Tioga, ND — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted
$326,201 to Tioga Medical Center to purchase a general ultrasound machine and a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) machine as part of a $27.4 million ultrasound initiative in North Dakota.
The initiative includes more than $21.8 million to help 69 North Dakota hospitals and health centers purchase ultrasound imaging devices and nearly $5.7 million to boost sonography and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) training opportunities across the state.
"We are grateful to have received such a generous grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust," said Jamie Eraas, Tioga Medical Center President and CEO. "We are committed to providing our patients with the healthcare they need right here at home, and this grant has made that possible."
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside the body. This safe, cost-effective tool supports other clinical information to help providers make timely diagnoses and provide appropriate treatment.
“Until now, we’ve relied on an outside company to provide ultrasound services. With these new ultrasound machines available in-house, we can provide a more streamlined and convenient experience for our patients,” said Kresta Hauge, Tioga Medical Center Radiology Manager.
Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grants will help improve access to top-notch medical treatment for North Dakotans, whether they live in Fargo, Bismarck, or Grand Forks, or a smaller rural community such as Bottineau, Rugby, or Hettinger.
“These grants will help ensure that hospitals and health centers across North Dakota have the latest in state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment and training,” Panzirer said. “Facilities need to stay current with rapidly advancing technology so they can continue to provide the very best healthcare close to home.”
The majority (134) of the devices purchased through the grants are POCUS machines, which are used by providers at the bed or tableside for immediate assessment of a patient to quickly determine a course of action. The grants will also provide 57 general ultrasound systems and 24 cardiovascular ultrasound systems, which aid in imaging of the heart.
The initiative also includes nearly $1.9 million to North Dakota State University and nearly $3.8 million to High Quality Medical Education (HQMEDED) to expand sonographer expertise and provide comprehensive POCUS training to doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Additionally, more than $64,000 will go to individual facilities to boost sonographer training.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust has committed a total of $72 million to fund ultrasound equipment and training initiatives for rural communities and underserved populations in Nevada, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming.
(Additional information including photos and b-roll video can be downloaded from https://helmsleytrust.box.com/s/prhpsbah1ldnd5cun4lcyehhw5474zo9)
About the Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $750 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.
About Tioga Medical Center
A nonprofit healthcare system, Tioga Medical Center proudly serves the communities of northwest North Dakota with clinics in Tioga, Ray and Powers Lake; a 25-bed critical access hospital; a Long-Term Care center; and Independent Living apartments. For more information, visit www.tiogahealth.org
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