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GRAND F ORKS , N ORTH D AKO TA
Vol. 32, No. 3 Published for friends and supporters of Altru Health Foundation March 2018
altru.org/foundation
AltruHEALTH FOUNDATION
®
WWJDWhat wouldJanelle do?page 6
Your comments, concerns and questionsare always welcome.
PLEASE CONTACTAlex Burns, [email protected]
Legacy is published as a service of Altru Health Foundation.
ALTRU HEALTH FOUNDATIONP.O. Box 6002Grand Forks, ND 58206-6002701.780.5600altru.org/foundation
Jon Green, Executive Director
Randy Schoenborn, Client Development Director
Kelsey Huttunen, Grant Program Director
Alex Burns, Client Communications Director
Sara Bernhardt, Administrative Assistant
altru.org/foundation
COVER PHOTO
Dan and Janelle Mulroy withdaughters Alyssa and Allison -page 6
Once again you, our generous donors, have created another successful year.
How do we measure success? The typical method of the total value ofdonors’ gifts could be used. But we choose to use a different measurement.That being the impact our donors’ have in our patients’ lives.
Picture the single mom when told her child needs the specialists at Mayo inRochester Minnesota and she knows she can’t afford the trip. Imagine hearingthe sigh of relief when she’s told her travel expenses will be paid by donors whogave to the Caring for Kids fund.
Or the young mom with a spouse and children from a distant ruralcommunity 150 miles from Grand Forks hearing the news she has breastcancer. And if the diagnosis isn’t stressful enough she knows her family can’tafford the months of trips for treatment in Grand Forks. Imagine one stressorreduced when told the donors to Filling the Gap fund will assist them withtravel expenses.
These are only two examples out of thousands of patient stories that you,our donors, make possible every day, year after year.
As I personally witness the difference you make in the lives of others, mywords of appreciation, no matter how sincere, seem inadequate.
Please know that I, along with the patients and their families, will neverstop saying thank you for your generosity.
Wishing you all the best of health.
Respectfully,
Jon GreenExecutive Director
From the Director
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$261,000
$591,000
$585,000
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Sandy Dittus, ChairpersonAttorney, Zimney Foster P.C.
Amanda Bentow, Vice ChairpersonCommunity Representative
Gregg Halverson, Honorary Chairperson CEO, Black Gold Farms
Bill Widman, Secretary/TreasurerC.L. Linfoot Company Consultant
Jenny ArelRealtor, Coldwell Banker Forks Real Estate
Skip GreenbergPresident, Greenberg Realty
Andrea Lays, M.D.Physician, Altru Health System
Keith LundPresident & CEO, Grand Forks RegionEconomic Development (EDC)
Monica MusichPresident, VALDAK Corporation
Jeanne PetersonFinancial Advisor, Edward Jones
Karen ThingelstadVice President, CFO Minnkota PowerCooperative
Jon Green, ex-officioExecutive Director, Altru Health Foundation
Dave Molmen, ex-officioCEO, Altru Health System
Eric Lunn, M.D., ex-officioPresident, Altru Health System
ALTRU HEALTH FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Patient Assistance» Caring for Kids» Charitable care» Colorectal cancer screenings for financially eligible
patients» Diabetes Center – free foot and vision care to
financially eligible patients» Filling the Gap – travel and hotel assistance» Free mammograms to financially eligible patients» HARP – nutritional supplements for renal dialysis
patients» Healthy n’ Fit Kids – weight loss scholarships» Hospice pain medications and care» Prescription assistance» Spin for Kids (pediatric rehab therapies) scholarships» Spirit of Caring for employee assistance
Patient Care Equipment» Blood bank equipment» Blood pressure monitors» Cardiac/Pulmonary rehabilitation equipment» Cardiology equipment» Child Life program equipment» Diabetes monitoring equipment» Electronic otoscopes for Telemedicine » 2017 Polaris Sunset Red 1000XP and 2017 Mission
trailer for Ambulance Services» Pulmonary equipment» Telemedicine equipment for rural clinics» Renal Dialysis Equipment» Rehab pediatric therapy diagnostic and treatment
equipment» Hospice Equipment
Patient Care Programs/Services» Ambulance Services» Autism Screening Clinic» Baby and Me Tobacco Free» Camp Good Mourning» Cancer patient clinical trials through Mayo Clinic» Cardio/pulmonary rehab» Caring for Kids—assisting families with children
battling chronic conditions» Child Life support to hospitalized kids» Colorectal cancer awareness and education» Healthy n’ Fit Kids nutrition education» Heart channel education» Holistic Care through complementary therapies» Infant Bereavement Program» MS (multiple sclerosis) Clinic» Pediatric Therapy Services» Reach Out and Read» Safe Kids» Spin for Kids adapter equipment for kids» Stroke awareness education» Suicide prevention and education» Tobacco Cessation
Your Gifts Impacted Patients in 2017Here are just some of the ways your gifts have made a difference in the communities Altru serves.
