UMMS Hospitals and Medical Facilities Granted $168,000 From Nora Roberts Foundation To Aid In COVID-19 Response

May 5, 2020

The University of Maryland Medical System has received nearly $170,000 in grant funding from the Nora Roberts Foundation for its acute-care hospitals and freestanding medical facilities that are engaged in the COVID-19 response. The funds will be used by individual hospital foundations to support a variety of projects and initiatives related to COVID-19 including employee and patient assistance, meals for the community, personal protective equipment (PPE) and mental health care resources.

"This gift from the Nora Roberts Foundation will be felt across our entire University of Maryland Medical System and the communities we serve and will support our efforts as we continue to respond to the unprecedented COVID-19 challenge. We are incredibly grateful for their support and generosity," said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Maryland Medical System.

"Philanthropy is a powerful resource, especially during this crisis," added Janice Eisele, Senior Vice President of Development for the University of Maryland Medical System Foundation. "We are so very grateful to the Nora Roberts Foundation for shifting their focus and prioritizing the immense needs brought on by COVID-19. Their support will undoubtedly benefit our patients, our workforce, and our communities throughout Maryland."

The Funding Includes:

Note: The facilities in Bowie, Laurel and Queenstown are freestanding medical facilities. All other locations are acute-care hospitals in the UMMS system.

Statement from the Nora Roberts Foundation Board:

"Our sincere thanks to all essential workers, to everyone keeping us safe and fed. We're so grateful to everyone who's staying home, for putting responsibility to your community over your own wants and needs. And we're grateful beyond words to the hospital workers, the doctors, nurses, specialists, cooks, cleaners, maintenance workers, and all those who show up every day, despite the risks. We're humbled by your willingness to put yourselves in harm's way to care for the sick, to save lives, and to be witness to the final moments of those who can't be saved. You're more than heroes, more than the frontline. You're children, siblings, parents, and friends. You're human, and you, individually, matter."

The Nora Roberts Foundation was created in 2001 by Roberts, a successful businesswoman as well as a best-selling author, as an avenue of support for organizations promoting and encouraging literacy, children, the arts and humanitarian efforts. These areas, particularly important to her and her family, serve as the focus of the foundation.

More information about the UMMS response to the global pandemic can be found on our dedicated COVID-19 information webpage.