Grounded in a philanthropic and humanitarian effort to assist Bellevue’s indigent and needy patients, the Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital Center, Inc. continues its modern-day mission to offer direct enhancement to all patients’ well-being, care and convalescence, through financial and programmatic support.
Since 1906 the Auxiliary has provided services to the diverse population of New York City. From inpatient treatments, to home-care, to outpatient support, the Auxiliary has been there for everyone. The contributions of dedicated volunteers have been part of the tradition of the Auxiliary and its’ commitment to Bellevue Hospital and to the community.
The Auxiliary continues to honor its’ original mission: “to discover a need and supply the appropriate relief to those Bellevue patients who, by reason of poverty, continued weakness, or lack of home or family, stand in active need of a friend.”
The Auxiliary was founded in 1906 when a group of socially conscious women organized some assistance for the Bellevue Tuberculosis Clinic. They started a Day Camp in 1908 on the old ferryboat “Southfield”, anchored off the Bellevue Hospital grounds. This made it possible for patients who were not eligible for sanatorium care to spend their days in the open air. In 1911, a Settlement House at 206 East 30th Street provided a health and welfare center for girls and women afflicted with tuberculosis who could not otherwise be adequately cared for.
Today’s Auxiliary is a vibrant, involved organization, carrying on in the tradition of the founding members by maintaining an active interest in the well-being of all patients of Bellevue Hospital Center. Initially the patients suffered from tuberculosis, now, as the health needs have changed, the Auxiliary has evolved to meet more current challenges.
Over the past 100 years the Auxiliary has provided in excess of $55 million dollars in support and has piloted numerous new programs. As it was at the time of its founding, all members of the Auxiliary are volunteers; each assigned to interface with a discreet area within the Hospital, keeping a finger on its pulse.
From these humble beginnings, the growth of the Auxiliary has paralleled the growth of the Hospital that it serves. The Auxiliary has weathered two world wars, the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, two Gulf Wars and the aftereffects of September 11, 2001. However, even with the transformations of the past one hundred years, the idea of service continues as its unwavering goal.
With this record behind us, we look forward to meeting the challenges of the next 100 years, which include the needs of a dynamic and more complex Hospital while, “Keeping the Humanity in HealthcareSM“.
