(Bethesda, MD, February 25, 2009) – The Suburban Hospital Foundation has announced an estimated $6.5 million bequest from the estate of Betty Phillips—the largest bequest in the history of Suburban Hospital. As an unrestricted gift, the bequest will benefit thousands of patients through many services and programs at the hospital. It will also support hospital facility projects including additional private patient rooms and other enhancements to the campus.

“This magnanimous gift is especially notable because Mrs. Phillips never notified the hospital of her intent to make such a substantial legacy,” said Leslie Ford Weber, executive vice president of the Suburban Hospital Foundation. “While her bequest was a surprise to us, Mrs. Phillips obviously knew the importance of planning and trusted the hospital to use her legacy wisely.”

A legal secretary early in her life, the late Mrs. Phillips lived for many years in Chevy Chase with her husband, attorney Percy W. Phillips. According to her executor, she used the services of Suburban Hospital many times over the years, watching with pride as the stature of the hospital increased. She described Mrs. Phillips as “a kind and unassuming woman, never requesting special treatment beyond the excellent patient care she came to expect.”

“No doubt, the quiet life she led will be in stark contrast to the impact her legacy will have at Suburban Hospital,” stated Weber.

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Suburban Hospital is a not-for-profit, community-based hospital in Bethesda, Md., that has served Montgomery County and the surrounding area for more than 65 years. The hospital is distinguished by a cutting-edge stroke program; level II trauma center; centers of excellence in cardiac care, orthopedics and joint replacement surgery, neurosciences and oncology; state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment tools; and affiliations with world-class institutions, including the neighboring National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Created in 1996, the Suburban Hospital Foundation serves as the fundraising arm for the Suburban Hospital Healthcare System.