The donation is the latest of four gifts made to nurses across Main Line Health hospitals
Credit: Google Maps
NEED TO KNOW
- Nurses at Bryn Mawr Hospital, located outside of Philadelphia, celebrated receiving a $1 million donation to help erase their student loan debt
- The gift is part of a larger ripple effect after one family made a similar donation at Lankenau Medical Center, another Main Line Health hospital
- Eligible nurses will receive a $3,600 grant this year, and as a significant portion of the gift is still available, they can reapply next year too
Earlier this week, nurses at Pennsylvania's Bryn Mawr Hospital celebrated an anonymous $1 million donation to help erase their student loan debt, according to hospital officials.
"We were thrilled to come together and celebrate the impact of an anonymous gift that reflects the very best of who we are at Main Line Health," said Ed Jimenez, the President and CEO of Main Line Health, in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Aliyah Hall, a Main Line Health nurse for four years, was selected to help make the surprise announcement before her fellow nurses on Tuesday, March 17.
"Thinking of everything that's happened with COVID19, it's just amazing someone would take their time to give back to the medical staff like this," Hall told local ABC affiliate WPVI-TV. "I am just overwhelmed with gratefulness for whoever donated this money."
Jimenez told PEOPLE that the Bryn Mawr donation is part of a ripple effect that began at another Main Line hospital.
"At its heart, this story began at Lankenau Medical Center, where a patient and their family formed a meaningful connection with members of the care team," Jimenez said. "Through those interactions, they came to better understand the financial challenges many nurses face as they pursue their calling. Moved to act, they made an anonymous gift to help ease student debt for nurses."
In the aftermath of the Lankenau donation, other anonymous donors stepped up to support Paoli, Riddle and Bryn Mawr hospitals, the hospital said.
In total, four donor families contributed more than $4 million to support nursing debt relief across Main Line Health — and so far, over 700 nurses across the four hospitals have benefited from that generosity.
Matt Roberts, a nurse in his 8th year at Main Line Health, told WPVI that the Bryn Mawr donation will allow him to spend more time with his family.
"Main Line Health and Bryn Mawr Hospital saved my wife's life and saved my baby's life," Roberts said. "So for me, it's the fact that I can spend more time with my daughter and not take so much overtime — to actually get to see her smile more."
The hospital explained in their statement that management previously alerted staff about the $1 million donation and invited nurses to apply for $3,600 grants, which is the maximum that could be distributed without tax consequences to recipients.
The ceremony on Tuesday was to announce that all 173 eligible nurses had been approved for the grant — and a significant amount of the $1 million gift is still available, which will allow nurses to reapply for the grants next year.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"It's hard for them to balance work and life and their families," Elizabeth "Betty" Craig, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for Main Line Health Hospitals told WPVI. "This just gives them a little extra."
"This is more than a story about philanthropy," Jimenez said. "It is a reflection of the connections our teams build with patients and families every day and the lasting impact of the care they provide."
Read the full article here
