Additional Giving Opportunities
Dr. Tom Kennedy Toy Closet at
Yale New Haven Children's Hospital at Bridgeport
The Dr. Tom Kennedy Toy Closet provides age-appropriate and educational toys for pediatric patients.
In this year of the pandemic, there are two reasons we need you to be more generous than usual. First, our strict infection control procedures – put into place as a results of COVID-19-mean that we are unable to accept the hundreds of generous toy donations typically hand delivered to the hospital each year.
And second, our patients and their families need the comfort of the toys and books. Because even in the midst of a hospital stay-in the midst of a pandemic – a hug from a cuddly stuffed animal, a few moments of distraction make a world of difference.
A hospital stay can be scary and lonely for a child. The goal of the Dr. Tom Kennedy Toy Closet Program is to provide each pediatric patient with an age-appropriate toy or small gift when they are discharged from Yale New Haven Children's Hospital at Bridgeport.
This year the Toy Closet Program supplied more than 15,000 toys to the smallest patients in our hospital. Your donations help make that possible.
Please note: Due to infection prevention concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, no toys will be accepted via in-person drop-offs at the hospital this year.
For the safety of patients, staff and volunteers, please consider purchasing toys for direct shipment to the hospital. Toys can be ordered from our Amazon wish list and will be shipped directly to the Dr. Tom Kennedy Toy Closet.
Click here to purchase a toy from the Dr. Tom Kennedy Toy Closet's Wish List Here
The Toy Closet is managed by volunteers of the Bridgeport Hospital Auxiliary.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form.
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The Bridgeport Hospital Employee Emergency Assistance Fund (EEAF) provides financial support for Bridgeport Hospital employees who experience an unexpected personal emergency which results in an immediate, severe and temporary financial hardship. Examples of emergency situations which may be considered for assistance from EEAF include:
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Human Resources manages the process. To date over 325 employees have been helped by this resource.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form.
The Fay Fund (Support for our Patients) provides non-medical support of patients or a patient's family when they do not have the economic ability to meet basic needs. Such support may include rent, utilities, funeral expenses, transportation expenses and gift cards for groceries.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Recurring gifts can assist with expenses such as:
| $10.00 per month provides rolling walkers to four patients to walk safely |
| $25.00 per month provides transportation assistance to eight patients to be sure they can get to their medical appointments |
| $50.00 per month provides food gift cards to ten patients to be sure they get the nutrition they need |
| $75.00 per month provides utility assistance to six patients to keep the lights and heat on |
| $100.00 per month provides auto repair or rental assistance to four patients so they can heal at home |
The Geriatric Injury Institute, funded solely by philanthropy, is one of the first program in the country to focus on the emerging trend of traumatic injuries and their impact on the elderly.
A collaborative of Bridgeport Hospital care providers is responding to significant increases in geriatric trauma visits to the Emergency Department (ED). Our surgical trauma service has experienced more than a 300% increase in fall related trauma evaluations over the past 10 years. The Geriatric Injury Institute promotes independence and maximizes recovery.
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form.
Make a Gift
Send a Child in Bridgeport Hospital a Bear Hug
Your support is what makes our Hug-A-Bear Program possible. We ask you to make a donation so that we may purchase a teddy bear for a young patient.
On behalf of the children in our care, we thank you!
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you wish to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form
The Joan Jacoby Fund at Bridgeport Hospital was established by Milt and Bunny Jacoby in 1988 in memory of their daughter Joan, who died of cancer at age seven. The logo for the fund is part of a mural painted in Joan’s memory that includes her favorite things; clowns, strawberries, flowers, and ice cream.
The fund has made a tremendous impact on the level of supportive care provided to pediatric patients’ families at Yale Children’s Hospital at Bridgeport. Examples of the Joan Jacoby Fund dollars at work include:
- Bunny’s Café (located on the Pediatric Unit) is a place where parents can get a cup of coffee or a snack, catch up on their email, and meet and talk with other parents sharing similar experiences.
- Family Waiting Room which provides a space for parents (including those of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) to take a break from caring for their baby, use the internet, and obtain resource materials on how to care for their child.
