Danbury Hospital opens building with help of $30M donation

Danbury Hospital recently opened an 11-story building named after Peter Buck, co-founder of the Subway restaurant chain, and his late wife, Carmen. Buck, who donated $10 million to support the building of the Peter and Carmen Lúcia Buck Pavilion, donated an additional $20 million because the hospital met its $50 million campaign goal.

A Western Connecticut Health Network press release called the facility the largest construction project in the hospital’s 129-year history.

The 316,000-square-foot building includes a 35-bed medical and surgical patient care floor, and a 30-bed critical care unit.  The emergency department has expanded to 40,000 square feet, which is double the size of its previous space.

Buck, a Danbury resident, said the reason for his gift is to express his “great appreciation for the superior care” he and his family received at Danbury Hospital, according to the press release.

Dr. John Murphy, CEO of Western Connecticut Health Network, said in a statement that as health care funding declines and the industry faces financial challenges, hospitals are more dependent on philanthropic donations than ever before.

“In a very difficult economic climate, we’ve had very generous donors who recognize the importance of having a top-quality health care network to serve our region,” Murphy said.