CLEARWATER, Fla. (Nov. 8, 2006) — A Clearwater hospital is celebrating the opening of a state-of-the-art cardiac treatment center thanks in large part to a $5 million donation from Tire Industry Association (TIA) past president Larry Morgan.
The new $52 million Morgan Heart Hospital, part of the Morton Plant Hospital, opened in October after three years of planning and construction. Creation of the center received a boost from Mr. Morgan, his wife Patty and their family, who contributed the largest gift in the hospital's history.
Mr. Morgan, CEO and owner of Morgan Auto Group, which operates three car dealerships, was the former owner of Morgan Tire & Auto Inc., which operated the Tires Plus dealership chain until its purchase in 2001 by Bridgestone/Firestone. He said he chose to make the donation to the cardiac center after spending several years on hospital committees and becoming “infatuated with the health care situation.”
“I spent a third of my life learning, a third of my life earning and I decided to spend the rest of my life returning,” Mr. Morgan told Tire Business.
The new hospital addition is the single largest expansion in the hospital's 90-year history. The facility encompasses four surgical suites, four cardiac catheterization labs, two cardiac electrophysiology suites and 179 patient rooms.