Eastern Bank donates $1M to NSMC

The Daily ItemSALEM ? The mood was exuberant Monday at North Shore Medical Center where administrators were digesting news of a $1 million gift from Eastern Bank.”It was the largest gift we have ever received,” said medical center spokesman Laura Fleming.The record-breaking donation from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation was made in honor of Stanley J. Lukowski, former Eastern Bank chairman and chief executive officer, who retired in December after 30 years at the bank.According to Fleming, the funds will support NSMC’s capital plans to advance patient care, including the joint venture with Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital to open the region’s most sophisticated outpatient care facility in Danvers in 2008. The facility will provide the latest in cardiac diagnostics, suites for minimally-invasive surgery, and advanced-imaging services, and serve as the expanded home to the new MGH/NSMC Cancer Center, a collaborative oncology program with Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare.”North Shore Medical Center is at the forefront of bringing world-class medicine to our communities,” said Richard E. Holbrook, chairman and chief executive officer of Eastern Bank. “This gift acknowledges the contributions NSMC has made to the quality of life on the North Shore, while also recognizing the contributions Stan Lukowski has made to the organization over the years.”As a trustee of Salem Hospital and then NSMC from 1977 to 1999, and chairman of the board from 1992 to 1994, Lukowski led efforts to strengthen health care for all North Shore residents. He played a key role in positioning the medical center as the first community hospital member of Partners HealthCare in 1996, ensuring that the region’s residents had access to the finest collaborative programs in cardiology, cancer and other specialties.The former bank executive spearheaded the evolution of North Shore Medical Center, which consolidated Salem Hospital, Lynn’s Union Hospital, North Shore Children’s Hospital, Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital, Charter Professional Services and the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Salem into the region’s largest and most comprehensive health care provider.Monday’s donation is the largest ever made to the medical center, topping a $500,000 gift made in 2001 for the renovation of the Emergency Department at Union Hospital.”NSMC is very fortunate to receive gifts of all sizes from generous individuals and organizations,” said Robert Norton, the medical center’s president and chief executive officer. “We believe that the Eastern Bank donation reflects the importance of the projects we currently have under way and the vital impact they will have on residents of the North Shore. We also anticipate that the bank’s gift will inspire others to invest in NSMC.”Eastern Bank flourished under Lukowski’s leadership, growing from a three-office bank to the largest independent, mutually-owned bank in New England with 73 branches and more than $6.5 billion in assets. It was during Lukowski’s tenure that the bank focused on building the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, setting aside 10 percent of its annual income each year to “contribute, in a meaningful way, to the health and vitality of the various Greater Boston communities served by Eastern Bank.”Norton said the medical center is deeply grateful for Eastern Bank’s leadership and generosity at a critical time.”Stan Lukowski has always been such a valiant supporter of NSMC that it is an honor to accept this gift on his behalf,” he said. “It will inspire all of us to continue his legacy of leadership and service to our communities and neighbors.”