Singer Foundation Pledges $1.5 Million to Fund Stamford Hospital's New Pediatric Unit

Stamford Hospital has received a $1.5 million charitable grant from The Herbert and Nell Singer Foundation. The grant will fund The Herbert and Nell Singer Pediatric Advanced Care Unit, four specialized care rooms dedicated within the Pediatric Unit planned for the new Stamford Hospital. The advanced care rooms, with state-of-the-art equipment including monitoring and respiratory devices, will allow the Hospital to provide more specialized care for pediatric patients who may require a longer stay.            

The Herbert and Nell Singer Foundation was incorporated in New York in 1982 by the late Herbert and Nell Singer. Singer had always been very philanthropically inclined, and believed it to be important to support causes where there is an established need and where people would not necessarily otherwise benefit. The Foundation has been supporting medical and other organizations for over 30 years. The Singers were New York residents, but also had a home in Stamford for over 40 years prior to their passing.     
        
“It is part of the Foundation’s mission to address the needs of children medically, socially and educationally in order to provide a balanced opportunity for kids worldwide,” said Jay Sandak, President of The Herbert and Nell Singer Foundation. “As plans for the new Stamford Hospital continue to evolve, we saw an opportunity to supplement a recent and very generous gift from The Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation for the new Pediatric Unit, and thought the creation of acute care rooms would directly benefit the children treated there.”

The new Pediatric Unit will be in the Whittingham Pavilion adjacent to the current Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to centralize mother-child services. It will include 11 beds, plus the four acute care rooms, and each room will be private and offer comfortable overnight accommodations for parents. The Unit will also include a playroom, as well as a separate treatment room for procedures.

“We are proud to support and help grow many worthy causes in our community, some of which our founders were involved with years ago, and continue to provide a beneficial social service,” said Ernest Abate, a Director of The Herbert and Nell Singer Foundation.

The new Stamford Hospital is scheduled to be completed in 2016. In addition to the new Pediatric Unit, some of the key features of the new hospital include:

o   New patient care units with all private rooms and private bathrooms, as well as centralized nurses’ stations for more flexible care delivery and two family lounges per floor.

o   An Emergency Department with separate treatment areas for trauma, cardiac, urgent, behavioral health and pediatric patients, more than doubling the number and size of exam rooms. In addition, there will be dedicated and easily accessible parking, along with individual points of entry for walk-in and ambulance arrivals.

o   Significantly larger surgical suites to accommodate the latest technology.  

o   An expansion of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) emphasizing the Hospital’s commitment to critical care and tertiary services.

o   A central location for all Heart & Vascular Institute services, including Electrophysiology, Catheterization and Interventional Labs.  

“We are very grateful to have generous supporters, such as The Herbert and Nell Singer Foundation, who aid us in our mission to provide the best comprehensive care for some of our youngest patients,” said Dr. Gerald Rakos, Chair of Stamford Hospital’s Pediatrics Department. “The acute care rooms in the new Pediatric Unit will enhance our current offerings and undoubtedly provide a comfortable and safe healing environment.”