Mar 15, 2021 Keeping the Hospital Safe

Thanks to a generous gift, health care providers have had personal protective equipment throughout the pandemic.

In the spring of 2020, health care providers were in desperate need of masks, gloves, and other items to keep them and patients safe. So, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation (The Laurie Foundation) generously agreed to provide funding for the Emergency Response Fund at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH).

This enabled the hospital to purchase personal protective equipment.

“We were looking for ways to support hospitals’ immediate needs,” says Gene R. Korf, Esq., Executive Director of the Foundation, which was established in 1983 by New Brunswick philanthropist Irving Laurie. “Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is impressive to us because of the depth of its expertise in so many areas— development, administration, nursing and the physicians.”

Advancing Patient Care

The Laurie Foundation has supported RWJUH for many years. In 2019, it provided funding for a disinfection robot called Tru-D, which cleans patient rooms and clinical areas by emitting ultraviolet light.

The Laurie Foundation also supported the Laurie Proton Therapy Center, which opened in 2016. It was the first proton beam radiation treatment center of its kind in the New Jersey and New York areas. The Center offers proton therapy, an advanced form of radiation treatment for cancer patients. This treatment targets tumors more precisely than traditional radiation. It also destroys any microscopic cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue near the tumor site. Unlike traditional radiation, proton therapy can be given a second time if cancer returns.

“Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is one of the few institutions in the area that has this very sophisticated piece of equipment,” says Korf.

In 2014, The Laurie Foundation funded a Starlight Care Room at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJUH. This treatment room is used for lumbar punctures, intravenous (IV) insertions, blood draws, and other invasive procedures. It’s filled with distracting elements, such as familiar cartoon characters and lights that change colors, to help ease patients’ discomfort and anxiety.

“Because of the design and nature of the equipment, pediatric patients have less frightening experiences when they undergo a procedure,” says Korf. The Laurie Foundation also supported the creation of a Patient Technology Fund to enhance the quality of patient care at RWJUH.

A Longtime Supporter

Irving Laurie, a trustee of RWJUH, was a resident of New Brunswick and sought medical care at the hospital throughout his life. He and his wife, Blanche, were interested in supporting health care. They established the Laurie Neurodevelopmental Institute at Middlesex General Hospital, which is now RWJUH, and the Imaging Institute in New Brunswick.

“We know the hospital treated Irving well over the years,” says Korf. “He would be pleased with our contributions.”

To support the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Foundation, visit our Giving page.