Patient assistance
Patient care equipment
Patient care programs/services
Total: $1,922,000
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Giving Hearts Day raised over$16,000 for Bereavement Services
Altru Health Foundation participated in Giving Hearts Day 2018, a 24-houronline fundraising event held on February 8, 2018. Contributions of $10 or morewere matched by Altru Alliance, Dakota Medical Foundation, C & R Cleaners andLaundry, Truyu Aesthetics Center, and Yorhom Medical Essentials.
For the past 5 years Grace and her husband, Todd, have struggled throughinfertility, resulting in their decision to become foster parents. “The children havebeen in our home for over two years, and we have good hopes of adopting them,”explains Grace. “In January of this year I discovered I was pregnant, and then lostmy baby at 10 weeks. With that loss came the dashing of so many dreams andhopes. At the hospital, I was introduced to the Wings of Hope program. I soappreciated the gentle caring that came with that!”
Every year over 445 families never get to bring their babies home. Packets aregiven to families which include a baby ring, crocheted booties and blankets, griefbooks, and a teddy bear. Research shows that mothers physically ache to holdsomething in their arms, which is why Pastoral Services provides teddy bears.Those bears most certainly do not replace their baby, but can help ease the painin some ways. Other services the program offers are memory boxes, infant burialboxes, as well as a monthly support group.
"Thank you to everyone who donated to Altru Health Foundation on Giving HeartsDay," says Jon Green, executive director of Altru Health Foundation. "One hundredpercent of every gift will benefit the needs of families experiencing the grief oflosing a loved one."
Kelsey Huttunen JoinsAltru Health Foundation
Kelsey Huttunen joined the Altru Health foundation staff as the new grantprograms director in January 2018. Huttunen’s responsibilities as grantprograms director include grant writing, coordinating special events such asAltru’s Gala, as well as providing administrative support and backup.
Huttunen, who had written grants and planned special events in previous jobs,was a natural fit for this position. “After learning more about the Foundation, Iwas excited to get the opportunity to work with a dedicated staff that works
together to raise funds for all the great programs Altru offers. I truly appreciate the amount of support andresources Altru offers to the community,” explains Huttunen.
Native of Iowa, Huttunen and her husband, Reid, recently moved to East Grand Forks. In her time off sheenjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, Roger, attending group fitness classes, spending timewith friends and doing house projects.
Thankyou!
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Because you play such a vital role in our ability toprovide high quality, compassionate care to the residentsof our region, we wanted you to be among the first to hearsome exciting news about how Altru is leading us into apromising health care future.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Altru HealthSystem, we are proud to announce a bold new era in carefor the people of our region that includes:
» The investment of well over $250 million» A brand new 21st century hospital» Expanded clinic services» Extensive deployment of new technology» Cutting-edge surgical and emergency services» A population approach to healthcare
As you may know, our community-owned health systemhas provided outstanding healthcare to our region for over130 years. But our region’s health care needs arechanging. People are living longer with more complexhealth conditions and expectations for care. Innovations inpatient care and technology are happening at a breakneckpace – innovations our patients need and deserve. At thesame time, we are expanding our efforts in populationhealth and engaging with our residents throughout theirlives to keep them well.
