SANFORD HEALTH FOUNDATION2023 REGIONAL IMPACT
GIVING FOR GOOD INBEMIDJI
Total raised: $771,800
Philanthropy is the piece that makes progress possible. With your support, we’re powering new insights, driving breakthroughs and providing patients and families with world-class, comprehensive care close to home. Thanks to you, we put philanthropy to work for patients and families across the Bemidji region in 2023 in areas like these:
CARING FORPATIENTS
- The new Bioness Integrated Therapy System is helping inpatient rehabilitation patients in Bemidji improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time and depth perception.
- New Centrella “smart” beds are helping staff at the Sanford Bagley Medical Center better monitor patients through contact-free detection of cardiac and respiratory motion.
- Complimentary wigs and head coverings for cancer patients at the Sanford Joe Lueken Cancer Center and teddy bears for emergency pediatric patients are bringing comfort to patients across our area.
CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITY
- At the Sanford Bemidji Crisis Center, the EmPATH unit is making a difference for those who need emergency psychiatric care. Short for Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing, the EmPATH unit is comprised of a family, adult and children’s space with multiple recliners, games, puzzles and more — all of which allow the patient a chance to decompress. Mental health providers then help build skills, such as anger management, anxiety reduction or depression reduction, all in a calm setting where patients can receive individually tailored care for up to 23 hours.
CARING FORTHE FUTURE
- We’re making sure staff remain ready and prepared to provide life-saving care through the use of REALITi, a cutting-edge simulator utilized during mock code exercises.
- We launched a new chapter for the Heart and Vascular Center thanks to a recent expansion and remodel.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Janice Lueken
Since her first gift, made with her husband more than 20 years ago, to her latest gift just a few months ago, Lueken’s generosity through the Sanford Health Foundation has continued to transform health care across the area by supporting efforts such as robotic-assisted surgical procedures at the Sanford Bemidji Heart and Vascular Center to the latest in cancer care.
“There’s no greater joy than to know we’re helping to bring health and healing to those right here in our community.”
— Janice Lueken, Bemidji philanthropist
GIVING FOR GOOD INBISMARCK
Total raised: $747,000
With your support, we’re fueling leading-edge technology, enhancing care and accelerating new breakthroughs — helping patients live longer, healthier lives. Thanks to you, we put philanthropy to work for patients and families across the Bismarck region in 2023 in areas like these:
CARING FORKIDS
- Our tiniest patients are finding brighter futures thanks to leading-edge care and equipment in our NICU.
- Pediatric patients are experiencing joy and laughter thanks to our Child Life Specialists.
- Student-athletes are excelling thanks to Sanford Sports scholarships, and kids across our communities are finding hope and healing thanks to access to behavioral health support in local schools.
CARING FORTHOSE WHO CARE FOR US
- Supporting the health and well-being of our frontline workers with opportunities to reset and rejuvenate in the “Zen Den,” the Medical Center’s new wellness room.
- Filling vital workforce needs through our Internationally Educated Nurse program and through scholarships for nursing students in partnership with NDSU.
- Ensuring our staff remains on the leading-edge of care thanks to high-fidelity simulation equipment.
CARING FORTHOSE WITH CANCER
- Making sure no cancer patient fights alone thanks to efforts like our Look Good Feel Better Program, as well as complimentary wigs and head coverings.
- Providing support for patients who are traveling far from home, including gas cards and assistance with lodging.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Walter & Carolyn Frank
Over his 34-year career with Sanford Health, Dr. Walter Frank has cared for, literally, thousands of hearts across western North Dakota.
Even though he’s now retired, Dr. Frank is still caring for hearts — this time through the goodness of his own.
“My wife and I believe in being part of the community and giving back to the community. This hospital has been a part of my life for a long time, and I would like to see it rise.”
—Dr. Walter Frank, Bismarck philanthropist
GIVING FOR GOOD INFARGO
Total raised: $6.3 million
Because of your generosity, we’re advancing new treatments, fueling discovery and providing compassionate care to help patients and families navigate some of life’s most challenging journeys. Thanks to you, we put philanthropy to work for patients and families across the Fargo region in 2023 in areas like these:
CARING FORPATIENTS
- We’re transforming care for those with cancer and blood disorders thanks to our world-class bone marrow transplant program at the Roger Maris Cancer Center. In 2023, we launched the latest innovation in care — CAR-T cell therapy. This cutting-edge, life-saving practice collects a patient’s own T cells and genetically modifies them to recognize, grow and attack their own cancer cells.
CARING FORKIDS
- Providing brighter futures for our tiniest newborns — babies born before the 26th week of pregnancy or who weigh less than 28 ounces — thanks to the new micropreemie program inside the NICU at Sanford Children’s.
- Enhancing the care we provide for pediatric trauma patients and families thanks to the KangooFix Neonatal Restraint System, a new device in many Sanford ambulances which can transport mothers and newborns together following births that occur outside the hospital.
- Helping student-athletes develop valuable life skills through the new Teiken Academy.
CARINGACROSS THE COMMUNITY
- In 2023, we opened the new Veterans Lounge inside the Sanford Broadway Medical Center, a special place to recognize and celebrate enlisted and veteran service members.
- We stocked Wellness Pantries across our rural network and Sanford Children’s clinics for patients and families who identify as food insecure.
- We advanced important facility enhancements and renovations at our Thief River Falls and Mayville medical centers.
A LEGACY OF GIVING
Norma Peltier
For Norma Peltier, giving back was simply a way to pay it forward. Sharing her resources, her time and her ideas for the greater good of all, Norma’s caring fingerprints can be felt across the Fargo area.
When it comes to health care, her philanthropic impact to Sanford Health and Fargo-area patients has been simply extraordinary.
GIVING FOR GOOD INSIOUX FALLS
Total raised: $7.4 million
With your support, we’re forgoing the status quo and blazing a new trail — pioneering life-saving medical research and enhancing care for patients at every age and every stage of life. Thanks to you, we put philanthropy to work for patients and families across the Sioux Falls region in 2023 in areas like these:
CARING FORKIDS AND FAMILIES
- Enhancing the care we provide through Sanford Child’s Voice, one of only three nationally accredited Child Advocacy Centers in South Dakota, thanks to a new full-time behavioral health therapist. Funded entirely thanks to philanthropy, this position is providing crucial on-site mental health support services to children and families in crisis.
- Providing nearly one ton of food each week to patient families through Kids’ Kitchen, the food pantry located inside Sanford Children’s Hospital.
CARING FORPATIENTS
- Giving strength to those impacted by breast cancer thanks to our team of Nurse Navigators, complimentary wig and head covering offerings, and survivorship programs.
- Enhancing care in our network communities with the addition of new 3D mammography — ensuring women have access to cutting-edge early detection technology, no matter where they live.
CARING FORTHE FUTURE
- Our team of expert researchers continues to work toward a cure for type 1 diabetes. In 2023, we treated our first patients with Tzield, a medication proven to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
David & Christine Billion
For David and Christine Billion, building a brighter tomorrow begins by investing in kids today.
From supporting programs for underserved youth, to their recent gift through the Sanford Health Foundation for a new park and respite area outside the Sanford Children’s Hospital, the Billions are using philanthropy to make a difference in the lives of kids across the Sioux Falls area.
“We believe every child deserves a bright future, no matter their circumstance. We’re inspired by the amazing work Sanford Children’s Hospital does to bring not only healing and hope to local kids and families.”
—David & Christine Billion, Sioux Falls philanthropists