Rhode Island Hospital
Rhode Island Hospital Main Building/Zecchino Pavillion
593 Eddy Street
Providence, RI 02903 Get Directions
Phone: 401-444-4000

Philanthropy News from Rhode Island Hospital

Rhode Island Hospital Transforms Lobby to Enhance Patient Comfort, Services

Funded entirely by philanthropy, the project reimagines the hospital’s front door and one of its most integral and functional areas

 

New RI Hospital Lobby Welcome Desk
Calandrelli Welcome Desk in the John and Tricia Ferreira Lobby at Rhode Island Hospital

Rhode Island Hospital this past Tuesday marked a significant milestone in its efforts to build the future of health care in the Ocean State with the opening of its renovated lobby. The $4.35 million project to transform what is the hospital’s front door was funded entirely by philanthropy and buoyed by a leadership gift of $2.5 million from longtime supporters John and Tricia Ferreira. In recognition of the couple’s incredible support, the space has been named The John and Tricia Ferreira Lobby.

RI Hospital Lobby
Rhode Island Hospital John and Tricia Ferreira Lobby Entrance

“This project would not have been possible without the generosity of those who recognized the value and importance of this undertaking as an investment in the health and well-being of our community,” said Sarah Frost, President, Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s, and Chief Hospital Operations, Brown University Health. “Thanks to their support, we have created an environment that welcomes, calms, and inspires all who walk through our doors.”

The modernization of one of Rhode Island Hospital’s most integral and functional areas brings improved services, better amenities, and an enhanced welcoming experience to patients and their families. Among the changes are a new guest services lounge and restrooms, private conference rooms, relocated information desk, enhanced lighting, additional seating areas, a new climate comfort system, and renovated physicians’ lounge. The changes were shaped by community and staff feedback, and will improve visitor flow, efficiency, and accessibility while fostering an environment that augments comfort, privacy, and navigation.

“This is our opportunity to give back to Rhode Island Hospital for being there 24/7 for our family and for our community,” said John Ferreira, whose support of the hospital dates back nearly four decades. “Rhode Island Hospital is the cornerstone of healthcare in our state and an invaluable resource for all who live here.”

Renovating the hospital’s main entrance had long been a vision of Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr., chairman of the Brown University Health board of directors, whose experiences in hospitals shaped his perspective. “When done right, a lobby can calm and comfort patients, even in difficult times,” he said. “It can momentarily lift you beyond the reality of being in a hospital – that’s the experience I wanted to bring to Rhode Island Hospital, creating a space that aptly complements the excellence of the care the hospital provides.”

Rhode Island Hospital ribbon cutting for new lobby
Left to Right: CEO John Fernandez, Chairman Lawrence Aubin, President Sarah Frost, John Ferreria, Tricia Ferreria.

The renovation of the Rhode Island Hospital lobby is just the first step in Brown University Health’s long-term plan to build the future of healthcare in the Ocean State. Looking ahead, Brown Health is committed to reinvesting in its infrastructure to ensure its facilities are equipped with the state-of-the-art resources its dedicated healthcare teams need to deliver the future of medicine.

Staff, Donors Continue to ‘Dazzle and Delight’

Jill Currie is Manager of the Anne C. Pappas Center for Breast Imaging at Rhode Island Hospital. A critical component of her team’s work is performing mammograms. While potentially lifesaving, mammograms can also be uncomfortable for some women. So, Jill is always searching for ways to improve the experience. Her most recent idea was a simple one: get a new chair.

 

REAL Mammography Chair

The one they were using, she says, was similar to a barber’s chair and did not lock in place. As a result, patients with mobility or other issues often required a second staff member to assist with their seating and positioning and they still may not have enjoyed optimal comfort.

Jill’s research led her to the REAL Mammography Chair. “It is very easy to move, glides in all directions, and has a remote for adjusting height and tilt,” she explains. “The chair is balanced and easily locks in place. So, it’s very stable, no tipping or sliding out of place.”

These elements not only increase patients’ safety, comfort, and ease of access, Jill says, “but versatile components like the seat tilt enable us to position patients in a way that allows us to get more complete imaging of breast tissue.” Improved ergonomics for both the patient and the technologist performing the exam is another benefit, Jill adds.

Small grants. Big impact.

With a replacement identified, Jill now had to and a way to pay for it—because it wasn’t in any budget.

Fortunately, Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals launched its “Dazzle and Delight” microgrants program last year to fund such projects.

“The program is wonderful because it enables staff to think outside the box when it comes to enhancing patient comfort and experience,” Jill explains, “and it allows them to submit requests for equipment there isn’t capital allocated for.”

Nearly 100 projects were submitted in 2022, with more than half receiving funding, generally in the $500 to $2,500 range. “We’re not talking about big dollars,” says Laura Roberts, Director of Strategic Projects, and Program Facilitator. “Rather, these are smaller initiatives that promote caring, convenience, or patient-centeredness, yet are sometimes overlooked in favor of bigger priorities.”