- Parent Amenity Bags that contain personal care items to help make a parent’s stay with their child a little more comfortable.
- Rocking chairs for patient rooms to help calm a young one who is out of sorts, whether due to sleeplessness or illness
- Sleep chairs to provide enormous comfort and support for parents staying the night with their child.
- “Bunny Bucks” coupons that can be used to purchase food in the Hospital cafeteria or Pandini’s and Jazzman’s in the hospital lobby.
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form
When it comes to innovative care for the patient with heart disease, the Joel E. Smilow Heart Institute at Bridgeport Hospital, an important partner of the Heart and Vascular Center of Yale New Haven Health, continues to be a leader in providing 21st century care to communities in Fairfield County.
Our dedicated team of nurses, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons delivers personalized care to thousands of people. This has resulted in Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, being recognized nationally as a center for leading edge cardiac care.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form.
Make a gift to The Joseph Keane Fund at Greenwich Hospital below:
Jessica and Tim Keane founded the Joseph Keane Fund, which provides emotional and financial support and services to families and hospital staff members who experience the unexpected and life-changing loss of a baby.
On February 27, 2012, after a full-term pregnancy, Joseph Keane was delivered stillborn at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The couple was devastated. Thankfully, Jessica and Tim had a strong support network of family and friends and faith that saw them through their grief. Jessica knew that there were other grieving mothers and families that did not have the same level of emotional and financial support. Jessica approached Yale New Haven Health's Bridgeport Hospital, where her other two children were born, to explore the hospital's needs in supporting other families as they endure similar heart-breaking losses. The couple worked with a team at the hospital to design a program to fit their needs. Since its inception, the Fund has supported more than 200 grieving families.
In addition to carrying on their son's name, the Fund has been a wonderful addition to Bridgeport Hospital, as none of the below services existed prior to the creation of the Joseph Keane Fund.
The Four Areas of Focus:
Patient Resources provided by the Fund include:
- Bereavement boxes - These boxes include a little hat, a onesie, picture frame, and a handprint/footprint of the baby. For some, this may be the only tangible belongings the parents can hold on to. The box also includes a note that reads, “Made possible through the generosity of the Joseph Keane Fund.”
- Camera/printer/supplies – The Fund was able to purchase this for the hospital as families appreciate having a picture of their baby, which goes into the bereavement box.
- Books – Such books can be helpful to mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents as they grieve the sudden loss of a baby. These reading materials are offered in both English and Spanish.
- Funeral Expenses – Sadly, not all families can afford a proper funeral for their child, and they are faced with a very upsetting decision. The Fund is able to assist families in this situation.
Staffing Resources:
Jessica and Tim provided invaluable parental perspective to the nursing staff. Inspired by surgeon Atul Gawande M.D.’s best-selling book Checklist Manifesto, Tim and Jessica initiated the idea of creating a checklist to be used by the staff during the immediate moments of grief. After partnering with Kelley Reddington’s nursing staff, Elisabeth Schneider of the Tiny Miracles Foundation, and Leslie Shannehan of the Hope After Loss support group, the checklist was created using input from all involved. Today, the five-page checklist is used to assist nurses and parents navigate the upsetting situation from both an emotional and clinical standpoint.
Additional resources and ideas were shared at the Joseph Keane Lectures for Perinatal Bereavement which have been held at Yale New Haven Health’s Bridgeport Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital. The Joseph Keane Lecture was attended by over 200 doctors, nurses, residents, social workers, and chaplains from many hospitals across the state, as well as professors from Yale School of Medicine. Click here for more detail.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form.
The Joseph Keane Fund is a restricted asset of Yale New Haven Health's Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Bridgeport Hospital wants to improve health outcomes for men through a Men’s Health Program. We want to help men focus on wellness and prevention to prevent disease and also facilitate access to physician appointments and services when there is a health concern. Our physicians know from experience that many of their patients whom they refer to additional physicians or services do not follow through for a variety of reasons such as lack of time, priority or interest. But these factors can be easily overcome by coordinated care and cross referrals within a network of providers and services.
