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Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey has received a $75 million gift — the most ever donated to a Catholic hospital in the US — that will enable the health system to expand access to specialized care, according to a July 28 press release from the hospital.
Michael Maron, the hospital’s president and CEO, said that the gift from the Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation will enable the hospital to invest more in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, launch a graduate medical education program that will help counter a physician shortage, and establish a neuroendovascular institute.
“This transformational gift is not just about its remarkable size; it’s about the profound impact it will have on Holy Name’s ability to tackle some of the most critical healthcare challenges facing our community in the decades to come,” Maron said.
The hospital held a special event this July to announce the gift and honor the life of Dr. Doug Noble, who was a neuroradiologist, according to the release. He died in 2019 at age 58. Attendees included Noble’s mother, Joan, and several elected officials, including Democratic state Sens. Joseph Lagana, Paul Sarlo, and Gordon Johnson.
The foundation was started with money that Noble earned in his career, and according to NJ.com, the nonprofit’s donation to Holy Name Medical Center was the entirety of the foundation’s assets.
“It became clear to me,” Joan said according to the release, “in order to make Doug’s legacy endure beyond any one individual’s or organization’s memory, including my own, I needed to give the gift that was Doug’s to a place that would appreciate it — and him; one that would turn his compassionate vision into reality in a way that he would endorse.”
Joan met with a number of organizations, considered various proposals, and prayed extensively before making the decision, according to the release.
“My son was a very special person. Not only to me, as his mother, but also to the people in his world of medicine,” Joan said. “Doug was an intelligent, dynamic individual sharing so much — energetically and with integrity and love.”
“The impact he made on his patients,” she continued, “the dedication he had for physicians he taught in the hospital, in academics, in his medical centers, in addition to legal environments where he was valued for his knowledge, insight and focus on excellence — all is significant and memorable. I respectfully wanted to take that energy and money he earned, which started his foundation, and turn it into helping those in need.”
Sarlo praised Holy Name for remaining committed to its values as a Catholic institution and for its quality service to patients, noting that such a historic financial gift “does not happen in a vacuum.”
“This family doesn’t make this contribution to any institution,” Sarlo said. “It made it to Holy Name because when you walk into this place you feel like you belong. You are rooted in that Catholic mission. This gift is a compliment to each and every individual in this hospital. The work you do, day in and day out, ensures folks receive the care they need with gifts like this.”
Lagana said, “I know the way Holy Name practices medicine here, just like its mission says: Great Medicine. Soul Purpose. They do everything with kindness and empathy. They don’t turn people away and treat everyone with respect and dignity.”
The gift is also the second-largest donation made to a hospital in New Jersey, according to the release. The largest was a $100 million donation given to Saint Barnabas Medical Center — now Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center — in 2021.
Maron expressed gratitude for the foundation’s gift, which also comes at a historic time for the hospital.
“Joan Noble and her trustees’ decision to make this monumental gift during Holy Name’s 100th anniversary symbolizes an enduring investment in our institution and our mission,” Maron said. “The potential impact is limitless – enhancing patient care, fueling medical innovation, attracting the best physician talent, and allowing us to continuously grow and adapt in line with our core values of compassion and healing.”