Entenmann family names South Shore University Hospital campus with largest gift in the hospital’s history

Family expresses gratitude for the community that fueled the bakery’s success

BAY SHORE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--South Shore University Hospital (SSUH), Northwell Health’s Suffolk County tertiary hospital, received the largest gift in its history from the Entenmann family to support the hospital’s ongoing $500 million transformation. The campus will be named the Entenmann Family Campus at South Shore University Hospital in recognition of the generosity of the family behind the iconic baked goods company.

The hospital’s expansion and transformation include the construction of a 45,560-square-foot Women & Infants Center, expected to open in late 2022. In addition, a new pavilion will be built and will house private inpatient rooms and operating rooms, all with a focus on enhancing patient care and experience.

A gift from the Entenmann family in 2011 established the Entenmann Family Cardiac Center at SSUH and served as a catalyst for the hospital’s incredible growth. One decade later, the family’s latest gift marks the next significant milestone at the hospital and reinforces the Entenmann family’s ongoing commitment to the continued transformation of SSUH.

“South Shore University Hospital provides critical services throughout the region,” said Michael J. Dowling, Northwell’s president and CEO. “We are unbelievably grateful to the Entenmann family for their commitment to raising health in the community and we remain steadfast in our commitment to expand and enhance Northwell Health’s flagship hospital in Suffolk County.”

In 1905, William, Robert and Charles Entenmann moved their famous baking company’s factory from Brooklyn to Bay Shore, Long Island, just blocks away from the hospital. The brothers’ vision to play a role in ensuring quality health care in their local community inspired the family’s commitment to supporting SSUH.

“We didn’t initially plan to add our name, but when you arrive at the hospital and see the Entenmann Family Campus, it serves as a ‘thank you’ to everyone in the community,” shared Jaime (Entenmann) Padden. “They’re the ones who made Entenmann’s Bakery successful. So, for everyone who ever worked at the bakery or knew my family, I want them to know that South Shore is there for them. I am so proud of how far the hospital has come and I want to see it continue to grow, serve the community – to help everyone,” she added.

The impact of the family’s continued generosity will advance care for Eastern Long Island residents.

“This gift will fuel our ability to provide lifesaving care, not only for patients in this community, but for patients across all of Suffolk County,” said Donna Moravick, RN, NP, executive director of South Shore University Hospital. “We received 1,200 transfers – many via our SkyHealth helicopter service — from Mather Hospital, Peconic Bay Medical Center and Huntington Hospital, into SSUH last year alone. I look at every gift with gratitude and think of just how many lives we’ve saved, and can continue to save.”

The gift is an integral part of Northwell’s Outpacing the Impossible campaign, a $1 billion comprehensive fundraising effort to fuel innovation to advance health care and support Northwell’s promise to the people it serves. The campaign was publicly launched in October 2018 and to date, has raised more than $890 million.

“A gift like this positions South Shore to be the number one tertiary hospital in Suffolk County,” said Brian Lally, senior vice president and chief development officer at Northwell. “The Entenmann family’s gift to name the campus is providing the opportunity for patients to receive the best care available anywhere – in a hospital that no one imagined to be of this caliber. Their generosity is moving SSUH into a new era. That’s what philanthropy can do.”

Video: Hear from the Entenmann family and Northwell Health leaders about the family’s transformational gift to South Shore University Hospital.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 77,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.