Monmouth Medical Center has received a $4 million gift in honor of a late foundation trustee in support of its women’s services program, the Long Branch hospital announced.
MMC, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, received the gift from the Dawkins family, and will name its women’s service program in honor of the late Judith W. Dawkins, a longtime benefactor as well as a trustee of the MMC Foundation.
“Everyone who knew Judi knows how much her spirit and her boundless energy impacted MMC,” Dawkins’ husband, Pete Dawkins, said in a prepared statement. “The women’s health program is a fitting and wonderful way for her to be remembered: as a champion, always striving to make things better and to help those around her.”
The Judith W. Dawkins Women’s Health Program will expand the hospital’s current array of specialized services to provide comprehensive community-based services to women of all ages, the hospital said in a news release.
Current services range from primary care and health maintenance to OB/GYN, cardiovascular health, mental health and more.
“Our attention, just like Judi’s, is on all of the unique challenges women commonly deal with,” Bill Arnold, MMC’s CEO and president, said in a statement. “Through the Dawkins family’s generous donation, we are honored to bring Judi’s vision for a vital and comprehensive women’s health program to fruition, and we look forward to its continued growth as a pillar of Monmouth Medical Center’s commitment to women and the community.”
The gift also establishes the Judith W. Dawkins Ambassador of Excellence Award for a clinician, trustee or community leader, and renames the executive board room in Dawkins’ honor.
Dawkins served MMC as a trustee and leader for more than 20 years, including serving as chair of the MMC Foundation board from 2000 to 2003.
“This gift celebrates Judi’s quest to empower women to lead stronger, healthier lives,” her husband said.
