MMC expansion receives $10.5M in pledges, including largest-ever family donation
Rendering/Courtesy Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Center will rename its East Tower the Coulombe Family Tower, and the new heliport on top the Linda and Diana Bean Heliport, to show its appreciation for philanthropic pledges announced on Tuesday.
Maine Medical Center said Tuesday it has received $10.5 million in philanthropic pledges, including a record $7.5 million from a single family.
Paul and Giselaine Coulombe and their daugther, Michelle, have pledged $7.5 million, the largest gift from a family in MaineMed's history. Inspired by their generosity, Linda and Diana Bean have pledged a gift of $3 million.
In recognition and appreciation for the donations, MaineMed said it will rename its East Tower the Coulombe Family Tower and the new heliport atop the tower the Linda and Diana Bean Heliport. The tower expansion is expected to be complete in late 2019.
“Paul, Giselaine, Michelle, Linda and Diana are generous beyond belief. But more importantly, they recognize an opportunity to make a transformative investment in the care that patients receive,” said Richard Petersen, MaineMed CEO and MaineHealth president, in a news release emailed after the announcement.
He added: “The Coulombe Family Tower is going to become synonymous with life-changing experiences as the home of some of our most critical women’s and children’s services, emergency medicine and our new state-of-the-art oncology unit. We applaud the Coulombe and Bean families, their vision for health in our community, and welcome them to our own MMC family with open arms.”
The Coulombe Family Tower sits above MMC’s Emergency Department and is home to MMC’s Labor and Delivery unit, Mother-Baby services, prenatal and pediatric short stay care, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and other women’s and children’s services.
The five-story structure is undergoing an expansion as part of the medical center’s modernization project that will add two floors with 64-private beds dedicated to oncology care. The two new helipads on top of the tower also will allow medical staff and first responders direct access to the emergency department.
The Coulombe family recognizes that MaineMed cares for Maine’s sickest patients, and needs to modernize its facilities to continue serving that need.
“Maine Medical Center has played a huge role in our lives, particularly my wife’s life, in the last five years,” said Paul Coulombe. “We live in Boothbay Harbor, which is a rural community, so Maine Medical Center is critical not just for Portland or Cumberland County, but it certainly plays a big role for the entire state of Maine.”
Who the donors are
Paul Coulombe is a Lewiston native and entrepreneur.
He and his wife, Giselaine, a cancer survivor who received care at MaineMed through the MaineHealth Cancer Care Network, have made numerous philanthropic and community investments, including a generous gift to establish the Coulombe Center for Health Improvement at LincolnHealth in Boothbay Harbor, a regional center for health and wellness that opened in 2015. LincolnHealth is part of MaineHealth.
“I am grateful for the compassionate, coordinated care I’ve received at Maine Medical Center,” said Giselaine Coulombe. “As a cancer survivor, it is so special to be part of a project that will make high quality, life-saving care more accessible to oncology patients from across Maine.”
Michelle Coulombe-Hagerty, who serves as president of the Coulombe Family Foundation, has a particular interest in improving the lives of children in Maine. “Maine Medical Center has a strong commitment to the health and well-being of children throughout the state,” said Coulombe-Hagerty. “My hope is that our gift will help enhance the hospital’s ability to deliver crucial services to every child and family that needs them.”
Linda Bean is a businesswoman and philanthropist who owns Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine, a group of shops, restaurants and rentals in Maine’s midcoast region. She and her sister, Diana, are strong supporters of LifeFlight of Maine. The pledge is a nod to MaineMed's expanded heliport featuring twin helipads.
“Those of us involved in LifeFlight of Maine join in celebrating the gift of The Coulombe Family Tower surmounted with two helipads,” said Linda Bean. “With the combination of Maine Medical Center and LifeFlight providing the latest in emergency helicopter medical technology, we have the best chance to extend the outreach of MMC’s skilled doctors, nurses and staff to wherever emergencies happen.”
The Coulombe Family Tower expansion project was approved in March by the Portland Planning Board as part of the first site plan application under MaineMed's $534 million expansion and modernization project. Overall, the entire project will add 128 private rooms, add 19 procedure rooms for surgeries and other complex treatments, re-orient the front of MMC to Congress Street and greatly improve parking access for patients and staff.
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