Cape Cod Hospital receives historic gift
Cape Cod Hospital received the largest single gift in its history this month, with the donation of $10 million from the Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust. The money will help fund a new oncology and cardiology services tower to be built at the hospital.
Peter and Pamela Barbey, who guide the Charitable Trust, said they are hopeful the donation will encourage others to support the tower project and the hospital’s oncology and cardiac care. The couple, who live in Hyannis Port, said they believe in the importance of strengthening the communities in which they live.
“We look for opportunities to make a catalytic change with our giving,” said Peter Barbey. “After a really inspiring meeting with Mike Lauf, Cape Cod Healthcare CEO, we quickly decided that Cape Cod Hospital was the right place, and this was the right opportunity for our family’s charitable trust to give a meaningful gift. We believe this donation is timely and will have near-term local impact, helping people in real time.”
Barbey said his family believes this is an important fundraising campaign for the Cape Cod region.
“Cape Cod Hospital is building on a tradition of success in this community, and we want to help them expand their already excellent care,” he said.
Pamela Barbey said the gift was a special way to honor her late father-in-law, Edward Barbey.
“I feel very personally about this gift, as Peter’s father believed in supporting local medicine and Cape Cod was his favorite place on earth,” she said. “So, for me to do something in his honor, in memory of Ed Barbey, in the community he always cherished, that really means the world to me.”
The Barbey family’s donation represents a significant partnership and demonstrates that the Charitable Trust members “share in the vision of Cape Cod Healthcare to help identify and respond to the needs of our community,” said Michael Lauf, president and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare, the parent company of Cape Cod Hospital.
“Expanding our comprehensive oncology and cardiac services at Cape Cod Hospital is an impactful and exciting step in our continued commitment to providing increased access to the highest quality care for our community and visitors,” he said. “We extend our sincere gratitude to Peter and Pamela Barbey, and others who continue to support our mission to provide the best possible care for our patients.”
Peter Barbey is president of Barbey Capital Management. His father, Edwin, was creator and founder of what is today the Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust. In 1899, the Barbey family founded what is today VF Corporation, a publicly traded apparel company which includes brands like North Face, Timberland, Vans and Supreme.
Pamela Terry Barbey is a philanthropist with a professional background in politics and fundraising. Her focus has been on at-risk children, scholarships for students in need, and the arts. She is a member of the American Theater Wing Advisory Board and chairs the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative. She is also on the board of Caron New York.
The Barbey donation is part of Cape Cod Healthcare’s “Quality. Trust. Partnership.” fundraising campaign, which is focused on redefining the future of healthcare delivery on Cape Cod.
The first two floors of the new tower will improve cancer care on Cape Cod by creating more access, enhancing protocols and helping recruit the best physicians and staff. The cardiac floor will provide care for patients following stent procedures, as well as aortic valve and mitral valve replacement and repair.
The Barbey gift is the second $10 million gift Cape Cod Healthcare has received in the past 13 years. In 2008, James and Ruth Clark donated $10 million to Falmouth Hospital to help build the Clark Cancer Center.
The Barbeys’ first introduction to Cape Cod Hospital was when Pamela Barbey was treated for a ruptured Achilles heel during a summer visit. Based on recommendations from trusted friends, they chose to have surgery at Cape Cod Hospital, rather than to go to a Boston or New York hospital. Pamela said she found the experience reaffirmed her trust in the hospital.
“What truly impressed me was they treated not only me, but Peter,” she said. “They treated us like family and made sure we understood everything. They treated us as part of the community, not as summer visitors.”
Peter Barbey said he, too, was impressed by the care his wife received.
“The doctor who attended to Pam was one of the best orthopedic surgeons we could have found. The staff at Cape Cod Hospital treats people like real people, not as an injury or disease. And I think that comes from their sense of community.”
