October 15, 2004

MGH welcomes new Yawkey Center to the family

The MGH marked a momentous milestone this week with the celebration of the opening of the Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house sessions were held Oct. 13 to welcome patients, staff and guests and to thank the many people who contributed to the planning, building and opening of the center.

"The opening of the Yawkey Center marks a new era in patient care at our hospital,"said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH. "I want to thank everyone who contributed to making this dream a reality. Their months of planning, hard work and unflagging dedication have made it possible for the MGH to continue to provide excellent outpatient care."

Speakers at the events included Slavin; Boston Mayor Thomas Menino; Edward Lawrence, chair of the MGH Board of Trustees; Michael Jellinek, MD, former senior vice president of MGH Administration; Jack Connors, chairman of the Partners Board of Trustees; David Torchiana, MD, chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization; James J. Mongan, MD, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare; Gerald Austen, MD, chairman of the MGH Chiefs Council; and John Harrington of the Yawkey Foundation.

The 10-story Yawkey Center provides approximately 400,000 square feet of additional space for the outpatient activities of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, the Musculoskeletal Program, Cardiology, Women's Health and Radiology. The MGH Cancer Center and the In Vitro Fertilization Unit will relocate to the Yawkey Center in December.

The center was named after Jean R. Yawkey and her husband, Tom, who owned the Boston Red Sox for 59 years. Jean Yawkey received her medical care at the MGH and was a strong advocate of the work of the hospital. Since her death, the Yawkey Foundation's trustees have continued her tradition of charitable giving to the MGH, including a $25 million donation in 2002 that helped make the center possible.

"I know Jean would have been very happy today to celebrate the opening of this center," said Harrington.

MGHers move in to the Yawkey Center and celebrate its opening.