By Katie Farrell Lovett
Staff writer
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NEWBURYPORT — Anna Jaques Hospital is closing out the first phase of fundraising for its capital campaign with a $600,000 donation from The Provident Bank and its Board of Directors.
This is the last in a string of significant contributions to the hospital's capital campaign that will focus on raising funds to build the new third-floor, 18-bed single-occupancy unit at Anna Jaques.
It follows a $1.5 million donation from the Institution for Savings, a $1 million contribution from Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank and a $500,000 gift from the Mary Alice Arakelian Foundation.
The donation from The Provident Bank is composed of a $500,000 grant from the bank plus an additional $100,000 gift that is a collective contribution from the 15-member bank Board of Directors.
The board — composed of business leaders from Amesbury, Newburyport and southern New Hampshire, the communities the bank serves — unanimously approved the $500,000 grant earlier this month.
At that time, Provident CEO and president Charlie Cullen told the group of his plans to make a personal donation to the campaign. Each board member then agreed to do the same, for a combined gift of $100,000.
The $600,000 donation will be distributed over five years.
In a prepared statement, Cullen said the bank and its board members are pleased to recognize the "tremendous work" of Anna Jaques.
"I am proud of the board's participation in supporting the hospital. It is another example of the priority, enthusiasm and creativity that The Provident Bank's board, senior management and employees have for supporting communities where we do business, especially in the community where our roots are planted," he said.
This is the latest in a series of generous gifts from The Provident Bank and its Community Foundation. In the past, the bank has contributed funding for the emergency department Gerrish Fast Track, construction of a pediatric sub-unit, and state-of-the-art technology in the operating room.
Each of the institutions, including The Provident Bank, will be recognized by the hospital for their generosity by having a unit of the hospital renamed for them.
The third floor Medical Surgical East unit will be named for The Provident Bank, which is one end of a larger unit.
The name changes will all occur within the next six months and will be reflected on signs throughout the hospital.
Delia O'Connor, president and CEO of Anna Jaques, said last week that the hospital will have a formal announcement in the next month about the campaign and introduce a committee to the public.
O'Connor noted the private contribution from the bank's board.
"I think we all know from personal experience that writing our own check shows a measure of commitment and confidence," she said.
With the Provident headquartered in Amesbury, she said, it is a reminder that the hospital serves communities beyond the Newburys, O'Connor said.
"Amesbury gives us almost as many patients as Newburyport," she said.
The inpatient unit will take about a year to be completed once construction begins, likely at the start of the next calendar year. The single-occupancy inpatient unit will also offer private bathrooms and showers. The units have space for a family member or friend to stay overnight.
