Donor Spotlight: Gribbel Trust Endowment
The Gribbel Legacy at Riddle Hospital
Riddle Hospital’s largest bequest to date has fueled some of the hospital’s most significant improvements in patient care. With his gift, John Bancker Gribbel (1884-1947) extended his family’s tradition of philanthropy and his meaningful legacy gift arrived at a critical time in Riddle Hospital’s history.
John Gribbel (1858-1936), John Bancker Gribbel’s father, laid the foundation of his fortune in the gas industry. Starting as a clerk in the New York City office, he eventually became the owner of John J. Griffin & Company, a gas meter manufacturer based in Philadelphia. He expanded the business and rose to the position of Chairman of the Board of the American Meter Company. He served on boards of numerous banks and companies in the railway, sugar, energy and other sectors. He was President of the Tampa Gas Company in Florida for 25 years.
Beyond the board room, John Gribbel became an expert in early American and Scottish history, and he helped to lead organizations such as the Historical Society of Philadelphia and the Union League. For his contributions to education and public health, Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital, Temple University and Wesleyan University, where he was a trustee, awarded him honorary degrees.
A collector of books and autographs, John Gribbel surprised the people of Scotland with the gift of Glenriddel manuscripts of the poet Robert Burns in 1913. These two volumes are the largest collection of Burns manuscripts. Thirteen years later, they formed one of the cornerstones of the new National Library of Scotland collection.
John Bancker Gribbel was an outstanding athlete at Penn Charter. After service during World War I, he joined the American Meter Company. He later went on to head the United States Paper Box Company located in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Union League, the Racquet Club, the University Club and the Philadelphia Country Club.
Like Samuel D. Riddle, the namesake of Riddle Hospital, John Bancker Gribbel was a patient of Dr. Charles H. Schoff. Known for his energetic dedication to health care in our region, Dr. Schoff founded and continually drummed up community support for Media Hospital, the predecessor of Riddle Hospital.
Samuel Riddle’s bequest created Riddle Hospital in 1963. Fifty-three years later, the $16.7 million gift from John Bancker Gribbel’s estate arrived as the hospital started to realize an ambitious plan to completely renovate its facilities. Funds from the endowment created by the Gribbel bequest is supporting many of these renewal projects. The centerpiece of the plan is a new, state-of-the-art, five-story Patient Pavilion, which features all single patient rooms, contemporary facilities and advanced technology to support the evolving needs of the community.
With his bequest, John Bancker Gribbel is playing a leading role among the many citizens who have helped assure excellent health care in our community.
The Birthplace at Riddle Hospital
Maternity units are a cornerstone of any community hospital and the place where families spend some of the most memorable and meaningful times of their lives. Since the hospital’s opening in 1963, more than 1,000 babies have been brought into the world at The Birthplace at Riddle Hospital.
Fifty plus years later, it was time to update this well-loved unit. Funds from the Gribbel endowment brought every aspect of the comfort and care of the families at The Birthplace to the highest level. All of its spaces are designed to encourage moms, infants and families to be together. At the same time, the endowment has supported the expansion of services and facilities needed for the expected growth of Delaware County.
Today, The Birthplace features :
- 5 labor and delivery suites
- 16 postpartum rooms
- 2 C-section suites
- A new Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and parent suite
According to Shannon Hittle, nurse manager of the Birthplace/NICU, "The new labor rooms are much more spacious and more welcoming. Patients love them." The new rooms include comfortable sleeper sofas and chairs for family members and friends who want to stay overnight.
Shannon especially appreciates two new features that distinguish The Birthplace: the triage area and the NICU. "The new triage space is so beautiful and needed," she said "This is a brand new space and has been incredible. Previously, people coming into the unit who think they’re in labor or need to have something like a blood pressure check would be placed in rooms in the same area with women in active labor. Now, they have their own separate place."
"Having a true NICU has made the staff feel so much more valued," she added. "There are no words to explain the beauty and usefulness of that space."
Through it all, The Birthplace has kept the welcoming, caring and comfortable feeling that families turned to Riddle Hospital for in the first place. "Riddle Hospital was an easy choice for us, "said the Zampitella family. "The nurses make you feel like you’re at home, with your mom or your sister."
The Latest in Surgical Technology at Riddle Hospital
The Gribbel Trust Endowment enabled us to purchase a centerpiece of the new Patient Pavilion that opened in July 2023, the da Vinci Xi robot-assisted surgical system. In the hands of our excellent surgeons, this new technology is dramatically improving the experience of our patients.
Robot assisted surgery is bringing minimally invasive procedures and the benefits of reduced complications and shorter recovery to Riddle Hospital patients. The Pavilion is home to two new da Vinci Xi® robot-assisted surgical systems. With 10X magnification and 3D-HD imaging, this fourth-generation technology gives surgeons the ability to see beyond what the human eye alone can detect. The da Vinci Xi’s improved instruments and articulation let our surgeons perform complex and delicate procedures right in our community hospital.