West River Health Services
MISSION
The mission of West River Health Services is to provide comprehensive health and wellness services to the residents and visitors of the region.
VISION
To be a unified organization; To provide a full spectrum of services in the continuum of care; To follow its Mission of service and Values of Excellence, Innovation, Compassion and Respect; To face with courage the constant challenges of providing rural healthcare; To accept and assert itself in the role as a regional and national leader.
CORE VALUES
Excellence in practice,
Innovation in service,
Compassion for the people we serve, and
Respect for one another.
OUR MOTTO
Quality FirstTM
Top Stories
Giving Hearts Day is the single largest online giving day in North Dakota. It all began in 2008, when the Dakota Medical Foundation, the Alex Stern Family Foundation and the Impact Foundation, launched a bold new endeavor to create the region’s first giving day for healthcare-related charities. The strategy was to stimulate giving activity online in the month of February. Initially, to bolster support, Dakota Medical Foundation provided match funding to all participating organizations.
In 2012, nonprofit organizations that were not healthcare-related, suggested that they could raise their own match from generous donors in their community to participate. Something incredibly impactful was uncovered – these organizations that raised their own match to participate, were highly successful. Their donors engaged like never before. They saw an increase in major gifts through the match requests that happened prior to the day, and by donors that matched gifts from the community on Giving Hearts Day.
The history of Giving Hearts Day has facilitated great growth for major gift support both ahead of Giving Hearts Day and during the event. Participating nonprofits often experience breakthroughs with major gift requests, lapsed donors returning and new donors being added to their fundraising system. Simply put, the match opportunity allows nonprofit organizations to accelerate results.
Last year alone, Giving Hearts Day raised $13.2 million from 28,000 donors giving over 65,000 gifts to over 450 nonprofits! Over the past 11 years, Giving Hearts Day has raised $54.8 million!
Now your local West River Health Services Foundation is a participating member with the Impact Foundation and therefore, part of Giving Hearts Day. Our membership with Impact allows us to attend regular coaching sessions by trained fundraising professionals; network with other participating nonprofits; promote our other fundraising campaigns online; and more.
Our WRHS Foundation has developed a Giving Hearts Day Strategic Plan to acquire matching funds; create awareness of Giving Hearts Day; engage with our service area communities; encourage our Partners In Health Club members to re-up their memberships on Giving Hearts Day; and raise $52,000+ for our newly created Physician Recruitment Endowment Fund. With some of our physicians recently retiring or leaving to be near family, we believe our #1 priority is Physician Recruitment. Hence the reason for development of our new Physician Recruitment Endowment Fund.
Fortunately, we have had terrific success in acquiring $26,000 in Matching Funds for Giving Hearts Day. We have received amazing gifts from our local business partners (Slope Electric Cooperative, Dakota Western Bank and Community Clothes Closet) and our giving Physician Staff (Dr. Josh & Dr. Carrie Ranum, Dr. Duncan Ackerman, Dr. Mark Kristy, Dr. John Joyce, Dr. Ellen Ketterling, Dr. Cathy Houle and Dr. Mary Aaland). Now our challenge is to raise another $26,000+, so we can reach our goal of $52,000+ for our new Physician Recruitment Endowment Fund. We believe this fund will improve our competitiveness for top physicians.
This year, Giving Hearts Day falls on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14, 2019. We invite our neighbors who believe in our mission and want to help us improve our competitiveness for top physicians, to go to givingheartsday.org on February 14th, search West River Health Services Foundation, and make a gift via credit card. Those who would prefer to give by check, are more than welcome to write a check to “WRHSF,” dated 2-14-19, with Giving Hearts Day in the memo section, and we’ll be more than happy to come pick it up. Or maybe you’d rather send it via mail to WRHSF, Attn: Giving Hearts Day, 1000 Hwy 12, Hettinger, ND 58639. Rest assured that your gift, whether online or via check, goes directly into our WRHS Foundation’s bank account. Dakota Medical Foundation, the Alex Stern Family Foundation and the Impact Foundation provide the website, logistics and charity resources that help make Giving Hearts Day, the region’s most generous day of giving, a success for local nonprofits. Also, we are thankful for every gift, no matter the size. Every gift counts! And if you’d rather your gift went to another area at West River Health Services or Western Horizons Living Centers, we’ll certainly honor your request.
