Yawkey Legacy Honored With Re-Naming
of Brockton Hospital’s School of Nursing

September 29th, 2020

The following is from a issued by Brockton Hospital.

Grant to focus on nursing school, education, and accessibility during and beyond the COVID era.

Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital was the recipient of a $1 million charitable grant from The Yawkey Foundation. The grant will support the organization’s mission of providing high- quality and accessible healthcare to individuals in Brockton and the surrounding areas.

For over 80 years, The Yawkey Foundation has worked to provide resources and support to a wide variety of hospitals, healthcare centers, and schools to work to make health & education accessible to all regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or gender.

The need for proper healthcare has become even more evident in the age of COVID-19, especially in cities such as Brockton that have been hit particularly hard by the virus.

“Our Trustees can think of no better time to demonstrate our deep and humble appreciation to nurses – and all healthcare workers – than with this grant to support Brockton Hospital’s School of Nursing, their students and graduates, and the patients they serve with care, compassion, and expertise,” said Maureen H. Bleday, Chief Executive Officer of Yawkey Foundation.

Tom and Jean Yawkey’s legacy of giving in healthcare goes back to helping found a hospital in Georgetown, South Carolina. The Yawkeys also started the Red Sox relationship with the Jimmy Fund in the 1950s and were instrumental in the founding of the Dana Farber Cancer Center. Brockton Hospital’s School of Nursing will be named The Yawkey Center in honor of the legacy of Tom and Jean Yawkey.

“To receive this generous gift from the Yawkey Foundation during National Nurses Week is quite meaningful,” said Kim Hollon, President and CEO of Signature Healthcare.

“With nurses being front and center battling COVID-19, this gift from the Yawkey Foundation and the opportunity to name the Brockton School of Nursing Building reflects the kind of investment that Tom and Jean Yawkey made over the course of their lives, and perpetuates their philanthropic legacy by improving access to healthcare and economic mobility in Brockton.”

The Foundation has a long history of working with the city of Brockton, including grants to fund food & shelter initiatives, schools, adult education, and healthcare facilities.

This gift will allow Brockton Hospital to provide more support, education, and information to the community that will lead to improved healthcare accessibility, understanding, and access for the entire community.