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As a nonprofit health care provider, our sole responsibility is to the communities we serve. This includes ensuring that equitable and accessible health care remains at the forefront of what we do. Saying we are committed to the community is one thing but seeing that commitment in action is something entirely different. With the help of many members of our staff and community partners, I'm proud to share our first annual

Highlighting over 40 different services and programs, this report outlines our commitment to the health and well-being of the region through financial assistance, community giving, expanded access to services, behavioral health, medical research, community outreach, health equity and workforce development. The following are a few highlights from this past year:

Over 90% of patients who request receive it. In 2023, we provided over $7 million in financial assistance and over $290,000 in prescription assistance to Bemidji area patients. Each year, Sanford Health gives over $1 million in donations and sponsorships to over 250 local community partners in Bemidji and the surrounding area toward projects that focus on health, wellness, education and economic development in alignment with our organization鈥檚 strategic goals.

Serving patients throughout more than seven counties in northern Minnesota, we currently operate two medical centers and 16 clinics, including air ambulance services based in Bemidji, Level III Trauma Center in Bemidji, critical access hospital with rehab and ambulance services in Bagley and 10 network clinics in Bagley, Clearbrook, Kelliher, Cass Lake, Blackduck, International Falls, Park Rapids and Walker.

These network clinics provide primary care, eye care and optical services, pharmacy services, outpatient rehab and behavioral health care.

Our clinicians frequently provide a wide variety of additional outreach services at these locations and others throughout the region. As of March 2024, this also included outreach care at non-Sanford Health locations in Red Lake, Baudette, Cass Lake, International Falls, Bigfork and Roseau.

Outreach services and specialties include orthopedics, sleep medicine, nephrology, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, cardiology, podiatry, bariatrics, oncology, ophthalmology, interventional pain management, dermatology, optometry, behavioral health and internal medicine.

The works together to break down barriers and provide individualized patient care. Ongoing projects include group prenatal classes, home visit nursing programs and virtual care appointments and monitoring. By supporting low-intervention birth practices and honoring the beliefs of Native American patients, the collaborative strives to empower women and improve the safety of deliveries throughout northern Minnesota.

In spring 2024, an expansion of the Heart and Vascular Center was completed. This included a new cardiac catheterization lab, improved wayfinding and additional clinic space. Electrophysiology was also added as an additional specialty offering.

We were able to offer in-school child and adolescent therapy services during the 2023-2024 school year at Northern Elementary, Solway Elementary, Horace May Elementary, J.W. Smith Elementary, 歪歪漫画craft Learning Community, Lincoln Elementary, Gene Dillon Elementary, TrekNorth and Voyageurs charter schools. We have since begun offering in-school services in Park Rapids schools, as well.

Within the first year of service to the community, the Sanford Bemidji Crisis Center鈥檚 Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing (EmPATH) Unit completed 674 visits with patients ranging from six to 74 years old, and the center鈥檚 inpatient behavioral health hospital admitted 170 patients in need of inpatient psychiatric care.

Our workshops saw a 300% increase in self-referrals resulting in an increase of 12% in medication compliance. These workshops provide free education and support for those with lifelong health conditions, such as arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, lung disease or multiple sclerosis.

With 20% of Sanford Health patients in the Bemidji area identifying as Native American, we are working to address disparities in health care access and outcomes faced by Indigenous people through culturally appropriate care and support.

In addition to the 鈥淐ultural Competent Health Care Learning with Native American Patients鈥� course that all staff complete annually, all new clinical employees receive in-person training led by a Sanford Native American Community Advocate.

In order to identify opportunities to improve care and create a more culturally welcoming environment, we launched the Native American Patient Family Advisory Committee, providing patients and community members an opportunity to share their experiences with our leaders.

We have also been working with local Indigenous community elders, educators and tribal leaders who have generously shared their wisdom and spiritual guidance to build positive relationships and improve health disparities.

The food and essentials bank within the Children鈥檚 Department at the Sanford Bemidji 1611 Anne St. Clinic opened in May 2023. Within the first six months, the pantry served nearly 12,000 pounds of food to approximately 220 families in need.

The Stable Housing Program has helped hundreds of community members who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness to obtain safe and affordable housing. This year, the program also began providing outreach services at the New Day Center managed by the Nameless Coalition for the Homeless.

We are proud to offer our over 2,200 employees paid volunteer time off to volunteer with non-profit organizations and community events of their choosing. All full-time employees can take advantage of up to eight hours per year, and part-time employees can dedicate up to four hours per year to volunteer in the local community. In 2023, employees in the Bemidji area logged 257 hours of volunteer paid time off.

In fall 2023, Sanford Health, Bemidji High 歪歪漫画, Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College collectively unveiled an on-site training lab in Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 for students to use during certified nursing assistant training.

Through partnerships with various schools, we are able to offer financial assistance through local sponsorships for 15 different high-growth healthcare professions. In 2023, we provided over $50,000 in local scholarships and committed over $520,000 in sponsorships to those pursuing careers in health care.

As we plan for the future, our commitment to the region through programs like these and more has and will continue to guide our strategic planning as an organization. Our strategic goals for the next five years include being the regional employer of choice and medical practice of choice for clinicians through an inclusive culture of meaningful work.

This will enable us to recruit and retain the sustainable workforce we need to serve the community and improve access to quality care close to home for people throughout rural, northern Minnesota for generations to come.

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