Stephen Robert, an esteemed figure in the financial world, has left an indelible mark through his strategic vision and leadership. A graduate of Brown University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Robert’s journey in finance began in the 1960s when he joined Oppenheimer & Co. His ascent was rapid, becoming a portfolio manager and later, in 1979, assuming the role of the firm’s president. By the mid-1980s, Robert orchestrated a management buyout, acquiring principal ownership of Oppenheimer Group, Inc. Under his stewardship as CEO and chairman, the firm flourished until its sale to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in 1997. Beyond financial accomplishments, Robert’s influence extends to academia as the former Chancellor of Brown University and his role as a trustee at New York Presbyterian Medical Center, where his philanthropic endeavors continue to support healthcare innovation.
The Source of Hope Foundation, created by Stephen Robert and Pilar Crespi Robert, funded a new Rapid Medical Evaluation Center to reduce wait times at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. In August 2015, the foundation dedicated the 8,000-square-foot facility to address overcrowding that left patients waiting an average of nine and a half hours before evaluation. The project directly linked charitable funding to a structural solution in one of the city’s busiest medical centers.
Before the center opened, overcrowding created cascading problems. Long delays left patients in pain without answers and led to delayed diagnosis in an emergency system without sufficient throughput. The situation strained staff capacity and exposed the risks of prolonged bottlenecks in urgent care.
The Rapid Medical Evaluation Center introduced new physical infrastructure to relieve those bottlenecks. It included 22 treatment bays designed for high turnover, each with bedside diagnostic equipment to avoid delays caused by room transfers or shared machinery. These upgrades gave the hospital the physical capacity to process patients at a much faster pace.
Physical upgrades started the improvement. Then, the design of the staffing system made it work. The center deployed teams of doctors and nurse practitioners who could examine patients immediately on arrival. This parallel structure replaced the old queue model, where limited attending physicians slowed the process. With more professionals handling intake simultaneously, patients reached a provider without unnecessary waiting.
It led to clear results. Staff could assess, diagnose, and discharge many noncritical patients safely within 30 to 60 minutes. For those needing more extensive care or admission, evaluation was still faster, allowing critical cases to move into treatment without competing against a backlog of minor conditions.
Moreover, the hospital’s location made this transformation especially meaningful. Columbia Presbyterian serves residents of low-income neighborhoods who often rely on the ER for care. The Source of Hope Foundation’s investment meant these gains reached some of the city’s most vulnerable patients. For individuals in this community, faster access to evaluation reduced not only health risks but also the financial and personal burdens that came with lost hours in the ER.
Source of Hope Foundation frames the project as a moral commitment to equitable care. By reducing delays and improving patient dignity, the center put this principle into practice in a setting long marked by healthcare inequities. This focus on equity reflects the foundation’s broader mission of supporting sustainable healthcare access for underserved populations, not just providing temporary relief.
Philanthropy made this structural change possible. The Source of Hope Foundation’s funding covered construction and diagnostic equipment, enabling a staffing model that sustained the new workflow. Rather than symbolic support, the foundation invested in infrastructure that permanently expanded hospital capacity.
Additionally, the model offers lessons for other institutions. Hospitals across the United States face similar challenges with emergency room congestion. Partnerships between charities and providers could replicate this approach—combining new space, technology, and staffing design to reduce wait times and improve outcomes in underserved communities.
Targeted philanthropy achieves the greatest impact when tied to systems that expand access and efficiency. The Source of Hope Foundation’s role in establishing Columbia Presbyterian’s Rapid Medical Evaluation Center shows how one well-designed project can reduce ER congestion and accelerate patient flow for thousands of patients. By funding infrastructure that directly addresses inequality, the foundation improved both hospital operations and the quality of care in New York City.
