LEBANON — Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital recently received an anonymous unrestricted bequest of $2 million, the largest gift in the organization’s 90-year history, according to a news release.
The donor was a “longtime friend and donor” of the Lebanon hospital, who cited “years of wonderful care” and “excitement for APD’s future strategic plans” as motivations for the gift, the release said.
APD’s Board of Trustees completed a strategic plan in 2019, according to APD’s website. Goals of the plan include: preserving and strengthening APD’s unique culture of caring; positively impacting the social determinants of health; expanding and diversifying our clinical services; and ensuring the long-term viability of APD.
APD, which is a member of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health system, had an annual operating budget of $77.2 million for the year ending June 30, 2021, according to a recent filing with bondholders.
Meanwhile, the hospital is seeking public input on a name for a new cleaning robot, the Xenex LightStrike, Kelli Pippin, a hospital spokeswoman, said. The robot destroys antibiotic-resistant microorganisms like C. difficile, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), flu and norovirus. The robot also is proven to deactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in two minutes, Pippin said.
It cleans by emitting bursts of pulsed ultraviolet light, which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, mold and spores, and deactivates them. The DNA inside the cells is fused so that microorganisms are unable to reproduce or mutate — and no longer pose a risk people.
For $2.50 per vote, people can cast votes to determine the robot’s name. The options include Anne Droid, AP-D2, Daphne, EVE, Granny Smith, Lurch, R2clean2, Rosey, Violet and The Zappah. Voting ends by noon on March 31 and the name will be announced on April 7. Funds raised will go to support APD’s annual fund.
For more information or to vote visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/name-the-apd-robot-tickets-252177789557.