NORTHAMPTON — The same week Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s new addition to its Emergency Department opened in mid-July, it received a $300,000 bequest from a longtime donor who was passionate about improving patient experiences.
The $26 million expansion, which began in 2024, adds 40% more space to the Emergency Department and allows it to accommodate more patients, hospital officials say. While the new space is now open, additional renovations to the existing department will bring the project to a close by early 2026.
Robert N. Brooks, who served the University of Massachusetts Amherst community for 37 years, informed the hospital of his bequest after determining a way to support the Emergency Department campaign with an increased annual gift and through his estate.
Brooks, who died earlier this year, was an advocate for improving the department and donated to the hospital for more than 40 years. Among his gifts are a state-of-the-art blanket warmer and enhanced privacy measures. Now, his estate gift will now help fund the department’s expansion and renovation.
“Charitable giving is a tangible way I can express my appreciation for the services and meaningful impact Cooley Dickinson provides to the community and on occasions directly to me — especially via the emergency department,” Brooks shared at the time. “My investment, via my estate gift, may well be one of the more important things I’ve done. It’s … consistent with my values of giving and giving back. I feel fortunate to be able to do so.”
Diane Dukette, Cooley Dickinson’s chief development officer, knew Brooks for years and said that “he was a very precise person.”
“He would have liked that his estate gift arrived exactly in line with such an important milestone. Patients are starting to experience the benefits of the new emergency department and further financial support like Rob’s is needed to ensure that the expansion can be fully realized,” Dukette said in a statement.
The fundraising campaign will continue until the end of 2025, according to Georgia Moore, director of leadership gifts at Cooley Dickinson. The hospital has raised $12 million and aims to raise $13.5 million more by the end of the year.
“Rob’s generosity continues his legacy of doing good for our community. Cooley Dickinson is deeply grateful to play a role in keeping Rob’s memory alive through the many patients his bequest will help,” Dukette said in a statement.
While at UMass, Brooks served as the associate dean of students, associate dean of admissions and director of visitor relations. He was known as “Campus Concierge.”