Partners HealthCare®

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A Tradition of Philanthropy

Partners’ commitment to philanthropy is rooted in the origins of our founding hospitals. These institutions were created and built through the charitable contributions of generous donors to care for the community and those in need.

• Founded in 1811, Massachusetts General Hospital is the third oldest general hospital in the United States and the oldest and largest in New England. Mass General “was established for the benefit of all worthy persons, regardless of their citizenship or station in life or economic means.”
• Brigham and Women’s medical preeminence dates back to 1832. Following fundraising appeals to individuals and various charitable organizations, the Boston Lying-In Hospital (Brigham and Women’s original name), one of the nation’s first maternity hospitals, opened its doors to women unable to afford in-home medical care.
• McLean Hospital was founded in 1811. Fundraising campaigns held between 1812 and 1816 earmarked donations for the establishment of a facility to treat mental illnesses. McLean Hospital, first known as the "Asylum for the Insane," a division of the Massachusetts General Hospital, opened on Oct. 1, 1818 and followed the principles of "moral treatment," both in its choice of the country setting and in the care of its patients.
• Dr. George Faulkner (1819 - 1911) was a resident of Jamaica Plain. In 1900, Faulkner Hospital was incorporated with funds from his and his wife's estate.
• Through the commitment of Josiah Spaulding, the original Mass Rehab was transformed into an acute rehabilitation facility to become the renowned Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
• Newton-Wellesley’s roots date back to 1881 when the Newton Cottage Hospital was incorporated. Donations from the community purchased nine acres of land and provided funds to build a hospital. The Cottage Hospital opened in 1886.
• The founding hospitals of North Shore Medical Center were established in the 1800s by community leaders and philanthropists in response to the urgent health care needs of a rapidly changing North Shore population. Salem Hospital opened its doors in 1874, funded by a bequest from Captain John Bertram, who understood first-hand the need for a facility that could serve Salem’s hardworking sailor population. The original Lynn Hospital opened in 1883, joined by Union Hospital in 1900. Both served a rapidly industrializing city and saved injured workers the long train ride into Boston for care.
• In a display of community spirit and generosity, the residents of Martha’s Vineyard came together in a moment of need, dug deeply and raised more than $48 million to build Martha’s Vineyard Hospital (MVH). Without any government assistance or borrowed funds, MVH opened its doors to patients on June 22, 2010.
• In the early 1900s, two doctors recognized the need for a hospital on Nantucket and purchased the Estes home and cottages, establishing the West Chester Street Hospital. Since then, philanthropy has played a key role in the hospital’s ability to improve both its physical space and quality of care. Funds raised by hospital leadership were essential to Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s move to its current location on Prospect Street, and the addition of its extra wing in the 1960s.