The intense pandemic that we experienced as a community and a workforce is finally winding down—but its effects are ever-present. Over the past several years, the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham (BID Needham) Emergency Department (ED) saw historically high patient volume. After the unexpected closure of Norwood Hospital, the unprecedented number of patients requiring immediate attention at BID Needham led to the creation of the Revival Fund Campaign. This effort was established to support the continued expansion of the ED and other vital initiatives. This includes an expanded pharmacy and a new CT scanner—both critical renovations.

Key supporters Michael Lombard and Valerie Trotman understood the pivotal nature of this endeavor, and each made major gifts to the Revival Fund Campaign. Thanks to their generosity, the newly revitalized BID Needham ED is now complete, and can better serve the community with increased capacity and decreased wait time. 

The BID Needham ED staff were able to handle a 40 percent increase in volume during the pandemic, continuing to prove that the hospital is capable of managing both high acuity and high volume in a community setting. “Frontline workers invested so much time and energy in caring for the community during the pandemic,” says Lombard, a BID Needham Board of Trustees member, supporter, and Needham resident, whose own daughter is a nurse. “I don’t know how we can possibly repay our dedicated staff for what they’ve done over the past several years, but since they invested so much in us, it’s time that we invested in them.”

A new position at BID Needham, the Trotman Family Behavioral Health Patient Navigator will serve as an informational resource for those in the community who need support for their mental or behavioral health, as well as a resource for ED doctors and clinicians. “Being able to handle a sudden influx of patients is so important during uncertain times,” says Trotman, an avid supporter of BID Needham. “An improved Intensive Care Unit alongside reimagined behavioral health support will continue to meet the needs of community members no matter the type of care they require.”

Philanthropy is vital to BID Needham’s mission of providing leading-edge care in a personal, community hospital setting. The hospital is here to support patients and their families with outstanding, locally accessible healthcare. “The new space is more important now than it ever was before,” says Trotman. “The pandemic made it very clear that this expansion was essential for treating more patients in need. The effort will also advance our ability to assist with behavioral health—a very real need within our community.”  

Make a gift to BID Needham today!