Our bold new era to address these needs for the next130 years is already underway. For months, our talentedhealth care professionals have been implementing newapproaches to patient care, collaboration and leadership toimprove our patients’ experience with greater efficiency.We are achieving our goal of fully optimizing our clinic
practices within two-years of Altru Main Clinic’s structuralfailure. With several million dollars of additionalinvestment, Altru will implement long-term solutions forclinic practices by the end of 2018, mostly within itscurrent footprint. While the specifics of the new hospitalare still being determined, Altru envisions it to be a state-of-the-art center for health and wellness, with newtechnologies and treatment options the current facilitycannot support. These include a 21st century proceduralplatform including computer-assisted and robotic surgery,expanded emergency and telehealth capabilities and moreoutpatient services.
This announcement is just the beginning. As thecommunity’s hospital, your involvement, collaboration andsupport will be critical to making this vision a reality. Fromplanning and groundbreaking to our grand opening, we willseek the meaningful input and engagement of ourstakeholders and community to ensure it reflects the needsand priorities of our region. Together we will affirm ourcommitment to our region’s physical and economic healthfor generations to come. It will position our region as amedical destination, providing an economic boost thatattracts new businesses and families looking for a vibrantplace to call home.
Thank you for your continued support of Altru Health System, its patients,and the health of our region. We lookforward to our continued work togetheron behalf of our communities.
A New Era of Care »
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WWJD:
What would Janelle do?How the Mulroy Family honors a
Wonderful Wife and Mother
through Helping Others
Cancer, one of the scariest words to hear from yourdoctor. Cancer means that an uphill battle is going tobegin. Life after losing someone to cancer means grief,moving on and finding a new normal.
On November 15, 2017 Janelle Mulroy died of cancer.She was a wife to Dan Mulroy and a mother of twodaughters, Allison and Alyssa. The family spent a lot oftime at Altru on the second floor and in the Altru CancerCenter. They wanted to come back for a tearful reunionand thank the people who had made this difficult time intheir lives a little easier.
“It’s not a place you ever want to come to but the staffhere at Altru Cancer Center did such an amazing job withcomforting Janelle and I think she probably made animpact on some of you,” said Dan to the staff. “We wantedto let you guys know that you made such an impact on notonly Janelle, but us. Your professionalism and yourkindness was amazing.”
“It’s not a place youever want to come tobut the staff here atAltru Cancer Center didsuch an amazing jobwith comforting Janelleand I think she probablymade an impact onsome of you,” said Danto the Altru CancerCenter staff.
“You meant so much to our family, we considered youfamily when we were up here. Thank you for everything youdid for our family,” said Dan to the staff on 2nd floor afterspending many weeks there. “You guys are all amazingpeople. This 2nd floor became a home for us for a while,we are so grateful for the wonderful people that workhere.”
“Through our experience with this Janelle was alwaysabout the other people, not herself,” explains Dan. “Wehave a thing called WWJD, which means what wouldJanelle do. Janelle was the one that kept us all in line.She was everything. She was generous and kind and wouldhelp anybody.”
Janelle had a giving spirit and understood theimportance of helping others. Janelle chose to gift part ofher 401K to Altru Health Foundation’s Filling the Gapprogram.
Filling the Gap is a program that provides support tofinancially eligible patients for travel assistance, lodgingaccommodations and nutritional supplements. Over 100patients a month at Altru Cancer Center receivedassistance through Filling the Gap.
“Janelle was a tremendous role model for herdaughters and her community,” says Jon Green, executivedirector at Altru Health Foundation. “She willingly gave ofher time, talents, and treasures. She instilled her passionfor caring for others into her daughters. They will carryforward that care and compassion in loving memory oftheir mother. Through Janelle’s kind actions, she hasensured that others will continue to make this world abetter place for all.”
On December 1, 2018 the KnightRiders, a localhockey team that Allison formerly played on and Alyssacurrently plays on held a Stick it to Cancer fundraiser forFilling the Gap to honor Janelle.
