NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Southcoast Health announced today that Bristol County Savings Bank, through the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation, has donated $250,000 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. In recognition of the gift, the family waiting area in the Stoico/FIRSTFED Maternity Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford will be named after Bristol County Savings Bank.

This is the largest gift ever made by Bristol County Savings Bank to Southcoast Health, including a $100,000 gift to the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fairhaven.

“As a community bank, our focus is on strengthening the communities we serve so the Bank and its Foundation are proud to support the Campaign for Southcoast Health and, specifically, the extensive renovation of the integrated Women and Children’s Center at St. Luke’s. The Center’s new pediatric and maternity renovations will help improve the hospital’s ability to provide the highest quality healthcare for mothers and their newborns and to truly welcome the entire family during this special time in their lives,” said Patrick Murray, President & CEO of Bristol County Savings Bank and President of Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation, which has donated more than $4 million to non-profit organizations in the South Coast region since 2007.

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 Bristol County Savings Bank 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. Bristol County Savings Bank has been a great partner to Southcoast Health for many years, and we look forward to working together to improve the health of all residents of the South Coast for years to come.”

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.

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