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Glens Falls Hospital Announces Emergency Department Campaign


by Ray Agnew

Also, a Campaign to Raise $15 million in Private Gifts and Fully Fund the $25 Million Effort with no Additional Debt

  • “An Evening to Savor” kicks off the largest fundraising campaign in the hospital’s history
  • Sheridan Family Foundation commits $3 million; $1 million plus donors include the Hoopes Family Foundation, an anonymous donation of $1 million, and the Charles R. Wood Foundation
  • Campaign chaired by Mark Behan, Kate Herlihy Schwenker, and Bill Powers

Glens Falls Hospital officials Saturday evening, Sept. 7, announced plans for a major renovation and expansion of the hospital’s Emergency Department – the first in nearly 30 years — to provide patients and family members with a more comfortable, efficient, private, and personalized care experience.

At the same time, the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation announced a $3 million Signature Lead Gift for the project from the David S. and Janet R. Sheridan Foundation and the continued naming of the new facility as the Sheridan Emergency Department.

Three other Lead Gifts were also announced from the Hoopes Family Foundation, who committed $2.25 million, an anonymous gift of $1 million in honor of Joe and Theresa Conley and Family, and the Charles R. Wood Foundation, who committed $1 million. The four gifts will lead the way for a community campaign by the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation to raise $15 million in private gifts. This will be the largest fundraising campaign in the hospital’s history. The total cost of the project is $25 million. The hospital seeks to secure additional funding from public sources, so no additional debt is incurred. The total raised from the community so far is $10.2 million.

The announcements were made at the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation’s “An Evening to Savor” gala, held under tents on the hospital campus, with a direct view of the Emergency Department. More than 300 people attended the gala, providing another important boost of support for the project.

Glens Falls Hospital president & CEO Paul Scimeca said, “Our Emergency Department is really our front door. Serving five counties and 6,000 square miles means we are the health care safety net for the region. When you turn north from Glens Falls, it is 114 miles to the next full-service emergency department. Our patients deserve a more welcoming, comfortable, and private environment, and our Emergency Department providers deserve the right tools to take care of our friends and neighbors.”

“Our Emergency Department sees more than 44,000 patients every year and we project that number to increase significantly over the next 10 years,” said Scimeca.

The new Sheridan Family Emergency Department will be 40% larger and include state-of-the-art care areas including a CT Scanner in the department to quickly diagnose critical patients. In addition:

  • A covered portico and larger, more comfortable waiting area will be added.
  • The number of rooms for the most seriously ill patients will nearly double.
  • There will be a new treatment area for patients with relatively minor illnesses and injuries.

Davene Sheridan Brown, daughter of David and Janet Sheridan and an administrator of the Sheridan Foundation, expressed her family’s love for their parents, and their commitment to giving back.

“I’m so proud of my parents, not only for what they did, but for how they did it. They were humble, focused on doing good, not on themselves. Theirs was a unique take on giving; they had a special way of looking at community support. If they saw a need, they took action,” said Brown.

David Sheridan is known as the “Father of the Catheter Industry,” having invented the disposable plastic catheter and numerous other medical devices at a series of manufacturing facilities he founded in Argyle. The current Glens Falls Hospital Emergency Department was named for David and his wife Janet in 1997 following another transformative gift.

Mark Behan, chairman of Behan Communications, served as Master of Ceremonies for the “Savor” event and will co-chair the capital campaign in support of the project, along with Kate Herlihy-Schwenker, past President of the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation and an attorney in Albany, and Bill Powers, local community leader and philanthropist. Joining them on the committee will be Susan Salice, Michael Clarke, Davene Brown, and Sean Bain, MD.

“I have been involved with Glens Falls Hospital and the Foundation for well over 30 years – I could not be more proud to co-chair this campaign, especially for this important Emergency Department project,” said Behan.

The Capital Campaign – “Any Day. Any Time. Every One: Building Your New Emergency Department” – has a website where you can learn more, watch several short videos about the project, and make a gift online. Visit www.AnyDayAnyTimeEveryOne.org to learn more.