John And Leslie Malone, Colorado Couple, Donates $25 Million To Maine Medical Center

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Colorado couple is donating $25 million to a capital campaign for Maine Medical Center, the state's largest hospital. The largest single donation to the hospital comes from John and Leslie Malone, who spend summers in Boothbay Harbor. Leslie Malone recently received cardiac care at the hospital.

"We were very impressed by the level of care that Leslie received at Maine Medical Center," John Malone said in a statement. "We believe strongly in supporting healthcare innovation, and ensuring that all who call Maine home have access to world-class care."

The donation will go to the hospital's $150 million capital improvement program. A new tower for cardiac and vascular service, which will be named for the Malones, will consolidate the hospital's cardiac and vascular care into one building. It will feature modern surgery space and 64 patient beds.

John Malone, 80, is a cable television executive, former CEO of Tele-Communications Inc. and chairman of Liberty Media, which owns the Atlanta Braves. He's also a large landowner whose holdings include 1 million acres in Maine, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Malone, who serves on the board of the libertarian Cato Institute, has given tens of millions of dollars in donations to other institutions including
Colorado State University, Yale University and John Hopkins University. He's also a political donor who gave $500,000 to a political action committee that supported GOP Sen. Susan Collins' reelection.

With the gift, Maine Med has now raised $135 million of its $150 million goal. The project, called The Next 150, comes 150 years after the cornerstone of the original hospital was set.

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