Business Beat: Lobster Pot’s Jeff Hirsch, receives Bradley Hospital Humanitarian Award

Photo credit: Bradley Hospital. Jeff Hirsh and Betty Brito

Bradley Hospital, the country’s first – and New England’s only – psychiatric hospital devoted to children and adolescents, has presented Jeff Hirsh with its celebrated Humanitarian Award. The longtime owner of the famed Lobster Pot Restaurant in Bristol, R.I., was recognized for his deep impact on the hospital and for an unwavering commitment to healing the hearts and minds of children, teens, and adolescents. 

“So many of the hospital’s most determined supporters learned about Bradley and were introduced to its lifechanging care by Jeff, me included,” said Betty Brito, an officer of the Bradley Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees, who received the award with her husband, Joe, in 2022, and presented the honor to Jeff. “His advocacy and incredible gifts of time, talent and treasure have been instrumental in helping to move mountains for children and families who need what only Bradley Hospital can offer.”

Jeff’s relationship with Bradley began 25 years ago when late hospital trustees Ruth Kauffman and Martie Livingston asked him to host a donor cultivation event for the hospital at the Lobster Pot. The successful event would launch Jeff’s relationship with Bradley, inspiring him to join the hospital’s Board of Governors and later, its Foundation Board of Trustees.

In 2006, he co-created and chaired Bradley Hospital’s 75^th anniversary gala, engaging scores of new supporters with the hospital whose specialized mental and behavioral treatment programs attract patients and families from across the country. 

“It would be impossible to fully encapsulate everything Jeff has done for our hospital and the true difference he has helped to make for literally thousands of youth and their families,” said Henry Sachs, MD, President of Bradley Hospital. “He is one of the most selfless individuals I know and the true definition of a community champion who stops at nothing to help others. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.”

Jeff’s devotion to civic life extends far beyond Bradley Hospital and his native East Bay. He served as Treasurer and Commissioner of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority for 20 years and is a long-term board member of the Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. Among his other involvements, he is the founder and co-chair of Explore Bristol and a former president of the Bristol YMCA Board of Directors. Jeff is a recipient of the East Bay Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award and the Rhode Island Hospitality Association Restauranteur of the Year Award. He also has been inducted into the Providence Tourism Hall of Fame.

About Bradley Hospital

Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, known as Bradley Hospital, is the nation’s first psychiatric hospital devoted exclusively to children and adolescents.

A Lifespan partner and a teaching hospital for The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Bradley Hospital has established itself as the national center for training and research in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Bradley Hospital is a private, not-for-profit hospital. Its subsidiary, Lifespan School Solutions, is the parent corporation of the Bradley Schools and provides services to other programs as well. They provide special education oversight, clinical coordination, technical assistance and administrative support to the schools.