(Providence, RI) – Women & Infants Hospital’s 2023 Gala: An Ocean State Celebration, held on Saturday, September 23, 2023, raised more than $900,000 and was attended by over 400 community leaders, grateful patients, friends, and colleagues, who enjoyed an evening of music and exceptional cuisine. Proceeds of the event will support the Brown University Labor and Delivery Center at Women & Infants Hospital. The event at the WaterFire Arts Center was emceed by WJAR-TV/NBC10 Emmy Nominated News Anchor/Reporter and Consumer Advocate Emily Volz.
Women & Infants Hospital also announced an anonymous challenge grant that will match all new contributions to support the construction of the Brown University Labor and Delivery Center dollar-for-dollar up to $2 million. Cash contributions made on the night of the event were matched to reach the nearly $1 million event total.
“Tonight’s turnout demonstrates how excited Rhode Islanders are about the benefits the new Brown University Labor and Delivery Center will offer our community. I am grateful to everyone who attended the gala and those who supported us in other meaningful ways. I also appreciate this year’s sponsors who make so much possible for our patients. Hospital staff, volunteers, and committee members all worked so hard to make this year’s event the success it was, and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Shannon Sullivan, President and COO of Women & Infants Hospital.
“Earlier this year, Dimeo Construction Management Company broke ground and began construction on the project, which will advance the quality of care we provide to every newborn and family that walks through our doors for generations to come,” she added.
The event's leadership contributors included Judith and Jack Remondi, Duffy & Shanley, The Bill Wood Foundation in honor of Brown University, Cox Business, Kyndryl, Cynthia B. Patterson, Atlantic Management, Bristol County Savings Bank, Dimeo Construction Company, Sarah Morgenthau and Carlton Wessel, Sentec, Women & Infants Medical Staff Association.
For more than 135 years, Women & Infants’ mission has been to provide exceptional health care to the families in our region. New technologies, personalized delivery options, and more patients with special birthing needs have led to the need for an innovative model of care and the new Brown University Labor and Delivery Center.
At this year’s gala, Margaret “Peggy” Farrell was presented with the Cynthia B. Patterson Lifetime Service Award in honor of her dedicated service to Women & Infants Hospital and our community.
President and COO Shannon Sullivan recognized Farrell as an ardent champion of Women & Infants Hospital and women’s health. “Peggy was an early advocate of women’s health in Rhode Island, and she is a champion of state-of-the-art facilities like the Brown University Labor and Delivery Center, that are focused on new mothers and successful outcomes for newborns and families. She is a relentless supporter of high-quality healthcare in our state,” Sullivan said.
For a complete listing of sponsors or to contribute, please click here.
About Women & Infants Hospital
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the ninth-largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country and the largest in New England with approximately 8,700 deliveries per year. Women & Infants is a Designated Baby-Friendly® USA hospital, a U.S.News & World Report 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospital in Neonatology, and a 2014 Leapfrog Top Hospital. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranked number 11 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Medical Schools specialty ranking.
Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiography; a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology; Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence in Perinatal Biology and in Reproductive Health by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence. It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high-risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, Neonatal Research Network, and Pelvic Floors Disorders Network, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group.