Photo Caption: (left to right) Dr. Terry Baxter, chief medical officer, Borgess Medical Center, and Tony McDonnell, executive director, Borgess Foundation, unveil Kay Pierce’s portrait.
With about 300 staff and community members looking on, Borgess-Pipp Hospital unveiled a special portrait of Kay Pierce at an open house on Thursday, May 20.
The open house celebrated the remarkable gift Pierce left behind to help sustain the hospital she supported and loved. “We were blessed by Kay’s generosity, as well as the confidence she placed both in our hospital and the community she embraced her entire life,” said John Ryder, administrator, Borgess-Pipp Hospital. “Thanks to her extraordinary vision and $2 million gift, a renewal of our hospital’s spirit and atmosphere has been realized.”
Enhancements made to the hospital as a result of Pierce’s gift include:
- Main floor hallway renovations
- Inpatient room renovations
- New nurse’s station
- Main waiting room renovation
- Laboratory blood draw area
- Powered ambulance cots
- Laboratory chemistry and hematology analyzers
- Two bariatric specialty beds
- Outpatient rehabilitation gym expansion and department renovation
- Dual-head computed tomography (CT) scan contrast injector
- Portable ultrasound system for emergency department
Along with Pierce’s portrait unveiling, the free open house also offered guests tours and refreshments.
About Kay Pierce
Kay Pierce’s connection to Borgess-Pipp Hospital was woven into the fabric of her life.
When she passed away on March 2, 2009, the 90-year-old resident left her entire estate worth more than $2 million to the Borgess Foundation to be used exclusively for providing improvements and acquiring new equipment at Borgess-Pipp Hospital.
Pierce was the daughter of Dr. Willard “Bob” Vaughn, one of the founders of modern health care in Plainwell. Vaughn was a respected family practitioner who helped organize William Crispe Community Hospital, the precursor to Borgess-Pipp Hospital.
A 1935 graduate from Plainwell High School, Pierce enrolled in Hollins University in Virginia and then Tulane University in New Orleans. Kay and her husband, Donald, were happily married for 26 years until his death in 2000. Donald, who ran his family’s insurance business in Plainwell, was also active on the Crispe Hospital Board.
Described as gracious, caring and friendly by many who knew her, Pierce’s trademark saying was “Laughter is the best medicine.” From her commitment to volunteering to serving as a trustee for over 20 years, Pierce’s dedication to Borgess-Pipp Hospital was loving and lifelong.
About Borgess-Pipp Hospital
Borgess-Pipp Hospital delivers comprehensive health services to Plainwell, Otsego and surrounding communities, from laboratory and diagnostic imaging to long-term acute and “no wait” emergency care. A member of Borgess Health, the largest health care provider in southwest Michigan, Borgess-Pipp Hospital also has the resources to offer specialized, nationally recognized medicine.
