ÍáÍáÂþ»­

This November, reported that 67% of Minnesota hospitals were seeing negative operating margins. This is also concerning when you factor in that including Sanford Health. With that designation comes the responsibility to reinvest.

Like many hospitals across the country and the state, these last couple of years have been some of the most financially challenging we’ve ever seen. Significant increases in supply, service and labor costs and a staffing shortage have led us to reprioritize projects and look for alternative ways to meet our community’s needs.

Knowing this makes it even more impressive when we consider everything our local teams have been able to accomplish this year. In the face of these challenges, our Sanford Bemidji team has been able to expand mobile crisis services and establish inpatient psychiatry with the opening of the Sanford Bemidji Crisis Center. A new linear accelerator and new MRI machine were installed at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center — both improving the timeliness and overall care experience for patients.

The Sanford Bemidji Heart and Vascular Center added electrophysiology, vascular surgery, a third CATH Lab and is set to complete its facility expansion this winter. The Sanford Bagley Medical Center remodel was completed, and our regional outreach services now include bone health, psychiatry, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, ophthalmology, sleep medicine, physical and occupational therapy, podiatry, nephrology and behavioral health counseling.

We invested in health care education advancement through over $30,000 in to current employees and community members pursuing a career in health care. We expanded our which cover tuition costs for individuals pursuing careers in high-demand fields, such as respiratory therapy, licensed alcohol and drug counseling, phlebotomy, radiology and surgical technology.

With the help of our employees, we’ve also been able to further assist patients who are financially struggling. Since opening within our Children’s Clinic this past May, our food bank has provided over 11,961 pounds of food and served approximately 220 families in need. By the end of 2023, we are also projected to provide $6.4 million in local to patients who are unable to afford emergency and/or necessary care.

At Sanford Bemidji, we also take our responsibilities as a nonprofit health care provider one step further by reinvesting in the communities we serve — Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching and Lake of the Woods Counties.

Each year, we give approximately $1 million in donations and sponsorships to over 250 local community partners. So far this year, these partners have included, but are not limited to, the United Way of Bemidji Area, Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota, Bagley Education Endowment and Project Fund, Northwoods Battered Women’s Shelter, Nameless Coalition for the Homeless, Evergreen Youth and Family Services Conference, Indigenous Nursing Conference, ISD 31 Career Academy, Red Lake Nation College, Walker Area Community Center and many local youth sports teams.

In addition to our partnerships with local nonprofit organizations, our staff clocked in over 220 paid volunteer hours as of September this year as a part of our annual paid volunteer time off benefit. Every employee is eligible to use a certain amount of paid time each year to volunteer with a local organization or community event of their choosing (eight hours for full-time and four hours for part-time employees).

All these efforts would not be possible without our more than 250 community collaborators and over 2,200 employees partnering to care for our community. Thank you for everything you’ve done this year. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in 2024.

Karla Eischens, RPh, is the President and CEO of Sanford Health’s Bemidji region located in northern Minnesota. She can be reached at (218) 333-5264 or  karla.eischens@sanfordhealth.org.