A $1 million gift from a Saratoga Springs family and its family foundation to support The Massry Family Children’s Emergency Center at Albany Med, the region’s only pediatric emergency department, was announced by Albany Med President and CEO James J. Barba.
The donation from Dan and Jennifer Pickett and the Pickett Family Foundation underscores a guiding principle that has been in place since 1992, when the Pickett family launched nfrastructure, a small technology company, in the basement of a liquor store hospital officials said. Today, the company, Zones nfrastructure, is the services company of Zones, one of the largest private technology companies in the world.
“That principle—to benefit deserving people and inspiring projects around the United States—also drives the philanthropic mission of the Pickett Family Foundation. We are committed to making life better for individuals and communities by working collaboratively with deserving organizations dedicated to making a positive difference,” said Dan Pickett, noting the foundation focuses on helping support education, health care and innovative technology.
“Certainly, the new Massry Family Children’s Emergency Center is one of those deserving organizations. It brings critical services to the children of our region and is just another example of why Albany Med is a leader in health care,” said Pickett, who has served on the Albany Med board of directors since 2012.
The family and foundation gift has been designated for Massry Center’s waiting room.
The Massry Family Children’s Emergency Center at Albany Med is exclusively for children and teens through 18 years old, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. The four-story, 70,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to the current Emergency Department, is designed specifically for the needs of children and their families, and offers access to the full range of pediatric specialists. It is staffed by physicians, nurses and mid-level providers specially trained in pediatric emergency medicine.
Barba said the donation helps ensure that children in the region “have access to excellent care from the finest and best-trained pediatric physicians and staff in our region, but also receive it in a place of their own—a place that was created for children and families—a place like no other.”
