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The basics:

• Douglas M. Noble Foundation donates $75M to Holy Name
• Largest-ever gift to a Catholic hospital in the U.S.
• Supports expansion, tech upgrades and medical education
• Gift honors legacy of late neuroradiologist Doug Noble

Holy Name Medical Center has received a historic $75 million gift to help support future growth and expansion of services for the Teaneck-based health system.

The Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation of Paramus provided the gift. The funds will go toward accelerating innovation and scientific discovery, advancing capital projects and supporting medical education, Holy Name said.

According to the network, it is the largest donation to a Catholic hospital in the U.S. It also marks the second largest made to a hospital in New Jersey, following a $100 million contribution by the Cooperman Family Foundation to the former Saint Barnaba Medical Center in 2021.

During a July 28 press conference announcing the award, Holy Name President and CEO Michael Maron described it as a “transformational gift” that will have a “profound impact” on the hospital’s “ability to tackle some of the most critical health care challenges facing our community in the decades to come.”

“With this extraordinary support, we can expand access to specialized care through initiatives such as our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, address the ongoing physician shortage by launching our Graduate Medical Education program, and bring state-of-the-art technology to clinical services – including a groundbreaking neuroendovascular institute,” he said.

In a son’s memory

Joan Noble said she wanted to donate to Holy Name as a way to honor the spirit of her son, a longtime neuroradiologist and owner of The Imaging Center at Morristown. Doug Noble passed away in 2019 at the age of 58.

“My son was a very special person. Not only to me, as his mother, but also to the people in his world of medicine. Doug was an intelligent, dynamic individual sharing so much – energetically and with integrity and love. The impact he made on his patients; the dedication he had for physicians he taught in the hospital; in academics; in his medical centers; in addition to legal environments where he was valued for his knowledge, insight and focus on excellence – all is significant and memorable. I respectfully wanted to take that energy and money he earned, which started his foundation, and turn it into helping those in need,” she said.

My son was a very special person. Not only to me, as his mother, but also to the people in his world of medicine.
– Joan Noble, Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation

Noble continued, “It became clear to me in order to make Doug’s legacy endure beyond any one individual’s or organization’s memory, including my own, I needed to give the gift that was Doug’s to a place that would appreciate it – and him; one that would turn his compassionate vision into reality in a way that he would endorse. It was a challenging journey, but through Fr. Roy Regaspi and prayer, I was blessed to be introduced to the people and mission of Holy Name. It is here at Holy Name where I found Doug’s legacy would live on.”

The foundation previously contributed funding to Holy Name’s $3.5 million neonatal intensive care unit that opened last fall.

Learn more about Doug Noble, his foundation and the historic gift to Holy Name:

Making ‘a long-term difference’

Cathleen Davey, president of the Holy Name Medical Center Foundation, added, “Joan’s primary goal was to ensure the Noble Foundation assets, earned through Doug’s hard work, would truly make a long-term difference. She sought to honor Doug’s legacy by funding excellence, redefining possibilities and expanding access. After meeting with many organizations, receiving numerous proposals, and much prayer, we are extremely honored that she chose Holy Name.”

Several local officials were also on hand at the ceremony, including:

• U.S. Rep Nellie Pou, D-9th District
• State Sens. Gordon Johnson D-37th District; Joseph Lagana, D-38th District; and Paul Sarlo, D-36th District
• Assembly Members Ellen Park, D-37th District, and Chris Tully, D-38th District
• Bergen County Executive James Tedesco
• Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur
• New Jersey Department of Health acting Commissioner Jeff Brown
• Teaneck Township Manager Jaclyn Hashmat

Johnson said, “Hospitals like Holy Name are the backbone of New Jersey’s communities—providing personalized, high-quality care and responding directly to local needs of Bergen County and beyond. Investing in Holy Name means investing in the health and well-being of our families, our neighborhoods, and our future.”

Lagana remarked, “I know the way Holy Name practices medicine here, just like its mission says: Great Medicine. Soul Purpose. They do everything with kindness and empathy. They don’t turn people away and treat everyone with respect and dignity. This amount of money is going to be transformative.”

‘The potential impact is limitless’

In June, Holy Name dedicated its 9,750-square-foot center for medical education in Noble’s memory and welcomed the first 16 resident physicians to the graduate medical education program.

With a looming national physician shortage in the U.S., Holy Name says it is committed to investing in a strong residency program that prepares the next generation of physicians to provide exceptional care while helping to expand the workforce.

Holy Name, the state’s only independent Catholic health system, comprises a 361-bed acute care hospital, renowned cancer center, state-of-the-art fitness center, residential hospice, prestigious nursing school and extensive physician network.

The Bergen Record noted that the donation comes as Holy Name embarks on an expansion effort that includes several new buildings, a parking garage and day care center as it continues to compete against other growing regioal networks like Hackensack Meridian Health and Valley Health System.

Maron said, “Joan Noble and her trustees’ decision to make this monumental gift during Holy Name’s 100th anniversary symbolizes an enduring investment in our institution and our mission. The potential impact is limitless – enhancing patient care, fueling medical innovation, attracting the best physician talent, and allowing us to continuously grow and adapt in line with our core values of compassion and healing.”