The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has announced a $60 million gift from philanthropist Helene Houle in support of efforts to transform the delivery of health care in Minnesota.

In honor of the gift, the recently completed 430,000-square-foot tower at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Mary's Campus, will be named after Houle's husband, John Nasseff, who died in 2018 on his ninety-fourth birthday.

The family are longtime supporters of the medical center. Nasseff's youngest son, Arthur, had lifesaving surgery at Saint Mary's Hospital as a teenager in the 1960s, and over the years Nasseff and Houle made several gifts to Mayo in honor of his surgeon, Burton Onofrio, as well as other physicians who have cared for the family.

"John Nasseff and Helene Houle have had a significant impact on Mayo Clinic over the decades of their support," said Mayo president and CEO Gianrico Farrugia. "We are incredibly grateful to Ms. Houle for this generous gift, and we cannot think of a more fitting way to honor Mr. Nasseff."

"When I go to Mayo, I know I'm going to receive the best care possible," said Houle. "There's a special human touch that gives you confidence in knowing you are getting the answers you can trust.”