Nuvance donor gives $450K for digital health strategy

Danbury man: Booking a medical appointment should be as easy as buying an item online

DANBURY — John Patrick thinks scheduling a doctor’s appointment should be as simple as ordering groceries online.

So, the local philanthropist has donated $450,000 toward Nuvance Health’s digital strategy.

“mHealth (mobile health) will make getting an appointment for an X-ray or a physician visit as easy as buying a household item or booking an airline flight online,” said Patrick, a Danbury resident, who with his wife, Joanne, has given $1 million to Nuvance over the years.

This includes a $250,000 donation in 2016 to help launch Nuvance’s telehealth program, which the system said has become critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nuvance, a seven-hospital system that includes Danbury, New Milford, Norwalk and Sharon hospitals, said the donation will help patients use their smartphones to improve their health.

“Digital health is a core element of our 2025 strategic plan,” said John Murphy, president and CEO of Nuvance. “The Patricks’ generous gift will help us place the needed focus on this key area.”

There is potential in digital health, said Patrick, formerly vice president of internet technology at IBM and the author of six books.

For example, a text can communicate, store, retrieve and remind patients of their health status or deliver messages promoting healthy behaviors and choices, Nuvance said.

“The majority of traffic to retail websites now comes from smartphones, but the health care industry has lagged behind in this key trend,” Patrick said.

Patrick recently joined Nuvance Health’s Digital Patient Experience Executive Committee.

“His decades of experience in technology and his service on the Danbury Hospital and Western Connecticut Health Network boards of directors brings us a unique perspective to help build out a digital health strategy to serve our patients,” said Geoffry Hook, Nuvance Health’s chief information officer.

Over the past 20 years, the Patricks have given numerous gifts totaling $1 million to key areas of Nuvance Health programs, such as oncology radiation therapy, breast cancer, neonatal care, mobile pediatric care and nursing education.

The couple’s first major donation was $100,000 in 2006 to enable the launch of a women’s cardiac care program, Nuvance said. Joanne Patrick, a former coronary care nurse specialist, had noted that research had found men and women’s cardiovascular health and heart attack symptoms were different.

In 2011, they donated $100,000 toward creating the Rudy L. Ruggles Biomedical Research Institute, while an additional gift in 2013 enabled a Cell Generation Laboratory at the institute.

Following that was the $250,000 gift to create the telehealth program, which Nuvance said is an important part of its digital health strategy. Telehealth, or connected care, allows patients to see their doctors remotely using a desktop, laptop or mobile device.

“Philanthropic support is critical in these difficult times,” said Grace Linhard, Nuvance Health chief development officer . “John and Joanne have a history of helping to add focus to leading-edge health care initiatives, which are so important to the health system’s longterm focus on technology directly benefiting our patients. We hope other philanthropists will join John and Joanne to build on the investment they have made in our future.”

Contributed photo Above, John and Joanne Patrick, of Danbury, have donated $450,000 toward Nuvance Health’s digital health strategy, which the seven-hospital system says it plans to focus on. Below, a view of Danbury Hospital.

H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media