in Trumbull, including the creation of the Norma Pfriem Healing Garden, a serene outdoor patio for patients undergoing chemotherapy
• Helping Norma Pfriem Breast Center provide medical excellence, compassionate care, and lifesaving programs to all women in need, regardless of their ability to pay
• Enhancing care coordination for more than 13,000 economically challenged and underserved patients in the Hospital’s Primary Care Center; and assisting these patients in keeping their clinic appointments through the establishment of a Transportation Access Fund
• Providing innovative, safe and high-quality care to sickle cell, trauma and burn patients (in the modernized Connecticut Burn Center, the only dedicated burn care facility in the state)
• Sustaining badly needed outpatient behavioral health services for children, adolescents and adults struggling with emotional, behavioral and psychiatric issues • Helping the next generation of healthcare providers receive advanced medical education through fellowship programs in Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Geriatrics, to name a few
• Launching the trailblazing Geriatric Injury Institute to prevent injuries in the elderly population
• Recruiting a dedicated Palliative Care Nurse at PAMC to offer individualized, compassionate palliative care services to outpatients facing serious illness

“Financial pressures continue to challenge hospitals but the generosity of our donors allows Bridgeport Hospital Foundation to continue to have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of patients, family members and the community,” Jakab said.

To learn more, visit https://foundation.bridgeporthospital.org.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org