UM Shore Regional Health to benefit from $6.7 million bequest from the estate of Eleanor Requard

Chestertown, Md.- A bequest of $6,794,691 from the Estate of Eleanor Requard to UM Memorial Hospital Foundation will benefit patient care services and programs at UM SRH, hospital officials have announced.

“We are deeply grateful for this transformative gift,” said F. Graham Lee, Shore Regional Health’s vice president, philanthropy. “The Requards’ generosity will continue to impact community health for generations.”

According to Lee, 25 percent (over $1.6 million) of the bequest will be used to establish the J. Thomas and Eleanor B. Requard Patient Assistance Endowment, a permanent endowment to provide necessary health care to persons unable to afford such care otherwise. The remainder of the bequest will be used for capital expenditures necessary for health care.

Mrs. Requard, who passed away in September at the age of 104, and her late husband, Tom, were long-time, generous supporters of the regional health care system. Their gifts were inspired by Tom’s gratitude for the quality health care treatment he had experienced during his lifetime.

In 2004, the couple made a $900,000 gift to support completion of the renovation and upgrades of the Cancer Center at UM Shore Regional Health’s radiology wing, now known as the Requard Radiation Oncology Center. They also created a $100,000 permanent endowment at the same time to provide on-going support of patients with financial need at the Requard Radiation Oncology Center. More than 100 patients receive radiation treatments in the Center every year.

In 2005, the Requards provided a second $1 million gift, this time to support the creation of the Requard Center for Acute Rehabilitation (RCAR) on the 5th floor of UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. Since its official opening in 2007, more than 600 patients every year have received intensive inpatient rehabilitation services – including physical, occupational, and speech therapy – to regain their strength, mobility and independence following injury or illness. The Requard Center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

In 2007, Mrs. Requard made a cash gift of $2.5 million to establish the Requard Fund for Cancer Center Equipment. These funds were used to purchase a linear accelerator for The Requard Radiation Oncology Center.

“The Requards’ generosity has been instrumental in helping us serve the community health needs of the Eastern Shore for decades,” said Ken Kozel, president and CEO. “During this time of economic hardship, roughly 30 percent of our regional population is estimated to be living in or close to poverty. It will be a blessing to be able to offer financial assistance to patients in need through the Requard Patient Assistance Endowment. On behalf of the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Board and our entire health care team, I share my appreciation for this bequest, which will touch the lives of so many people in our community. Over the years, the Requards have donated more than $11.2 million to our health care programs.”

For more information or to make a donation to UM Memorial Hospital Foundation, visit ummhfoundation.org.

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~ UM Memorial Hospital Foundation