Fundraiser for room at Albany Med in memory of Jim McGrath

A fundraiser will be held from 2-8 p.m. Saturday, October 15, to raise money for a private family consultation room in Albany Medical Center’s cardiac diagnostic unit that will be dedicated to and named for Jim McGrath, the Times Union’s late chief editorial writer.

The event will be held at the home of Darryl McGrath at 6 Irving Street, Albany, NY. Suggested donation is $10.

Jim was a longtime member of the Guild. Even after being promoted to an exempt position, he continued to offer his support and encouragement. His wife Darryl McGrath noted at his memorial service that Jim often posted supportive messages on the Guild’s website under the name Exempt Brother.

Darryl explained that she got the idea for the consultation room based on her own experience learning that Jim had the heart condition that would later prove fatal.

“It came out of my own difficult experience of hearing that my husband had a form of heart failure while I stood, exhausted, in a busy hallway outside of the cardiac catheterization lab,” she said. “I gave a lot of thought to what could be done to memorialize Jim, and it seemed to me that this was an excellent way to both honor my husband’s long struggle with a cardiac condition, and to help the community.”

This will be a private space where families can hear a diagnosis in private, consult with a chaplain or social worker, meet with a doctor or make a phone call without the entire waiting room listening to a difficult conversation.

The Guild’s Executive Board has already decided to donate $100 in memory of our “Exempt Brother.”

We also encourage our members to attend the event at Darryl’s home. There will be a
string band from Pine Hills, and dancing, food and beer/wine. You can stop by any time from 2-8 p.m. Darryl McGrath asks people to RSVP by emailing her at darryllee@aol.com.