Significant gifts from longtime, key members of the BIDMC community are driving excitement and providing vital capital to support the new inpatient building. With construction on time and on budget and equipment installation and clinical integration underway, BIDMC will welcome the first patient to the space on March 1, 2023. To propel this effort, three couples with deep ties to the medical center—Midge and Tom DeSimone, Carol and Howard Anderson, and Lis Tarlow and Steve Kay—each made significant gifts before construction began and have recently increased their generous commitments. Each pair has given $5 million in support of the building, for which they will be recognized on the prominent granite façade at the main entrance.

The new inpatient building is BIDMC’s highest philanthropic priority, and no one appreciates this more than Tom DeSimone, current Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Being in the real estate business, I am sensitive to the impact of physical buildings,” says Tom. “When you give a devoted, caring, and skilled workforce a superior environment in which to perform, it benefits not only them but also those they serve.” Early on, Tom and Midge DeSimone partnered with Carol and Howard Anderson to name the rooftop healing garden in recognition of their gifts. “The outdoor garden will be a special place where patients and staff will be able to heal, rest, and recharge,” says Midge. “And that’s applicable to the entirety of the space, really.”

Featuring 128 state-of-the-art, private rooms, the building was designed and executed with dignity, privacy, and the patient experience in mind. This was important to longtime BIDMC leaders Carol and Howard Anderson, who recently decided to add to their gift in order to maximize their impact on this project. “This building will serve patients with the most acute, complex needs,” says Carol, former Board of Trustees Chair and Trustee Emerita, in reference to the care that will take place in the building’s intensive care floor and eight leading-edge operating rooms. “Patients will receive highly specialized care there that they might not have access to elsewhere, and they deserve to recover in an environment that’s conducive to healing.” Howard is in full agreement, also recognizing the undertaking’s enduring impact—and the investment required. “To maintain BIDMC’s position as a world-class academic medical center requires constant innovation and ongoing philanthropic investment,” says Howard.

Incorporating the latest equipment, technology, and concepts in hospital design, the building will advance the way care is delivered to patients from across the Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) service area and around the world. “This is BIDMC’s most significant capital project in decades,” says Steve Kay, former Board of Trustees Chair and Trustee Emeritus, who along with his wife, Lis Tarlow, also increased his initial commitment and will name the Surgical Recovery Unit in recognition of their gift. “Kevin Tabb’s experience in both business and medicine has brought a valuable perspective to the project, and I think the building reflects his deep sense of humanity and community.” Adds Lis, Leadership Board Member Emerita: “BIDMC’s commitment to providing access to care to those who most need it resonates with us, and we know this building is going to make a difference in so many lives.”

Ten stories high, the inspiring structure is now a distinguished part of the Longwood Medical Area skyline. Vice President of Capital Facilities and Engineering David Flanagan, who has overseen the project since its inception more than a decade ago, employed an innovative design-assist management approach known for savings and efficiencies, and the facility is already receiving industry acclaim for its extraordinary value. And for these three Board of Trustees Chairs—current and past—who have all chosen to significantly add to their support, that value is perfectly clear. “We know our investment will make a remarkable impact,” says Tom. “Midge and I decided to increase our gift because we believe that BIDMC’s success is dependent upon each and every one of us doing our part.”

For more information or to support the new inpatient building, please contact Vice President of Philanthropy Kevin McAteer at 617-667-7442 or by email.