Our next GIVING HEARTS DAY VOLUNTEERS MEETING is Wednesday, December 12th, 6:30pm in the WRHS Board Room. Time permitting, we’d very much appreciate if you could attend. Onward!
The American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program was first awarded to the West River Health Services Diabetes Program in July of 2002. Education recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and awarded for four years. WRHS has maintained recognition status for 16 years.
ADA believes that this program offers high-quality education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment. The Association’s Education Recognition Certificates assure that educational programs meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education. Application for recognition is voluntary.
Knowledgeable health professionals provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. (Pictured left to right:) Linda Nudell, RD, LRD, CDE, is Manager of the program. Barbara West, RN, CDE, is West River Health Services Diabetes Education Coordinator.
Diabetes self-care is not a “one size fits all” plan. The person with diabetes is the most important team member as decisions are made on the best way to self-manage diabetes.
Do you or a loved one have diabetes? Or are you interested in how to prevent diabetes? Give us a call at (701)-567-6203 or 567-6197.
Pictured from left to right -Tina Maier, RN, Justeen Hodgson, RN and Patricia Ness, RN attended a Prepared Childbirth Educators, Inc. Breastfeeding Counselor Prep Course May 2018. All three completed the course and passed the exam at the coarse end to obtain Certified Breastfeeding Counselor status. Contact West River Health Services Obstetrics (OB) Department for questions regarding breastfeeding at 701-567-6000. We are here to support you on your breastfeeding journey!
After nearly two years of research, planning, local community meetings and vision, West River Health Services, the leader in Western Dakota healthcare, is moving forward with building a new $1.5 million healthcare clinic in Lemmon, SD. The former 8,000 square foot IGA Grocery Store on Main Street has been purchased and will be refurbished into a state-of-the-art healthcare clinic facility over the next seven months. Local contractors, led by D.A. Peterson & Associates and his team (including B & C Plumbing, Stock’s Electric, Custom 101 and more), have been selected by the WRHS Board of Directors to build this new clinic.
Historically and currently, West River Health Services (WRHS) has been leasing their Health Clinic facility at 401 6th Avenue West, from the Lemmon Area Medical Association (LAMA). This facility has been lean on needed upgrades to patient room privacy, wheel-chair accessibility and parking. All three of these concerns and more will be addressed with the new Lemmon Clinic.
A new healthcare clinic in downtown Lemmon should bolster Lemmon’s downtown business district and their overall economic development in general. With 10-15 employees operating the clinic and nearly 7,000 patient visits per year, the economy in downtown Lemmon should increase immensely.
Local WRHS employees had a huge impact on the development and planning of this new Lemmon Clinic project. They were involved from the beginning with brainstorming, planning and development. They will continue to play a huge role throughout the project’s completion in early June and with our area patients in the future.
The Foundation at West River Health Services has already begun rolling out a fundraising campaign for the New Lemmon Clinic. The overall goal is to raise $300,000! The theme for the campaign is TOGETHER -- WE CAN BUILD A NEW CLINIC. Although the initial groundwork has been laid, Ted Uecker, Fund Development Officer, is hoping to meet with most every business, organization and family in the Greater Lemmon Area over the next few months. A Sponsorship Program for this campaign has been developed, whereby interested supporters can give at levels from $1,000 to $100,000 to secure sponsorship of different rooms throughout the new health clinic. Of course, the WRHS Foundation is grateful for every gift, no matter the amount. Every donor who gives $100 or more will be part of the new Lemmon Clinic’s Donor Board.
If you want to learn more about this progressive and needed project in Lemmon, please contact Ted Uecker at 701-567-3666 or via email at fdo@wrhs.com. He’ll be more than happy to meet with you and explain the New Lemmon Clinic Project in further detail. Onward!
By Ted Uecker, WRHS Foundation
