Millinocket Regional Hospital Establishes Foundation
October 1, 2020
To our community:
It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we jointly announce the formation of the Legacy Medical Foundation at Millinocket Regional Hospital. This is a major milestone in the history of MRH and we are proud to be a part of the Foundation’s birth.
Looking back in history, we respectfully note the longstanding relationship between MRH and Great Northern Paper (GNP) Corporation. GNP and its local employees were an integral part of the hospital’s beginning and for 50 years supported the hospital financially. We sincerely thank all the past benefactors associated with GNP for their unwavering support in our formative years. We realize however, that we must start a new era and financially stand on our own feet.
It is important to reflect on just how important this announcement is to the future of MRH and what a testament it is to the strength and resiliency of our hospital. By last count, 132 small rural hospitals (many of them Critical Access Hospitals like MRH) have closed across the country; 15 in 2020 so far. Three Maine hospitals closed during this period; one in 2013 and two in 2015. Two additional rural hospitals in Maine filed for bankruptcy in 2019.
“Countless other rural hospitals have reduced services, converted to just emergency care, or merged with other hospitals as a last lifeline. MRH is going in the opposite direction – we are building!” stated Robert Peterson, D.Sc., hospital CEO.
President of MRH Board of Trustees Mellissa McAvoy added, “We are investing in our future and strengthening MRH with the advent of the new Foundation. We are not shrinking or withering; we are taking definitive steps to assure MRH is here to provide comprehensive medical care for future generations.”
The Legacy Medical Foundation will seek outside capital funding and donations from a variety of sources to assure that MRH can upgrade its facilities, technology, and services to meet the needs of the Katahdin region for years to come. Please see the attached document for more specific details!
Please join us in celebrating the establishment of the Legacy Medical Foundation and the beginning of the next great chapter in the history of MRH! What will your “legacy” be?
Sincerely,
Mellissa McAvoy, MBA, CPA
President, Board of Trustees
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Millinocket Regional Hospital
Robert Peterson, D.Sc., FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Millinocket Regional Hospital
Michael Crowley
President
Legacy Medical Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/1/2020
Contact: Katie Mackin
Phone: (207) 723-7273
Email: kmackin@mrhme.org
Millinocket Regional Hospital Establishes Foundation
[MILLINOCKET, MAINE, October 1, 2020—] Millinocket Regional Hospital (MRH) is excited to announce the establishment of a new foundation to develop a comprehensive philanthropy and stewardship effort. The foundation will be led by its new president, Michael R. Crowley of Millinocket.
Legacy Medical Foundation is a new chapter of history for our hospital; building on the origin of MRH, initially Millinocket Community Hospital, which has traditionally been the beneficiary of long-term vision and personal investment as well as the longstanding promise to care for one another. This is the legacy of MRH. The foundation will work to support the preservation and expansion of services upholding this legacy through the development, expansion and coordination of multiple forms of fundraising on the hospital’s behalf.
MRH has a time-honored tradition to sustain and grow inpatient and primary care at the Millinocket hospital campus, wellness and therapies at the White Birch Medical Center, also in Millinocket, and Walk-In Care in East Millinocket. Private support will enable us to further develop these vital community assets and resources for the next generation of care at MRH.
How the foundation will operate:
• The new charitable foundation will be led by a community board that will work in concert with MRH Board of Trustees.
• Philanthropy programming will be donor centric and will include annual giving, signature event fundraising, planned giving, and capital fundraising campaigns.
• Legacy gifts will become perpetual support for key services and departments. These gifts will also enable MRH to most aggressively meet the evolving needs of the region and maintain pace with the rapid changes in health care delivery.
• All foundation initiatives will be focused on expanding access to care and wellness services provided in the Katahdin Region.
• Our new initiative will enable donors to confidently support our healthcare delivery today and build on a vision for the future of healthcare in the region.
• The foundation will safeguard donor gifts consistent with the most respected and trusted organizations of this type anywhere.
• Legacy Medical Foundation will continue to offer and support the time-honored philanthropic traditions of MRH and will introduce new ways for the region to engage in support to honor their legacies.
Legacy Medical Foundation will continue another long-standing tradition – the great fortune of accepting private funding for vital services to the residents in three Maine counties (Piscataquis, Penobscot, and Aroostook). The foundation will expand the base of private support with a plethora of funders previously unfamiliar with MRH through comprehensive philanthropy services.
Leading these efforts is foundation President, Michael Crowley, a Millinocket native with extensive experience in fundraising and stewardship for higher education, community development, and health care. He brings four decades of knowledge in innovative philanthropy programming, community service and advocacy to this new venture.
Michael has been instrumental in the development of organized systemic approaches for philanthropy at the University of Maine in Orono and Northern Light Health Foundation (formerly Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems). During his time at Northern Light Health Foundation, he developed programming that raised over $190,000,000 for the hospital. The most notable of the health system campaigns include: Children’s Miracle Network of Maine, capital campaigns for the Lafayette Cancer Center in Brewer, EMMC’s new main hospital pavilion, dialysis centers in three separate cities and expansion of the endowment portfolio from $700,000 to over $10,000,000.
While living in the Bangor area, Michael also served on numerous boards including the Bangor City Council as Councilor and Mayor/Chair. Since moving back to his hometown, he has worked with Our Katahdin and is volunteering for the 5th year as president of the 10,000 member Millinocket Education Foundation, also known as Millinocket-Stearns-St. Martin Alumni Association. He is Vice President of the Katahdin Chamber of Commerce and is an alternate member of the Millinocket Planning Board. When asked how he determined that Millinocket Regional Hospital was the next step in his career, Michael’s response was simple:
“Millinocket Regional Hospital is my healthcare provider. In fact, MRH has been taking caring of four generations of my family. Using my experience to bridge funder interests to the MRH mission is the newest chapter of my family relationship with MRH. Strengthening this essential community asset is humbling; I look forward to meeting and working with the talented women and men at MRH. I already have a personal connection with the community legacy of MRH.”
The hospital and its leadership team, along with Legacy Medical Foundation, are committed to providing care aligned with community needs and offering a broad range of wellness initiatives throughout the Katahdin Region for years to come. The establishment of this charitable foundation broadens the diversity of funding in support of patient care, inpatient services and community wellness programming.
Legacy Medical Foundation will soon announce their Charter Board, launch a dedicated website allied with the MRH website, and present philanthropy and hospital information on social media.
Welcome to our journey!
Legacy Medical Foundation
Supporting Millinocket Regional Hospital
200 Somerset Street, Millinocket ME 04462
www.mrhme.org/legacy
Office: (207) 723-7419
Mobile: (207) 356-8791
mcrowley@mrhme.org