Kent Hospital’s Evening of Hope Raises Over $250,000 for the Women’s Care Center and Obstetrics

WARWICK, R.I. (September 28, 2026) – Kent Hospital held its annual Evening of Hope at The Dunes Club in Narragansett on Friday, September 25, 2026. Attendees enjoyed dinner and dancing, a silent auction, a raffle, and more. Funds from this year’s event will support enhancements to the Women’s Care Center and Obstetrics, helping ensure exceptional care for generations of families to come. The event raised $250,000.

“As a community hospital, Kent’s mission has always been to care for the community. With the incredible success of this event, our community proved how much people in this area care for one another,” said Carolyn Jackson, President and COO, Kent Hospital. “We are grateful for the outpouring of generosity, which ensures we can continue to provide high-quality care to our neighbors, right here, close to home.”

The Women’s Care Center at Kent Hospital offers a personalized birth experience with six private delivery rooms and a surgical delivery suite with anesthesia services and the latest technology in fetal monitoring. Each room has the amenities needed to help support a patient- and family-centered approach, including ambient lighting, a rocking chair, birthing balls, and warm packs. The Women’s Care Center is also recognized as a Baby-Friendly birth facility, meaning it meets the highest standards for infant feeding and maternal-newborn bonding.

During the celebration, Kent Hospital also celebrated the Howes Family as the recipients of the 2026 Jonathan K. Farnum Outstanding Philanthropist Award in recognition of their extraordinary generosity and steadfast commitment to Kent Hospital. Through years of philanthropic support, multiple generations of the Howes family have invested in initiatives that strengthen patient care and enhance the hospital's ability to serve the community. Most recently, the family made a transformational gift to support enhancements to Kent Hospital's Women's Care Center, helping create a more welcoming, family-centered birthing environment through facility improvements and new equipment that will expand access to innovative care options.

“The Howes Family’s incredible legacy of giving is an inspirational example of understanding what it means to care for your community, said Jeffrey Cabral, Senior Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer, Care New England. “We are thankful for their partnership, commitment to Kent Hospital, and their investment in the future of local care.” 

About Kent Hospital
Kent Hospital, a Care New England facility, is a 359-bed, acute care hospital. It ranks as Rhode Island’s second-largest hospital, serving around 300,000 residents in central Rhode Island. As a teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kent provides training programs in emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, podiatry, diabetology, and gastroenterology. Its Emergency Department (ED), classified as a high-volume ED by CMS, handles roughly 55,000 patients annually and is one of four hospitals in Rhode Island offering emergency angioplasty for heart attacks. Additionally, it has been recognized as a verified geriatric surgery facility by the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program—the first hospital in New England and the 25th nationwide to earn this distinction. Kent Hospital also maintains a longstanding clinical partnership with Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, providing excellent local care for conditions like cardiology, pulmonary issues, thoracic surgery, colorectal surgery, and other specialties. The hospital is dedicated to becoming age-friendly to deliver top-quality care for older adults. Its Silver-Level 2 Geriatric ED Accreditation, Geriatric Surgery Comprehensive Excellence Verification, and Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit exemplify Kent’s commitment to Healthy Aging and managing issues affecting the health and well-being of the aging community.