Welcome to the spring edition of The Way Forward News.
In the last issue, we highlighted McLean’s plans to build a new, and much-needed, child and adolescent campus in Belmont. In this edition, we share news about some of the other vitally important priorities of The Way Forward Campaign and the donors who have chosen to support them.
You’ll read about a thoughtful and generous gift that will help McLean improve patient care and access through innovations in digital health technologies and informatics. And you’ll hear from several McLean leaders about how they might put this gift to the best use possible.
Recruiting, retaining, and honoring the exceptionally talented leaders who make their careers at McLean has long been a top priority for the hospital. You’ll read about the extraordinary support received from a growing number of donors who have chosen to endow leadership roles.
Finally, we share stories that highlight the different ways people elect to support McLean and the diverse motivations that guide those choices—from a pair of sisters whose philanthropy has matured and deepened since they were first introduced to McLean, to the impressive team that has chosen to run 26.2 miles in support of the hospital, to a bequest made in gratitude for care.
Read the Articles
Endowing Our Faculty, Strengthening Our Mission
A little over a decade ago, McLean embarked on a significant effort to adopt a divisional structure and install nationally respected leaders to oversee seven key domains. Three of the divisions focus on diagnoses, including depression and anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders. Three others relate to demographics: children and adolescents, older adults, and women and girls. The seventh is the Division of Basic Neuroscience, whose cross-cutting research is fundamental to understanding the brain basis of health and disease, and foundational to developing better care.
A New Home & Opportunities for Arlington School
Built for comfort and elegance more than a century ago, McLean’s Arlington School boasts high ceilings, stained glass windows, and original fireplaces. It was originally constructed as a home for a patient in an era when so-called “cottages” provided a homier, less institutionalized environment thought to be conducive to recovery. As a school, however, the building has its drawbacks. There is no auditorium, so large gatherings take place in a science lab or elsewhere on the McLean campus. At lunchtime, students spread among five rooms, and no gymnasium means they trek to the hospital’s athletic facility to exercise.
Sisters Make a Difference
Sisters Teri Gorsky and Beth Stonebraker are steadfast advocates for McLean, using their personal involvement and philanthropy to help drive meaningful change. Though distinct in personality, they share undeniable common ground: They live just blocks apart in Boston, are both mothers to daughters, and are deeply committed to making quality mental health care accessible—especially for vulnerable populations like women and children.
Technology: A Fruitful Frontier
In 2016, McLean Hospital established the Institute for Technology in Psychiatry (ITP), becoming one of the first institutions of its kind to make a major investment in digital health care and research. Leveraging academic and industry partners, along with patients willing to evaluate technology-based tools, McLean is at the forefront of tech-enhanced care.
Community Support for McLean
For the second year, the Boston Athletic Association has awarded McLean Hospital bibs for the Boston Marathon’s charity program. McLean’s Mental Health Matters team will champion the hospital’s mission to end the stigma surrounding mental health. Funds raised through this effort will benefit The Way Forward Campaign’s capital effort to build a new child and adolescent campus. We are thrilled to introduce the six runners and one emeritus member of McLean’s team.
Read more in the full issue:
Bequest Serves To Express Gratitude
Cheryl* received lifesaving care at McLean Hospital. Incredibly grateful, yet private, she chose to express her appreciation quietly. She remembered the social workers as being especially kind during her stay, and even kept in touch with them as friends later in life. Cheryl’s gratitude for this compassionate care never wavered, and when finalizing her estate plans, she knew McLean would be a beneficiary.
After her passing, McLean received a generous $50,000 unrestricted bequest from her estate. With this gift, Cheryl leaves behind an unforgettable legacy that makes a meaningful impact across the breadth of McLean’s mission by supporting the hospital’s most pressing needs. McLean is deeply grateful for the foresight and care Cheryl demonstrated by expressing her gratitude in this way.
If you would like to discuss how you can create a lasting legacy at McLean, or if you have already included McLean in your estate plans, please email Keith Raho.
*Cheryl’s name has been changed to protect her family’s privacy.
