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Press Releases

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Awarded $1 Million in Recognition of Outstanding Care for Trauma Patient

Donation will fund programs and projects identified by doctors, nurses, social workers, and physical and occupational therapists who cared for the patient

Anonymous donor makes the award in recognition of staff who provided care in the Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit, Neurology, Rehabilitation Medicine and Social Work

Jan 17, 2023

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue announced today that the hospital has received a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor as an acknowledgment for excellent care provided to a patient who received trauma care after sustaining a head injury in a fall. The donation will be used to fund services in the Emergency Room, Critical Care, Neurology, Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Social Work—all areas where the patient received care while at the hospital. Funds will also be earmarked to upgrade work spaces and provide respite for staff.

“We are very grateful to accept this generous contribution in recognition of the outstanding care that our patients receive throughout all levels of their care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Executive Officer William Hicks. “These funds will go a long way toward the purchase of equipment and services that will support our caregivers such as improved work spaces and respite areas as they deliver on the needs of our patients.”

The donor wrote: “These individuals went above and beyond the call of duty, and clearly cared deeply about providing the best standard of care they could in a situation where everyone is pulled in many directions. As a result, we would like to reward their outstanding efforts.”

At the donor’s specific request, the programs and services to be funded were selected by providers and staff from the departments the patient encountered during their multiple day stay at the hospital. The projects include:

  • Renovations for the inpatient rehabilitation unit.
  • Virtual rehabilitation therapy systems for patients recovering from stroke and traumatic brain injury/disability.
  • Walkers, wheelchairs, canes, and hospital beds for newly discharged patients.
  • Additional support for safe transport of discharged patients, including fare for subway, taxis, and ambulettes.
  • Mobile phones and tablets for staff to review real-time patient information and improve communication among interdisciplinary teams.
  • Upgrades to nurse lounges, break rooms, and respite areas, including new flooring, lockers, lighting, recliners, and aromatherapy.
  • Renovated media center for nursing education.
  • Gift cards for staff for self-care.

Hospital staff were thrilled to learn of the award:

“All of the clinical services mentioned in your letter are thankful for this unexpected recognition of their hard work and are quite excited about spending these funds in a way that is meaningful to the day to day care of our patients,” said Howard A. Riina, MD, Department of Neurosurgery.

I am very thankful for the gift to the Emergency Department at Bellevue Hospital,” said Somil Chugh, MD. “As a resident physician, I have a wonderful perspective of understanding how important Bellevue is for the education of the trainees that come through the program.”

“We are so humbled and grateful to be the recipients of this extremely generous grant,” said physical therapist Greg Palmer. “A refreshed inpatient rehabilitation unit will help our rehab patients to feel at home while recovering and create an environment that is appropriate for a facility designated as among the top rehabilitation centers in the country this past year.”

“We are so proud of our critical care nurses and feel that a focus on well-being and education would be great for our hardworking team,” said Stephanie Lee, MSN, RN, CCRN, Associate Director of Nursing, Critical Care. “The belief is well-rested nurses lead to better patient care and a healthy work environment.”


About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU School of Medicine, the 844-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. It is a Level 1 Trauma Center and sees more than 110,000 emergency room visits and more than 444,000 outpatient visits annually. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue or follow us on Twitter at @BellevueHosp.

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.

If you would like to donate to NYC Health + Hospitals, please visit this link on our website.