ÍáÍáÂþ»­

As care providers, we understand that while individual choices contribute to our health, it is also impacted by so much more. From food insecurity and public safety to education and affordable housing, these health factors require more care than one doctor or hospital can provide alone. They require us to work together as a community.

Once every three years, our non-profit health system gets the opportunity to assess current strategies and identify new concerns through the Community Health Needs Assessment. In partnership with the NDSU Center for Social Research, the assessment helps identify residents’ needs, ways to improve community health and resources that can be shared by health systems and community partners.

The results of past assessments have led to expanded community health initiatives, offerings and programs, including the expansion of behavioral health care in northern Minnesota.

Over the last six years, our behavioral health team and services at Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota have more than doubled to include 35 counselors, nurse practitioners and physicians who provide more than a dozen comprehensive behavioral health services ranging from psychological evaluations and substance use disorder programs to in-school child and adolescent therapy.

Columns

Karla Eischens Column: Recognizing the heartbeat of Sanford Bemidji

The embodiment of our Sanford values by our more than 2,000 local staff members is the core of our organization.

Dec 31, 1969

 · 

By  Karla Eischens, Sanford Bemidji

This insight into our community’s needs has also led to the creation of new programs and facilities.

These include the Stable Housing Program, dedicated to supporting homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing efforts; the New Beginnings Re-entry Project, which assists inmates in making a successful return to their families and communities as law-abiding, contributing citizens; and the construction of the Sanford Health PrimeWest Residential Support Center and Sanford Bemidji Crisis Center, bringing intensive residential treatment, mobile crisis and inpatient psychiatry services to our community.

Information gathered through the CHNA also helps guide our approximately $1 million in annual financial donations and community sponsorships. In 2022 alone, this included over $145,000 to the United Way of Bemidji Area, funding the Backpack Buddies Foodpack program and ISD 31 Angel Fund, pledging $60,000 to the Northwoods Battered Women’s Shelter toward their new building, providing funding to lease office space and an advanced practice provider for the Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota, supporting the Special Olympics Unified Program and donating volunteer hours to the Ridgeway Neighborhood Initiative to assist with free vaccinations, access to onsite health care education and resources for families within the neighborhood.

This is in addition to our ongoing health care education commitments, including $1 million toward the Sanford CARES program in partnership with Bemidji High ÍáÍáÂþ»­, Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College to provide professional development opportunities, scholarships and programs for local students interested in health care careers as well as financial assistance through our sponsorship programs in nursing, respiratory therapy and other high-demand areas for those who would like to further their health care education and careers.

Columns

Karla Eischens Column: Fostering cultural change at Sanford Bemidji

By taking an active role in the community and investing resources to drive more opportunities, we can help ensure accessible, culturally competent care for Native American and tribal communities in and around Bemidji.

Dec 31, 1969

 · 

By  Karla Eischens, Sanford Bemidji

Without the knowledge from previous Community Health Needs Assessments, partnerships with Beltrami County, PrimeWest Health Services, the state of Minnesota, law enforcement, Indian Health Services, Nameless Coalition for the Homeless, BSU, NTC, BHS, local and tribal government officials, United Way of the Bemidji Area, Greater Bemidji and many others would not be what they are today.

This coming year, we are excited to hear from community members and engage in discussions with local partners to reassess our area’s ongoing health needs. Through the survey, community members have a direct voice in the CHNA process. By answering simple, confidential questions, we can learn more about the health and well-being of our communities.

Anyone is welcome to share their feedback and take part in This will remain open Oct. 1-Dec. 31. Thank you to everyone who has helped us identify and address our community’s needs in the past. I look forward to seeing how we can improve and where this assessment’s results will lead our community partnerships over the years to come.

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.