The Daily Freeman reports that the Northern Dutchess Hospital is getting a philanthropic gift of $3 million, the largest in the hospital’s history, they said on Sept. 27. Gayle Bontecou, a resident of Clinton Corners and Tequesta, Florida, made the donation. The money will go to renovate and expand the hospital’s emergency department, which will be named “The Jesse and Gayle Bontecou Emergency Department.” Northern Dutchess Hospital President Denise George said in a statement, “Northern Dutchess Hospital is profoundly grateful to Gayle Bontecou for her extraordinary generosity.... Her remarkable $3 million naming gift for the renovation and expansion of our emergency department is a testament to her unwavering commitment to the well-being of our community." Bontecou explained why she made the contribution, saying, “When my husband needed the best care, he got it through the Northern Dutchess Hospital Emergency Department.... The night I drove Jesse to the emergency entrance, Dr. John Sabia came out to help us — we had no idea who he was, but his kindness and concern set the tone for the way my husband and I were treated throughout that frightening time.” This is not the first major local donation that Bontecou has made, as in 2022 she turned over 1,250 acres of open land in Dutchess County to create the Jesse and Gayle Bontecou Wildlife Conservation Preserve. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.