Increasing the availability of Spanish-language discharge instructions, providing cool gel gloves to low-income patients experiencing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, and giving welcome presents to babies affected by cleft palate and craniosynostosis are just a few other examples of funded projects.

Three ‘chairs’ for philanthropy!

In Jill’s case, the cost of the chair was higher than the program’s maximum allotment. But Paul Busby, a retired Walmart executive and current hospital Foundation Board member, funded the difference and has committed to paying for at least two more chairs.

A member of the “Dazzle and Delight” grant review team, Paul felt a personal connection to the project, as his wife has had scares with breast cancer. “It was a no-brainer to me,” he says. “We’ve been very blessed, and I think it’s important to pay it forward.”

magic mushrooms

Grant-Funded Research

Using ‘Magic Mushrooms’ For OCD Treatment.

“Magic mushrooms” are currently one of the hottest subjects in psychiatric research. Soon this cutting-edge research will also be conducted at Rhode Island Hospital.

Brown University Health Cancer Institute to Grow Research and Training Programs with Papitto Opportunity Connection Support
Safran Speaking

 

Transformational grant will launch effort to train high school students of color for careers in cancer medicine.

The Brown University Health Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital has received a $10 million commitment from the Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC) to expand cancer care, research, and education in Rhode Island.

With the goal to build the next generation of cancer physicians and researchers reflective of the communities it serves, the Brown University Health Cancer Institute will use these funds to launch the Future Gen Cancer Scholars program. The first-of-its-kind mentoring program will specifically target high school students of color in the communities of Central Falls, Pawtucket, and Providence. It stands to also address the lack of physicians of color in a state with strong populations of Black and Hispanic residents.

The program will enroll up to twenty students of color annually who are nominated by their high schools and selected through an application process. Beginning at the conclusion of their sophomore year, the students will participate in a six-week program across two successive summers, shadowing some of the nation’s top cancer doctors and scientists at Rhode Island, The Miriam, and Hasbro Children’s hospitals. Scholars will also have access to state-of-the-art laboratories at the Brown University Health Cancer Institute and the Cancer Center at Brown University, where cancer research space will become a classroom.

Tarantino

 

POC’s community investment will also provide funding to enhance cancer research at Brown University Health’s Coro building. The addition of new research technologies positions Brown University Health scientists to expand the understanding and treatment of cancers such as brain tumors and hematologic malignancies, while being central to the ability to recruit the best and brightest to Rhode Island.

News of this transformational gift – the second $10 million commitment to Brown University Health from the POC since 2021 – was shared publicly during a Dec. 15 news conference held at Shea High School in Pawtucket, one of the schools that will participate in the Future Gen program.

Next Gen Team
$1M Gift Benefits Neurology Care at Rhode Island Hospital
Neurology Gift
Cristina Watkins, MSN, NP; Mahesh V. Jayaraman, MD and Kristen Czekanski, NP

When you combine the vision and purpose of forward-thinking health care professionals with the incredible generosity of caring philanthropists, the results can be powerful.

The recently created Helen D. Buchanan Family Fellowship—an experiential learning opportunity for advanced practice providers (APP) in the neurosciences field—is a shining example of that partnership in action.

‘How do we create awareness?’

Cristina Watkins is a nurse practitioner at Rhode Island Hospital with a not-so-common clinical subspecialty in neurology. “I think I was the only one of my graduating class of NPs who went into neurology,” she says, adding with a laugh, “I think some people think it’s scary.”

Over the last five years, Cristina has been a member of the hospital’s neurovascular team and knows firsthand how critically important the contributions of APPs have been, particularly in the delivery of stroke and neurocritical care.

Read more

Driving Change in How Alzheimer's Disease is Diagnosed

Director shares insights on treatment, research, and the center’s goals

Chung-Ku Wu, MD

Dr. Chuang-Kuo “John” Wu is a neurology clinician and researcher who has held prestigious appointments throughout the country. In September 2020, he was recruited to return to Rhode Island Hospital to serve as Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center.

You returned to Rhode Island to lead the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center, what is your history in the field and what attracted you to come back to the Ocean State?

My time working in Rhode Island Hospital’s neurology department alongside renowned researcher Dr. Brian Ott was incredibly rewarding. I am particularly proud of the services we expanded and the many National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research and clinical trials we worked on. In 2007, I was recruited to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and later to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to head its neurology residency program. My specialties and research interests center on slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and various types of dementia. Coming back here was an easy decision—it allows me to continue Dr. Ott’s legacy following his retirement. Rhode Island is a unique place to study Alzheimer’s disease. Its population and aging demographic represents a model system that reflects a cross-section of the entire country.

Read more

Grant News from Rhode Island Hospital

The Rhode Island Foundation’s Special Medical Fund grant program awarded a grant of $21,899 to support the “Digital Memory Screening – Expanded Accessibility Project.” As a prevention and treatment effort, the importance of early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia cannot be overstated. Through this initiative, we will employ integrated technology to expand accessibility of digital memory screening to meet the needs of aging Rhode Islanders.