HMC Receives Campaign Contribution from Barbara Bernard

HOLYOKE — Long-time Holyoke resident Barbara Bernard is among the first to contribute to the Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) capital campaign — titled “Care. Community. Commitment.” — for the new Emergency Department and medical office building. Bernard made a campaign contribution funding the outpatient waiting room.

“During the last campaign, I contributed the patient admitting room, and I am doing the same for the new outpatient waiting room. The wonderful care given to me, my family, and so many of my friends by this hospital, and the fact this hospital is the largest employer in my city, has always made me grateful for its existence and very much aware of how much our community needs it,” said Bernard. “This new emergency room, and in fact the entire new building, are long overdue. The citizens of the Pioneer Valley are fortunate to have this outstanding facility with state-of-the-art equipment and superior staffing. I hope so much every person in this part of Western Massachusetts will contribute to this fund-raising.”

Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, expressed his gratitude to Bernard and her family for their support over the years. “In addition to the many contributions Barbara and her family have made to the medical center, the flagpole outside our main entrance stands in her honor, a gift from her daughters on the occasion of her birthday during the last campaign.”

HMC’s $3 million campaign has gotten off to a strong start, with $2 million in pledges already received. The majority of the initial contributions were made by members of the hospital ‘family,’ including employees, volunteers, the former Holyoke Hospital Auxiliary Assoc., physicians, board members, and long-time supporters.

“We are honored by the response we have received so far from our community, including Barbara Bernard’s generous contribution,” Hatiras said. “To raise $2 million in what is often called the quiet phase of our capital-campaign efforts shows the true value that businesses and individuals see in supporting our local, community-based hospital.”

Community members will soon be able to track the campaign on Beech Street as they drive past the hospital to see the fund-raising progress posted on a campaign thermometer.

The new Emergency Department will expand the current space from 8,500 square feet to approximately 20,750 square feet. The medical office building will be approximately 18,000 square feet.

The Emergency Department will feature a new Crisis Center for Psychiatric Services, 40 treatment areas, multi-patient trauma rooms, advanced life-saving equipment, and a patient-navigation service, allowing HMC to treat patients in a more efficient and dignified way.

The second floor of the new building will be the home of a comprehensive weight and health-management program, including services for bariatric surgery, behavioral and nutritional education, general surgery, and gastroenterology.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Emergency Department is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 19, with the campaign extending to the end of the hospital’s fiscal year in September. Anyone interested in helping with the campaign is invited to call the hospital’s Development Department at (413) 534-2579.