Mayo Clinic announces $5 million gift to La Crosse cancer center
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Mayo Clinic is grateful to announce it has received a philanthropic gift of $5 million to support the renovation and expansion of the Mayo Clinic Health System Cancer Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Mayo Clinic benefactors Stephen and Barbara Slaggie, of Marco Island, Florida, and Winona, Minnesota, gave the gift in recognition of their long relationship with Mayo Clinic. It is an extension of the family’s past gifts and desire to see patients and community members receive the best help available in their time of need.
“We support the expansion of the cancer center in the region to complement and expand the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and we’re pleased to play the role that we are in bringing it to fruition,” Stephen Slaggie said.
Paul Mueller, M.D., regional vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, welcomed the gift.
“Having a cancer diagnosis is incredibly difficult for patients and their families,” Dr. Mueller said. “Offering comprehensive cancer services close to home makes it easier for patients to receive needed treatment. This generous gift allows us to expand and enhance this vital service.”
In recognition of this gift, Mayo Clinic will name the cancer center in honor of the Slaggie family. Naming details will be shared at the expansion opening later this year.
The expansion project is underway at the cancer center, and construction is scheduled to be completed this year. The expansion will add 3,900 square feet of space and also enlarge the pharmacy area. The project will add nine exam rooms and nine treatment chairs for medical oncology, as well as improve the workflow efficiency of the space and enhance the patient experience.
Since opening in September 2004, the number of patients receiving cancer care at the center has doubled. The expanded cancer center will allow Mayo Clinic to meet the region’s current patient demand and allow for future growth, allowing community members from the surrounding area to stay close to home while receiving cancer care.
The Slaggies are longtime Mayo Clinic patients and active members of their communities. In 2017 Ashley for the Arts, of Arcadia, Wisconsin, recognized the family with its Patron of the Arts award. The Slaggies were also recognized for their outstanding philanthropic endeavors by the Upper Mississippi Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of the La Crosse, Winona and Decorah, Iowa, regions.
In Marco Island, the Slaggies support various initiatives focusing on private schools and charities addressing the needs of the significant migrant worker family population. They were instrumental in establishing the Marco Island Community Foundation to direct assistance to where it is needed most.
The Slaggies’ gift to the cancer center in La Crosse is an extension of the Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Family Cancer Education Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It demonstrates the family’s gratitude for the level of care they have received over a 70-plus-year relationship with Mayo Clinic. The family welcomed the opportunity to support the expansion of cancer care to be offered in the Winona, La Crosse and rapidly growing surrounding area.
“It encouraged us so much to be a part of the project,” Barbara Slaggie said. “We’re so thankful to be a part of something so beneficial to people.”
The Slaggie family has also supported diabetes research, Mayo Clinic Connected Care, regenerative medicine and Mayo films, among other gifts.
The expanded cancer center will support the family’s and the clinic’s commitment to offering high-quality, compassionate cancer care to the people of La Crosse, Winona and surrounding communities.
Stephen and Barbara Slaggie
Press Contact
Rick Thiessee-mail: thiesse.ricky@mayo.edu
phone: 608-392-9435