Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Morrisville, VT… With gratitude, officials at Copley Health Systems announced it has received a $400,000 gift from the estate of Barbara Stevens. A long time volunteer at the hospital, Mrs. Stevens had named Copley as a residual beneficiary of her estate. The gift will be used to support the hospital’s charitable care program. Copley Hospital provided more than $1 million in charitable care last year, and saw a 31% increase in the number of charitable care visits.
“Barbara was very vested in the hospital and she understood how important the hospital is to the community,” said Dot Reeve, Stevens’ niece. “Her many years of volunteer work at Copley and with the Copley Hospital Auxiliary exemplified her interest in keeping the hospital and our community healthy.”
“We deeply appreciate the thoughtful generosity of Barbara Stevens in naming Copley as a beneficiary of her estate,” said Mel Patashnick, President of Copley Health Systems. “We knew she felt Copley was very important and that she was a continuous supporter for more than 30 years. Her legacy gift will help Copley continue to care for our community.”
Stevens was known to many Copley staff through her volunteer work in the hospital Gift Shop. She had a keen curiosity and a great sense of humor. Leah Hollenberger, Vice President of Development & Community Relations for Copley, remembered Stevens touring the hospital’s new utility plant a few years ago and asking the maintenance team questions about the plant’s efficiency and computerized operations. “Another time she quizzed me about the hospital’s smoke-free campus policy and then, with a twinkle in her eye, she pointed out a painting in the hospital that featured a man smoking a pipe,” said Hollenberger. “She was a terrific lady.”
Stevens’ gift is the second significant planned gift the hospital has received in as many years. Long-time community leader Ben Campbell remembered Copley Hospital in his will, gifting the hospital $624,000. An unrestricted gift, hospital officials plan to use a portion of Campbell’s gift for the upcoming expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department. Copley’s Emergency Department (ED) was built to serve 26 patients a day but is seeing more than 60 patients a day during busy periods. The area has not been updated for over 20 years and more space is needed to improve patient comfort and privacy as well as handle additional medical equipment, including hardware related to Electronic Health Records. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring.
Copley’s Legacy Circle honors community members who have provided for Copley Hospital in their will or other planned gift. If you have included Copley in your planning and would like to be listed in Copley’s Legacy Circle, Hollenberger asks that you contact her directly at 802-888-8301. Information about the Legacy Circle is available online at www.copleyvt.org/LegacyCircle.
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