“The Mulroy family didn’t want anything forthemselves,” Grand Forks coach Alex Hedlund said. “Ourgirls wanted to do something to show the team’s supportfor the family. And the Filling the Gap program is dear tothem.”
Through t-shirt sales and donations, the team raised$10,000 before the event. During the event the teamraised over $37,000 for Filling the Gap through a silentauction and generous donations.
“Knowing she’d want me to keep going, keeps megoing at times,” says Alyssa. “I’m playing for her. AnythingI do all season is for her. If I become half the person shewas, I’ll live a successful life.”
Dan Mulroy says that they will continue to do thefundraiser as long as the community is still passionateabout the cause. As cancer affects families every day thepassion will not be stopping anytime soon.
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to Support Home Visits:Improving Quality of Life
Altru Health Foundation announced that Altru’sGala 2018 will benefit Home Visits, Improving Qualityof Life. Along with the main event sponsor Alerus, AltruHealth Foundation will host the fourteenth annual galaon September 29, 2018 at the Alerus Center.
Going home after being in the hospital can bescary and confusing. “The amount of information thatpatients take home can be overwhelming”, explains Dr.Marc Nielsen, a champion for the Home VisitsProgram. “Healthcare needs to continue in the homefor any patient, of any age, with any diagnosis.”
Through Altru’s Home Visit program, which is a freeservice, respiratory therapists, nurses, paramedics andresidency doctors will visit the homes of patients withhigh risk medical conditions who have recently beendischarged from the hospital. The team will helppatients become comfortable with care in their homesafter being hospitalized. This will be done throughanswering any questions the patient and family mayhave, checking that the patient is taking medicationscorrectly, making suggestions to improve quality of lifein their home, and in some situations, setting up ahome monitor to keep their doctor updated on vitalssuch as blood pressure and other important healthcareinformation.
“These critical visits to vulnerable patients in theirhomes are not covered by insurance and Altru is notcharging these patients for the service,” explains JonGreen, Executive Director at Altru Health Foundation.“Donor’s gifts to this year’s Gala will help to expandthis program, improving the quality of life for theseindividuals and literally saving lives.”
For information on sponsoring or donating to Altru’sGala 2018, please contact Randy Schoenborn [email protected] or 701.780.5618.
Thank you to Alerusfor being the
Altru’s Gala 2018major sponsor!
GalaALTRU’S
2018
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In 2018, the Altru Cancer Center Golf Tournament willcelebrate its 16th anniversary of supporting patientsreceiving care at Altru. Because of generous sponsors anddonors, the tournament has raised over $1 million in thepast 15 years to provide assistance to financially-eligiblepatients through Filling the Gap and Caring for Kids.
The Altru Cancer Center Golf Tournament 2018 will beheld on Thursday, June 14th at the Grand Forks CountryClub. All proceeds will benefit patients through Filling theGap and Caring for Kids.
Filling the Gap provides nutritional supplements, gascards, taxi vouchers and lodging accommodations tofinancially-eligible patients. These items are not typicallycovered by insurance, yet can dramatically affect apatient’s quality of life.
Similar to Filling the Gap, Caring for Kids was createdin 2016 to ease the financial burden of families withchildren receiving pediatric cancer treatments ortreatments for chronic illness at Altru or specialists inMinneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota.
In 2017 alone, over $156,000 was given to patientsin need through Filling the Gap and Caring for Kids.
For information on sponsoring the 2018 Altru CancerCenter Golf Tournament please contact Randy Schoenbornat [email protected] or 701.780.5618.
Thank you to C.L. Linfoot for being the Main Sponsorof the Altru Cancer Center Golf Tournament!
Employees at Frandsen Bank and Trust chose to give agift of $1,000 to Altru’s NICU. The employees had friendsand family who had used the NICU and felt passionateabout giving back to this important department.
“We are so grateful for the generous gift fromFrandsen Bank employees,” says Amy Zabinski, patientcare supervisor in the NICU. “We will use this money tohelp parents create positive memories from a difficultexperience.”
