A name change for Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ

LIVINGSTON — What will a $100 million donation to a hospital get you? In the case of  Saint Barnabas Medical Center, a name change in your honor.

The name of Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston will become Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center after the Cooperman Family Foundation made the largest donation ever given to a New Jersey hospital.

Leon and Toby Cooperman have made more than 100 donations to the medical center, including a $25 million gift in 2014 that helped jumpstart a large expansion of the hospital.

Their donations began in 2010 when the couple signed onto The Giving Pledge, a philanthropic initiative started by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates. It encourages the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to donate a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

“The Cooperman family has helped us to become the renowned institution that we are today,” Barry H. Ostrowsky, president and CEO of RWJBarnabas Health said in a statement. “Today’s generous gift from Leon and Toby Cooperman is transformational and ensures that our medical center will continue to develop as a state-of-the art medical campus and a leader in protecting and supporting the health of the community.”

Leon Cooperman founded Omega Advisors in 1991 after his retirement from Goldman Sachs. His net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. He came to the U.S. from Poland to escape the Holocaust and grew up in the Bronx.

“I am at the point in my life where I want my gifts to have real impact, and I could think of no better way to do that than to make this investment in healthcare in the community that has given so much to our family,” Leon Cooperman said in a statement. “The pandemic has shown us that heroes are working in our hospitals every day, and I’m honored to help support their work.”

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