Through their relationship with the Greenwich United Way, Greenwich residents Michelle and Laurence Allen have donated two oxygen generators to Greenwich Hospital for use in surge areas where liquid oxygen is not available.
L to R, Marc Kosak of Greenwich Hospital, Laurence Allen of Allen Research Endowment and David Rabin of Greenwich United Way when Mr. Allen delivered the oxygen generators (while still practicing social distancing of course).
Because of their portability, they can also be sent home with patients who otherwise would not have access to oxygen.
The oxygen generators, also known as concentrators, provide 30- 93% oxygen purity, enabling the treatment of COVID-19 patients with milder symptoms, freeing up increasingly limited ICU space for patients requiring critical care.
“After losing our son to opioids, our family became more sensitive to and proactive about health issues,” said Laurence Allen.
“In 2016, we started the Allen Research Endowment with the mission of helping develop and provide access to new medical technologies. Upon learning about the spread of COVID-19 in January, we felt it had the potential to be a serious respiratory virus. We believe getting oxygen to inflamed lungs is critical to prevent respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, which result from a lack of oxygen in the lungs or bloodstream. We preemptively acquired oxygen generators and other equipment for use by our employees and to donate to hospitals. It’s a privilege to help Greenwich Hospital care for patients.”
David Rabin, CEO of Greenwich United Way said he continues to be impressed with the people of Greenwich and their commitment to helping neighbors in their time of need.
“During crises like these, the importance of our work is even more significant as we are the one organization in town able to bring together Greenwich’s many resources available to address the various unmet, unforeseen needs,” he said. “It is an honor to make the connection between the Allen Family and Greenwich Hospital.”
Norman Roth, president and CEO of Greenwich Hospital added his appreciation.
“During these unprecedented times, we are in awe of the generosity of the community and so grateful for all the support,” he said. “Equipment like this can truly impact patient care.”
The Allens have lived in Greenwich for more than 20 years. Mrs. Allen is the regent for the Greenwich chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Mr. Allen is the Managing Member of NYPPEX, a marketplace providing access to secondary market liquidity for interests in private equity funds.
The Greenwich United Way shares a name with approximately 1,200 other similar organizations across the nation, although the Greenwich, Connecticut division is a privately incorporated, locally governed, nonprofit agency.
As a volunteer-driven organization, the Greenwich United Way exists to help identify and address the health, educational and self-sufficiency needs specific to its local community and to create and affect meaningful, lasting solutions. Through various fundraising efforts and on-going research, the organization is able to directly grant the funds necessary to accomplish this goal. The Greenwich United Way also invests in and conducts collaborative efforts to address broad-based community needs with partnering nonprofit agencies.
For more information, visit https://greenwichunitedway.org, or follow on Instagram and Facebook.
Established in 2016 by the Allen family in Greenwich in memory of their 19-year-old son, J. Bradley Allen, the Allen Research Endowment is a non-partisan Delaware 501(c) (3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
Its primary mission is to save lives of persons with chronic pain, opioid-related addiction and other complex diseases through a comprehensive approach focused on the development of new medical technologies, faith-based education and public policy.
The founders believe that many current treatments are inadequate for pain management and addiction, and the time has come for a new approach.