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By Ayanna Eckblad

The Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition will host their Building for the Future Gala Sept. 14 at the John and Susan Morrison Medical Plaza, formerly the Herberger’s building.

The event will feature live music, dancing, food from various restaurants in the area, drinks, a cash bar, a live and silent auction and more.

Musical talent at the event will include the high school orchestra, Sundae and Mr. Goessl jazz band, and The Johnny Holm Band. The goal of the event is to raise money to bring affordable health care to Albert Lea and surrounding communities, according to organizers.

“I hope it brings people out, have a great evening, celebrate progress and keep people’s eyes on the ball for how far the coalition has come,” said gala co-chair Mark Habben.

He explained the road to this gala has been difficult, but he always knew it would be.

“We all want to be able to have affordable, reliable … health care,” he said.

The Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition held a similar event 2 1/2 years ago and planned to make the event an annual occurrence. However, there were different setbacks. The event was tabled when MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center closed its Albert Lea location in August 2023. According to Habben, this caused the coalition to take a step back and reset before hosting another large event.

Matters were further complicated when United Hospital District of Blue Earth, who announced it would open a clinic in Albert Lea, decided not to pursue the venture and announced its decision in August.

Despite the setbacks, the Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition made the decision to go forward with hosting the gala. Habben said a lot of people in the community had already donated money, time and resources. Additionally, he said, the goal of the coalition — to make quality health care accessible in Albert Lea — remained the same.

“Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is find someone … who wants to be a strong anchor in the community for health care options,” Habben said.

One of the goals of the grassroots organization, he said, was to bring back services the community currently needed, such as a labor and delivery center.

The coalition designed the gala to mirror the event hosted 2 1/2 years ago.

“It’s very similar, same band, a lot of the same food vendors, just trying to be a second rendition of it,” Habben said.

Habben encouraged the community to keep an open mind about the event. In addition to raising money, he also hopes the gala continues to drive the conversation around accessible health care in the area. He believes when the time is right, the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place, even if it is not on the schedule the coalition planned.

“It will be a great night,” he said. “We’ve got a good team in place.”

Tickets for the gala are $100 per person or tables for $1,000 or $2,000 and cover food, beer and wine. Because the Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition is a 501(c)(3) organization, money people spend on tickets are eligible for tax benefits. Tickets can be purchased at Leutholds, Cento, Between Friends, Homestead Boutique and from Habben or coalition trustee Jean Eaton.