Memorial Hospital Trust Fund to stay for health of Pawtucket

City’s Plan to Ensure Memorial Hospital Charitable Fund Used to Benefit Residents Approved

Community Impact Committee and RFP Process to be Implemented

The City of Pawtucket, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, and the Pawtucket City Council announced that the RI Attorney General and the Bank of America Trustees have approved a plan put forth by the City to ensure that a trust fund created to oversee charitable donations made to Pawtucket Memorial Hospital will continue to benefit the residents of Pawtucket and the Blackstone Valley.

“It has always been the number one priority of city officials to protect the health and safety of the residents of our city,” said Mayor Grebien. “This effort has never been so important as it is now as we work to keep our residents healthy during this COVID-19 pandemic but will continue long after the current crisis is over.”

The Mayor insists that these funds are used for that purpose. Accordingly, he has proposed a plan for the City to administer a Request for Proposals in order to attract proposals for alternative uses of the charitable funds that have accumulated since the closure of Memorial Hospital and the considerable interest that will be earned from the trusts in the future. Indeed, more than $550,000 of interest income has already accumulated from these trusts since the closure of Memorial Hospital.

The plan calls for the creation of a Community Impact Committee and a Request for Proposals process to help expand the Trustees’ outreach into the community to assist them in deciding how to best match the needs of the community and the intent of the donors. The committee will be made up of stakeholders from around the city and the Blackstone Valley, along with medical and legal experts.

“We look forward to working with Attorney General Peter Neronha and the BOA trustees to ensure that the funds are spent appropriately and in the best interest of the community. The City also looks forward to appointing a committee that will reflect the ethnic and racial diversity present in Pawtucket and the greater Blackstone Valley, as many communities of color have been disproportionately affected by the loss of Memorial Hospital, as documented in the so-called ‘John Snow Report,’” said Grebien.

“All committee meetings will be open to the public to listen and provide feedback. Together as a community, we will ensure that these funds remain right here in Pawtucket where they belong,” continued Grebien.

The City will be finalizing details on the plan over the next several weeks. The donations now in this fund have been collected since the late 1880’s to benefit the health of our residents.