NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Southcoast Health announced today that the Robert F. Stoico/FIRSTFED Charitable Foundation has donated $1.1 million to the Campaign for Southcoast Health — a $25 million capital fundraising campaign which is the largest in the not-for-profit healthcare system’s history. The Maternity Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford will receive $1 million, while the additional $100,000 will go towards the care of drug-addicted newborns.

“Healthcare is extremely important to me and my foundation,” said Bob Stoico, who began the foundation after retiring as chairman, president and CEO of FIRSTFED America Bancorp Inc. “By supporting excellent maternity care at St. Luke’s, we are helping to ensure the health and well-being of families. That is a vital service for the community.”

Southcoast Health is the only provider of maternity services in the South Coast region. Each year nearly 3,500 babies are delivered between its three acute-care hospitals with 1,400 of those births taking place at St. Luke’s. Maternity services at all three sites offer a family-centered approach that provides the right combination of compassionate care and the latest technology.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Stoico/FIRSTFED Charitable Foundation for this extremely generous donation, which benefits moms, newborns and families,” said Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Health. “As a not-for-profit healthcare system, we rely on the generosity of so many within our community to support vital programs and services. This substantial contribution has helped us to completely renovate our maternity department at St. Luke’s, where families in greater New Bedford can now celebrate the birth of a child in a brand new, state-of-the-art unit that offers privacy and comfort.”

The Campaign for Southcoast Health is currently raising funds to support major capital initiatives across Southcoast Health’s three acute-care hospitals — St. Luke’s, Charlton Memorial in Fall River and Tobey in Wareham.

philanthropy