Harrington Hospital Auxiliary Concludes Its Legacy With Meaningful Gifts
In April 2026, the UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital Auxiliary officially disbanded after almost 100 years of service. To mark the occasion, they made final gifts to the Cancer Center and Behavioral Health Support Services.
Founded in 1932, the mission of the Auxiliary was to support the hospital and fulfill any unmet needs through community outreach and philanthropy. Hospital leaders turned to the Auxiliary over the years for help with advancing capital projects such as renovating the ICU, establishing caregiver scholarships, purchasing medical equipment and much more.
“One year we purchased phone chargers for patients in the Emergency Department,” says Erika Burrows, last president of the Harrington Hospital Auxiliary, current Board of Trustees member of Harrington Hospital and President of the Center of Hope Foundation. “Caregivers reported that patients’ cellphones often ran out of battery during their stay, causing them to either borrow a staff member’s phone charger or preventing them from being in constant contact with their loved ones during a challenging time. Sometimes our efforts were small like the phone chargers and sometimes they were much larger. But the mission was always to give back to the hospital, caregivers and patients.”
As was the case with most Hospital Auxiliaries in early 20th century America, members were mostly the wives of doctors when the Auxiliary was first established, but over time, it evolved and included many dedicated members of the community.
“I joined the Auxiliary in 2021,” says Erika. “My organization, the Center of Hope Foundation, provides people with disabilities and their families who are from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds with the resources, services and opportunities to be contributing members of their communities and to achieve the most fulfilling and meaningful lives possible. Individuals from my organization volunteer at Harrington Hospital, so that’s how I first became involved.”
When Harrington Hospital merged with UMass Memorial Health, the Auxiliary's funding priorities shifted. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and they struggled to recruit new members, which made their events and philanthropic efforts more challenging to staff.
Final Gifts Advance Cancer Care and Behavioral Health Support
The Auxiliary is leaving a legacy through all the programs and services it has helped make possible at Harrington Hospital. The money they were able to donate came from membership fees, hospital gift shops sales and fundraisers such as the Lucky Duck Race, fashion shows, car shows and lobby sales.
“The Auxiliary did a lot of really great things for decades,” says Erika. “Harrington Hospital is in a community where a lot of people have transportation challenges and so they need to walk to get healthcare. These individuals and families need and deserve quality, compassionate and competent care that they can get right in their community. The slogan of both Harrington and the Auxiliary has always been ‘neighbors helping neighbors.’”
The gifts to the Cancer Center and the Behavioral Health Support Services are the largest in the Auxiliary’s history. Its members hope their final gifts will advance critical cancer and behavioral healthcare for patients in the community.
The Cancer Center at Harrington Hospital provides comprehensive care tailored to each patient’s individual needs and treatment plan. Our team offers the latest in radiology treatments, such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), which focuses the radiation treatment on the tumor and spares the normal tissue. We also provide infusion and chemotherapy services, hematology services, care management and many other support services.
The Behavioral Health Support Services at Harrington Hospital provide vital behavioral health and recovery support services to the community. Our caregivers take pride in our comprehensive behavioral health service line, offering an integrated continuum of care that encompasses inpatient, outpatient, emergency, school-based and recovery-focused programs for all ages, pediatric through adult. Service lines such as Addiction Immediate Care (AIC), Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), as well as a variety of inpatient programs, outpatient therapies and supportive services, meet individuals wherever they are in their journey. This diverse array of treatment options empowers patients to make meaningful progress toward improved mental health, wellness and long-term recovery.