“We tell friends and neighbors that we have given to Cooley,” expresses Susan, as she and Richard relax in their garden in Florence. “We have contributed to the Emergency Department and to the new Behavioral Health outdoor space. We are so glad to have given and hope they will too.”
Giving for Susan and Richard Briggs began with gratitude after an extended stay at Cooley Dickinson. Members of the cafeteria staff noticed that Richard had not left Susan’s side, not even to eat, and took it on themselves to make sure that meals were brought up to him.
However, it was after a long, uncertain wait in the outdated Emergency Department that the Briggs realized how important it was to be involved. “Our community hospital is not like a local store or restaurant, where if you don’t like what they have, you don’t have to go back. We need our Emergency Department to always be there when you need it, and it has to be excellent,” observes Susan.
“Our philanthropy is meant to help drive change. Instead of turning away, we turned toward our ED and gave.”
Along with their ongoing generosity, the Briggs have also chosen to leave a bequest to the hospital in their estate plans.
Susan adds, “Cooley is so unique because it feels like a small-town hospital, warm and personable, but the care you receive is the same as a top-notch urban facility.” Richard also notes, “It is important to us that Cooley is part of Mass General Brigham. We trust that if or when someone has to be seen or has surgery in Boston, doctors can just get on the phone and talk to each other.”
“This is giving that produces immediate change. Now, the new waiting room looks lovely, you can see outside and there is beautiful light filtering in throughout the patient rooms,” smiles Susan. “You see your impact every day and know you have made a difference right here.”
“This is our way of saying thank you,” states Richard.
