Another Hefty Donation To Mark Twain Medical Center
MTMC leaders review plans for the Betty Higgins Surgery Center. L to R: William Glover, Gary Arvin, Doug Archer, Pardeep Athwal MD and Charanjit "CJ" Singh.
San Andreas, CA – For the second year in a row Mark Twain Medical Center (MTMC) has received a substantial gift from a donor to renovate its surgery center.
Last year the hospital received a $4.5-million gift, a record-breaking amount as reported here. Now the same donors, the Wings of Freedom Foundation, have put up another $3-million. MTMC Philanthropy Manager C.J. Singh had this reaction to the news, “They really wanted us to have a state-of-the-art facility. We definitely were shocked, but we were really amazed at the commitment of the family towards our hospital.”
The large gift was made in memory of Betty M. Higgins, a long-term, quiet supporter of Calaveras County. She was a published author of children’s books and a prolific oil painter with a love of working in her vast garden, according to MTMC officials. Once completed the surgery department will be named the Betty Higgins Surgical Center in honor of her commitment to the community. It will be state-of-the-art and equipment upgrades have already begun, in fact, Singh says it started immediately after receiving the first donation. He explained it this way, “The original equipment that was purchased was equivalent to like an iPhone 10 or 11. Every year technology is upgraded, so for us to get to the latest technology we are purchasing now what I would say is the iPhone 13.”
MTMC has already spent about half a million dollars on the upgraded equipment, but most of the money is going to go to construction in renovating the surgery center. For the community, the new facility means, “You’ll have state-of-the-art equipment that’s available at some really, really big hospitals available in a small community like ours,” touted Singh.
Word about the funding has traveled fast in a small community with Singh noting that he continues to receive calls, emails and text messages from the public excited about the upgrades underway that will allow more patients to not have to travel out of the county for their healthcare needs. The hospital is targeting January of 2023 for the construction to begin and a completion date has not yet been set. Singh added, “The total investment of $7.5 million will help meet the ever-changing needs of our community tomorrow and well into the future.”
Further details regarding the Mark Twain Medical Center Foundation can be found by visiting supportmarktwain.org or contacting CJ Singh at 209-754-2624.
