The Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) announces the name of a new three-story addition to its main hospital: the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building. The Friedmans’ $5 million pledge to GBMC’s Promise Project campaign will be memorialized at the new front entrance to GBMC. Their support brings The Promise Project to 94 percent of its total $50 million fundraising goal.
“The philanthropy of Louis and Phyllis Friedman in today’s landscape speaks volumes about their dedication to the health of our community,” said John B. Chessare, MD, MPH, President and CEO of GBMC HealthCare. “By investing in GBMC, a true community-based system of care, the Friedmans’ generosity will directly benefit patients and their families for generations. Their leadership is exemplary.”
The three-story addition, which is expected to begin serving patients in November 2023, will feature two acute care units with 60 spacious patient rooms, a modern lobby, interfaith chapel, healing garden, conference center, and medical library.
Louis and Phyllis Friedman believe the most important gift you can give to your community is good health. “Good health is a pre-condition of all the things we want to do and all the progress we want to see in any society,” Phyllis said. “GBMC has demonstrated a commitment to quality care that we greatly appreciate and wanted to recognize with this gift.”
When Phyllis’ best friend was diagnosed with cancer, it was the care and support she received at the Sandra and Malcom Berman Cancer Institute that Phyllis still remembers appreciatively, but the Friedmans’ involvement with GBMC has spanned four generations, including the birth of their first grandchild.
“Not only does this gift recognize the quality and compassionate care we know already exists at GBMC, but we wanted to ensure this care continued for generations to come,” Louis said. “It was important to us that our children and grandchildren were recognized with a plaque at the entrance because this gift is for them and their future.”
This month marks one year since The Promise Project groundbreaking in September 2021. The Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building is one of two historic advancements currently under construction at GBMC. The Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, to connect to the Friedman Building, will provide a single destination for cancer care services.
With the needs of its patients and the input of its medical and nursing staff guiding every step, The Promise Project will optimize GBMC, further strengthening its position as the premier space for patient care in the Greater Baltimore community.
Learn more about The Promise Project: https://gbmcpromise.org/
About GBMC HealthCare
GBMC HealthCare System includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center, a not-for-profit acute care hospital; GBMC Health Partners, an employed physician group of more than 300 primary care providers and specialists; and Gilchrist, providing advanced disease, elder, and end-of-life care. These three work systems, made up of 4,000 employees unite around the mission, “to provide medical care and service of the highest quality to each patient and to educate the next generation of clinicians, leading to health, healing and hope for the community.”
What began in 1965 as a hospital to serve the area north of Baltimore City has evolved with the needs of its community into a true system of care. GBMC HealthCare is a leader in primary care with 13 Health Partners advanced primary care practices throughout the region. Greater Baltimore Medical Center has earned a reputation as labor and delivery experts and is regarded as a site of excellence for cancer, surgical, and specialty care. Gilchrist is a nationally recognized nonprofit leader in serious illness and end-of-life care. It is the largest hospice provider in Maryland and has the state’s only pediatric hospice.
In 2020, GBMC HealthCare was one of only five organizations in the country to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s only presidential award for performance excellence. The award is a testament to how well GBMC focuses on patient engagement, contributes to the social and economic sustainability of their community, and leads with its mission.