Given the community-based model of physician care in our region, the Men’s Health Program will consist of a virtual, multidisciplinary network of physicians and support services working together to enhance men’s health. Partnering physicians will include Primary Care Physicians, Urologists, Pulmonologists, Gastroenterologists, Cardiologists, Orthopedists, and others, as well as a host of support services such as nutrition, alternative medicine, physical therapy, massage therapy and mental health counseling.
The centerpiece of the service coordination will be a Men’s Health Navigator. The Men’s Health Navigator will be a nurse whose job is to navigate men to necessary services. Just as a hotel concierge knowledgeably connects hotel guests to services and resources, the Men’s Health Navigator will offer appointment coordination and scheduling, hand offs and introductions, and gently ensure follow up.
The navigator will work closely with all the providers in the network, connecting with their offices weekly to identify their male patients who require additional services or physician visits and documenting what services have been recommended for each patient. The navigator will then pro actively connect with each patient to remind him of the recommended referrals, answer any questions he may have and offer assistance with scheduling future appointments. The navigator will be knowledgeable of health needs unique to men and will be able to recommend exceptional and timely customer service. Attaining comprehensive, integrated health care can be time consuming for the patient. By working with each patient on an individual level, the navigator will meet the needs of each male patient, helping to fit medical appointments within his work and home schedule.
The services of the navigator are not currently reimbursed by insurance. Please help us launch the new Men's Health Program by making a gift to support the salary of the registered nurse who will serve in this critically important role.
Men’s health is ripe for improvement, and Bridgeport Hospital can be the catalyst for innovation in our community. The virtual, multidisciplinary Men’s Health Program and the Men’s Health Navigator will provide comprehensive, coordinated care, focusing awareness of appropriate health care services and mitigating barriers that delay men from pursuing timely medical care.
The Allison Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Bridgeport Hospital provides the highest level of neonatal care in Fairfield County and has outcomes that are among the best in the nation.
The unit was renovated in 2018 and now provides the best family-centered medicine and provides the best possible outcomes for the premature babies that have been entrusted to our care.
The Bridgeport Hospital Foundation is a non-profit organization
(Tax ID #22-2908698).
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance.
Bridgeport Hospital provides comprehensive patient care in many areas of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Patients benefit from the Oncology Team consisting of all specialists trained in this area.
The new, state-of-the-art Park Avenue Medical Center in Trumbull allows patients with any cancer diagnosis to receive world-class treatment close to home. The Center is home to an expanded branch of the Norma Pfriem Breast Center, which has been providing leading edge, compassionate care to breast cancer patients for fifteen years.
All contributions to the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation provide funds for state-of-the-art medical technology and groundbreaking programs that improve the health of all in the Hospital’s care.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Bridgeport Hospital Foundation has received a PLATINUM rating from Guidestar, the most highly regarded Charity Rating.
Prefer to mail your donation? Please click here for a mail-in form
Make a Gift
Palliative Care
Patients with advanced illness at any age have significant needs. In addition to dealing with complex chronic medical conditions that effect function and independence, there are often social, emotional, and spiritual concerns that get overshadowed by medical treatment. The Palliative Care experts at Bridgeport Hospital strive to identify and address these concerns to empower holistic healthcare.
Much of Palliative Care is only possible through generous donations such as yours. Your contribution to our Palliative Care Program will help support our most vulnerable patients. Gifts like yours help us improve the quality of life for patients and families facing serious illness. Your gift adds a layer of support by addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual concerns, and helps us provide the highest quality patient and family centered care.
Your generosity continues to inspire what we do each and every day. Thank You!
Contact us at foundation@bpthosp.org or 203-384-3522 if we may be of assistance. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to us along with this form.
There are patients who choose between buying food or paying for transportation to get to their medical appointments. Other sick patients walk long distances in inclement weather when they come for treatment. The needs are very real.
The Primary Care Center and Alhbin Center at Bridgeport Hospital provide a safety net for the poor and underserved in our community. The lack of resources for reliable transportation to and from our outpatient specialty care Clinics is often the main barrier to accessing care.
You can improve the health of select high-risk patients by providing transportation assistance.
Bridgeport Hospital Foundation has received a PLATINUM rating from Guidestar, the most highly regarded Charity Rating.
Prefer to mail your donation? Please click here for a mail-in form