Long Beach Island resident Michael (Mike) Armellino has donated $1 million toward the expansion of the operating room suites at Southern Ocean Medical Center. Mike, a retired Goldman Sachs executive, is a longtime donor who has given more than $3 million to fund improvements to the medical center in Manahawkin.
The latest gift will help enlarge four operating rooms that date back to the hospital’s opening in 1972. The project also will create two new surgical suites. Construction began in July.
Mike, who is 84, has seen many positive changes over the years at Southern Ocean. He expressed confidence in the leadership of president and chief hospital executive Michele Morrison, a nurse who has been at the helm since 2019.
“I’m a big believer in the importance of leadership,” he said. “I look at this as an investment, and I trust Michele and her team to use (the gift) in the best possible way.”
A North Jersey native, Mike now lives at the shore full-time but first became acquainted with Southern Ocean during family vacations on Long Beach Island. He said he was grateful for the compassionate care given to his 39-year-old daughter Tracy, who passed away in 2006. “The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and caring,” said Mike.
The Armellino family previously gave $1 million to name the Telemetry unit in memory of Tracy, and they also have donated to Southern Ocean’s emergency and cancer centers. In 2019, Mike gave $1 million to support the expansion of the Cardiac Catheterization/Interventional Radiology Lab.
Mike, who with his late wife, has three sons and seven grandchildren, said he’s pleased to make a contribution in his community and is confident about the medical center’s future.
His extended family, including his longtime partner Beverly Karch and her three children and three grandchildren, also look to Southern Ocean as a quality resource, he said.
“It’s nice to know there’s a good facility nearby. I’m sure the hospital will continue to move ahead.”
We thank Mike for this continued generosity and support through the years. We are so grateful! To make a gift in support of Southern Ocean Medical Center’s surgical expansion program, please visit GiveHMH.org/SouthernOcean.
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