Historic $15 Million Gift Fuels Breakthrough Cancer Care at Hartford HealthCare St. Vincent's Medical Center

The Estate of Neil Mellen Helps Build Destination for Advanced Cancer Care in Connecticut

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Dec. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hartford HealthCare's St. Vincent's Medical Center is proud to announce a landmark $15 million philanthropic commitment from the estate of Neil Mellen to significantly enhance and expand its inpatient oncology unit.

Honoring the Legacy of Neil Mellen
At the heart of this historic gift is the legacy of Neil Mellen, a compassionate and humble man whose quiet strength and deep empathy inspired his commitment to helping others and paying it forward. Neil believed profoundly in improving the hospital experience for patients and families, ensuring that care was delivered with dignity, comfort, and hope. This gift reflects his enduring desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

This transformative investment represents one of the most substantial gifts in Hartford HealthCare's history and underscores Neil's extraordinary dedication to elevating patient care for the Greater Bridgeport community.

The generous donation will fund sweeping renovations and modernization efforts within the oncology unit, including state-of-the-art treatment spaces, enhanced patient comfort features and advanced technology to support world-class cancer care at the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at St. Vincent's Medical Center, which is the first care partner of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

This latest pledge builds upon a longstanding legacy of generosity by Neil Mellen, whose support has deeply shaped care at St. Vincent's for more than 15 years.

Elevating Cancer Care for the Future
This $15-million investment marks a pivotal milestone in Hartford HealthCare's mission to deliver comprehensive, compassionate and cutting-edge cancer services. Once completed, the upgraded oncology unit will offer an improved healing environment and enhanced capabilities for both patients and clinical teams.

"Neil Mellen's vision and generosity exemplify what it means to truly invest in the health of a community," said Jeffrey A. Flaks, President and CEO of Hartford HealthCare. "This extraordinary gift will accelerate our ability to deliver leading-edge cancer care and strengthen our mission to provide the highest-quality care to every person we serve. Together, we are building a destination for hope and healing, and we are profoundly grateful for Neil's trust and unwavering commitment to this mission."

"This remarkable commitment from Neil Mellen's Estate will have a lasting and measurable impact on every patient who turns to us for cancer care," said William M. Jennings, President of Hartford HealthCare's Fairfield Region. "This generosity empowers us to elevate the patient experience, expand our capabilities and bring the very best oncology care to the communities we serve. We are deeply honored by their continued trust and partnership."

"Philanthropy has the power to change lives, and this extraordinary gift from the Neil Mellen's Estate beautifully demonstrates what is possible when community partners share in our mission," said Karen Kaiser, Vice President of Philanthropy for Hartford HealthCare's Fairfield Region. "Their generosity enables us to expand access, elevate patient care and invest in innovations that will benefit families across our region for generations to come."

A Legacy of Impactful Giving
In 2009, Neil Mellen committed $500,000 to create the Nancy Ann Mellen Infusion Center, a critical resource for patients undergoing infusion therapy. The project is now fully completed and continues to serve thousands of patients annually.

In 2022, Mr. Mellen made a $250,000 gift to support St. Vincent's ICU, followed by a $4,250,000 gift benefiting the hospital's Critical Care Unit and Emergency Department, advancing lifesaving care for the region's most vulnerable patients.

About Hartford HealthCare
With 44,000 dedicated colleagues and a bold vision for the future, Hartford HealthCare is transforming healthcare across Connecticut and beyond — enhancing access, affordability, health equity, and excellence. Spanning 500 locations across 185 towns and cities, our comprehensive care-delivery system is built to serve every community, every day.  

From world-class hospitals — including two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, and four community hospitals — to a network of behavioral health services, multispecialty physician groups, urgent and virtual care, surgery centers, home care, senior care, rehabilitation, and mobile neighborhood health programs, Hartford HealthCare is there when and where it matters most.  

We touch the lives of nearly 28,000 people every day, delivering unparalleled care through our unique Institute Model — bringing together leading experts in neuroscience, cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular care, orthopedics, and urology and kidney health to provide a unified, high standard of care at the most affordable cost.  

Recognized nationally for patient safety and clinical excellence, Hartford HealthCare has earned the 2025 Quest For Quality Award from the American Hospital Association, and has received Leapfrog A-ratings across all our hospitals — making us one of the safest healthcare systems in the country.  

Join us on our journey to reimagine healthcare. Visit www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through our newsletters and social media.  

About St. Vincent's Medical Center
Founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1903, St. Vincent's Medical Center is part of Hartford HealthCare, Connecticut's most comprehensive healthcare network, with more than 400 locations serving 185 towns and cities. St. Vincent's, with more than 3,000 employees, includes a licensed 473-bed community teaching hospital, a 76-bed inpatient psychiatric facility in Westport, a large multispecialty provider group, seven urgent care centers, five physical therapy and rehabilitation locations and St. Vincent's Special Needs Services. Specialists in cancer, heart and vascular, neuroscience, orthopedics and urology affiliated with St. Vincent's are part of a unique, system-wide Institute Model, offering a unified standard of care. St. Vincent's earned advanced certification in spine surgery by the Joint Commission. Additionally, St. Vincent's is the principle clinical partner for the Frank H. Netter, MD, School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. For more information on programs and services, visit www.stvincents.org.

SOURCE Hartford HealthCare