Helping Hand

Philanthropists, many of them with personal attachments to hospitals, lend their names to wings and centers, but their giving spirit goes beyond bricks and mortar

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St. John Van Elslander Pavilion

MOUNT CLEMENS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Some institutions benefit from community leaders who adopt them as a cause. The name of Macomb County Treasurer Ted B. Wahby is now attached to the hospital’s Cancer Center in honor of his ongoing fundraising efforts.

Mount Clemens’ Mat Gaberty Heart Center is named for Gaberty, a St. Clair Shores resident and former Macomb County road commissioner who continues to plan and organize events that raise awareness and money to fight heart disease.

Gaberty’s father died of a heart attack when he (Mat) was 18. The younger Gaberty underwent heart-bypass surgery at another hospital, and he worried about his wife’s having to drive to another county each day to visit him. As a result, he wanted to help provide quality cardiac care closer to home, in Macomb County.

ST. JOHN HEALTH

Most metro Detroiters are familiar with the Van Elslander family’s financial support of Detroit’s Thanksgiving parade.

They have also donated funds for health care. The new Van Elslander Pavilion at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit is part of a $163-million hospital expansion. St. John’s Van Elslander Cancer Center (VECC) also bears the name of the Art Van (furniture stores) chairman and CEO.

Other names attached to the expansion project include: Gretchen C. Valade, owner of Mack Avenue Records and chairwoman of Carhartt, Inc.; Anthony L. Soave, president and CEO of Soave Enterprises; Richard and Jane Manoogian (Richard is executive chairman of Masco Corp.) Also contributing to the VECC were Meade Lexus owner Ken Meade, and his wife, Deborah; and broadcast executive Robert Liggett and his wife, Victoria.

The new hospital in Novi was offering naming rights for $15 million.

CRITTENTON

Named areas at Crittenton reflect the local Rochester area and the farm fields where the hospital now stands.

The Howard L. McGregor Jr. Ambulatory Services Center bears the name of a Rochester resident who was president and CEO of National Twist Drill in Rochester. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Crittenton Hospital when it was in Detroit, and then served as a member of the planning team for Crittenton in Rochester. In 1965, McGregor donated a portion of his farmland to build the hospital.

The Bertha Van Hoosen Mother-Baby Unit reflects Rochester history. Dr. Van Hoosen, a member of a notable pioneering Rochester family, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1888. A highly regarded surgeon, Van Hoosen was instrumental in developing the use of “twilight sleep” for women in childbirth. Her popular book, Petticoat Surgeon, was published in 1947.

HENRY FORD

The hospital that bears the name of one of the world’s most famous industrialists reflects the generosity of several high-profile residents and businesses.

Among them is another Ford. Josephine (Dody) Ford donated $10 million to establish a cancer center for the Henry Ford Health System. The Josephine Ford Cancer Center was established in memory of her late husband, Walter B. Ford.

Among the best known is the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center. Family and friends of David Hermelin — a leading philanthropist, businessman, and former U.S. ambassador to Norway — pledged $10 million to launch a brain-tumor research center within the department of neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital. Hermelin, who was treated for a brain tumor at Henry Ford, died in 2000.

In making the donation, Hermelin said, “The time is here to make a real difference in people’s lives. The new research that will be done at the center will provide new hope for thousands of patients with brain tumors.”

BEAUMONT

The philanthropic support of Florine and J. Peter Ministrelli — who own and develop commercial, residential, and vacant-land properties — began when Dr. Jose Gonzalez introduced Peter to Dr. William O’Neill, who needed private philanthropy to underwrite some innovative research efforts. The Ministrellis have helped fund the Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging, The Program for Urology Research and Education, and The Ministrelli Women’s Heart Center, all of which bear their names.

The Harold & Marian Poling Neuroscience Center was established when Harold Poling, the former CEO and Chairman of Ford Motor Co., and his wife, Marian, made a $5-million personal gift and helped to raise an additional $10 million from the community.

The Vattikuti Digital Breast Diagnostic Center was made possible by a significant gift from Raj and Padma Vattikuti. Rajendra Vattikuti is founder of Covansys.

The Rose Cancer Center and Rose Center for Adaptive Imaging were made possible by gifts from the Rose family (Edward and Lillian). Edward Rose founded Edward Rose & Sons, a family-owned real-estate development business headquartered in Farmington Hills.

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