Courtesy Photo Besser Foundation recently committed $300,000 to the MidMichigan Health Foundation for the new patient tower project at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena. Pictured left to right: Ann Burton, member, MidMichigan Health Foundation, and trustee, Besser Foundation; Hal Neiman, chair, MidMichigan Health Foundation Development Council; Dr. Bob Currier, chair, MidMichigan Health Foundation patient tower campaign; Gary Dawley, manager/treasurer, Besser Foundation; and Ann Diamond, development director, MidMichigan Health Foundation.

ALPENA — Dedicated to the community, Besser Foundation recently committed $300,000 to the MidMichigan Health Foundation for the new patient tower project at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena. Construction on the 99,000 square-foot project began on July 7, and is slated to be complete in spring 2022.

According to Gary Dawley, secretary/treasurer for Besser Foundation, this gift represents the ongoing commitment of the Foundation to Alpena and reinforces the importance of the Medical Center and ensuring quality health care is available to the community.

“MidMichigan Health is an outstanding organization and Besser Foundation is proud to support their investment in Alpena with this significant project,” said Dawley. “We have offered this contribution as a matching gift and we hope it will encourage others to contribute to this monumental project.”

Alpena’s future patient tower will be the largest project the Medical Center in Alpena has ever completed. The $63.5 million expansion and renovation project features a three-story patient tower. The tower will house 60 new private patient rooms, including eight intensive care unit beds, eight labor and delivery rooms, and 44 medical/surgical/telemetry beds. It will also include 18 prep and recovery rooms, as well as five new operating rooms.

Over the years, Besser Foundation has generously supported patient care and advanced technology at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena.

“For many of our major projects, Besser Foundation has always come alongside the Medical Center as one of the first and most significant gifts,” said Ann Diamond, development director, MidMichigan Health Foundation . “They have been major donors to our 1996 Capital Campaign, provided fetal monitoring equipment for the Women’s Health Unit, and most recently, they were a lead gift in the Emergency Department renovation.”

Diamond expressed the gratitude of this gift on behalf of the MidMichigan Health Foundation, “The presence and dedication of Besser Foundation in our community is outstanding and, unquestionably, this gift is another lasting legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Besser.”

For more information about the new patient tower project at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena contact Diamond at 989-356-7738 or ann.diamond@midmichigan.org.