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David and Linda Roth make lead gift in support of mission and leadership of state’s only children’s health system

As the final pieces of steel are being placed in Connecticut Children’s new eight-story tower, the health system has announced the project’s largest single gift to date. The gift was made by former Corporate Board Chairman David Roth and his wife Linda Roth, longtime leading philanthropists in the Greater Hartford region.

David and Linda Roth with Richard Blumenthal, United States Senator

“The most important thing we can do is to provide the best and safest care to kids. It improves the quality of life for everyone in Greater Hartford and the region,” said David Roth. “Linda and I believe in the leadership and the mission of Connecticut Children’s. We know Jim [Shmerling, President & CEO] and his team will use our gift in the most effectual way to help kids and have the greatest impact possible in our community.”

The Roth gift will specifically help Connecticut Children’s expansion and growth plans in Hartford, of which the centerpiece is the eight-story clinical tower under construction adjacent to its Washington Street hospital, as well as support growth across the state. The largest of these efforts is the new patient tower which will nearly double the hospital’s clinical space, adding 50 private Neonatal Intensive Care Unit rooms, featuring in-room accommodations for parents. New service lines, including the Fetal Care Center—one of only 9 in the U.S. capable of providing a full range of fetal interventions—and the Advanced Cellular & Gene Therapy Unit—making bone marrow transplants for pediatric cancer patients available in the capital city—will have space in the new facility.

David Roth standing with Jim Shmerling and fellow lead donors.

Connecticut Children’s President and CEO, Jim Shmerling, expressed deep gratitude for this gift, stating, "David and Linda have been wonderful friends of Connecticut Children’s for years. They know us better than anyone else, and their phenomenally generous lead gift for our expansion is truly touching. They know first-hand how important it is to have expert care for a sick child, and the faith they place in Connecticut Children’s, as the place where parents seek the care of the most precious ones in their lives—their children—is a great honor. We are humbled and grateful.”

A Topping Off Ceremony, celebrating the placing of the final steel beam in the tower, occurred on May 1. Construction of the tower is anticipated to be complete by late 2025.

Philanthropy is key to building the tower and a brighter future.

To learn more about this project, explore naming opportunities within our health system or make a gift, please contact us.

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