Altru’s NICU is located within Altru's Family BirthingCenter. It is a 16-bed, Level IIIB nursery, with four privatepatient care rooms. The NICU is specifically designed tocare for critically ill infants and assist with high-riskdeliveries and is furnished with a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment and services to produce the bestpossible outcomes for neonates.
The NICU also has the capability to manage babiesrequiring complex medications, umbilical lines/PICC lineplacements, chest tube placement, and those who requireintubation and need for conventional or oscillatorventilators. Nitric oxide administration as well as providingcardiac surgical procedures (PDA ligation) is also available.
Frandsen Bank andTrust Employees Give back to Altru’sNeonatal IntensiveCare Unit (NICU)
In memory of Janelle
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Jody Johnson, a registered nurse at Altru Clinic inRoseau, had never heard of the Spirit of Caring fund. Butwhen she found herself in need, her Altru Family was thereto help.
Jody went in for a routine mammogram at Altru’sBreast Center and was informed that she needed to have abiopsy. “The Breast Center worked with me and was ableto schedule me the following morning.” Jody wasdiagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2017 at the age of41. The next day Jody was scheduled to get consults withthe necessary doctors to take the next steps. “As I lookback I am still amazed at how fast this all took place, andhow proud I am to be a part of Altru.”
“The diagnosis of cancerseemed to consume us, the whatif’s and the how to’s,” says Jody.“Cancer is scary, it affects work,home, children and spouses. Wehad to travel 153 miles one wayfor every appointment in thebeginning.”
One of Jody’s coworkers told her about the Spirit ofCaring Fund. She reached out to HR who encouraged herto apply. “I had no idea how I was going to be able to keepmy head above water,” Jody said.
“The phone call I received telling me that I qualifiedto receive the Spirit of Caring funds left me speechless, intears and once again grateful for Altru and its employees!For those coworkers who are generous enough to donatewhat they have earned with others who they don’t know, I thank you! My family thanks you.”
Employees can support this crucial resource by givingthrough payroll deduction, a PTO donation or a one-timegift. For more information on the Spirit of Caring fundplease contact human resources at [email protected].
Jody and her husband Wes with daughters
Halie and Christen
“I feel that wehere at Altruare family, andfamily supportsone another!”
Spirit of Caring FundSpirit of Caring fund helps family in need
June 9, 2018 | 8 a.m.-12 p.m | Lincoln Park, Grand Forks, NDRun for Your Buns is an annual 5K run/walk and 10K run benefitting colon cancer. Over thecourse of a lifetime, one in 20 adults will be diagnosed with colon cancer. When detectedearly, colon cancer is treatable. Colonoscopy is the best line of defense in reducing risk.
altru.org/runforyourbuns
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5 life-saving colonoscopies were given topatients in need at no charge to them.
21 children with chronic conditionsqualified for the Caring for Kids grantprogram, taking some financial burden offof their families through gas gift cards andhotel stays.
50 kids were able to go to Camp GoodMourning to learn how to grieve and copewith the death of a loved one.
100patients a month at Altru CancerCenter received assistance through Fillingthe Gap.
474 families received counselingfrom infant bereavement services after theloss of their baby.
2,500kids were helped throughdifficult hospital visits with the help ofdonations to Altru’s Child Life program.
ImpactofGivingIn 2017 your gifts changedlives! There is no way tocount the many lives touchedby generous donors to AltruHealth Foundation.
Thank Youfor your generosityin 2017!
A part of Altru Health System
AltruHEALTH FOUNDATION
®
P.O. Box 6002
Grand Forks, ND
58206-6002
Address Service Requested
NON-PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE
PAIDFARGO, ND
PERMIT NO. 684
spinforkidsSaturday, April 14, 20188:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Red River High SchoolGrand Forks, NDSpin for Kids provides supportive programs, services and equipmentto children with special needs within our community and region. Allmoney raised by Spin for Kids will be disbursed to qualifying familiesto help ease the struggles they face every day and help each child tolive the fullest life possible.
For more information, please visit altru.org/spinforkids or call:Jessica Strand 701.780.2538Rhonda Roed 701.780.2478
savethedate
spinforkidsfor
