Robert S. Morrison Foundation awards $1 million grant to ACMC

ASHTABULA — The Robert S. Morrison Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to Ashtabula County Medical Center and the ACMC Foundation to support the new patient care tower being built on the hospital’s campus.

“The vision of the Robert S. Morrison Foundation is to improve the lives of people in the Ashtabula area,” said Louise Raffa, executive director and co-president. “Every day, the caregivers at ACMC embody that vision by providing care that heals wounds, cures illness, and enhances quality of life. The new patient care tower will have a positive effect on our communities for decades.”

ACMC Healthcare System President and CEO Leonard Stepp, Jr., said the grant for the patient care tower continues a history of support.

“The Robert S. Morrison Foundation has been a supporter of ACMC and our efforts to ensure quality care is available in Ashtabula County,” he said. “Previous grants provided funding to restart our Behavioral Medicine Unit, build the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, and renovate our Cancer and Infusion Center. The foundation also donated money during the COVID-19 pandemic for caregiver experience.”

“The Robert S. Morrison Foundation funds projects that focus on long-term, community improvement,” said Alec Raffa executive director co-president. “ACMC has a 119-year history of improving the lives of Ashtabula County residents. This donation recognizes those years of caring for the community and it recognizes what the new patient care tower will mean for healthcare in the future.”

In addition to the history of grants given through the Robert S. Morrison Foundation, the Raffa family has been a long-time supporter of the ACMC Foundation.

Sandi Kanicki, chairperson of the ACMC Foundation Board of Directors, said, “Dr. Tom and Louise Raffa were regular donors and always at foundation events. Louise was also an active member of the ACMC Foundation board for a number of years, and is still an honorary trustee.”

In recognition of the grant from the Robert S. Morrison Foundation and the contributions of the Raffa family, the Emergency Department in the new patient care tower will be named the Robert S. Morrison Emergency Department and the community room will be named the Dr. Thomas and Louise Raffa Education and Community Center.

The new patient care tower is scheduled to open in June 2024. It will house 55 private patient rooms, 24 Emergency Department rooms, five state-of-the-art operating rooms, and an education/conference center.

The ACMC Wound Healing Center and the Gift Shop will also relocate to the new tower.