Story submitted by FRANK TURNER
Adams County Record Hettinger, ND

For the third year in a row, the West River Health Services Foundation (WRHSF) raised funds during Giving Hearts Day, a charity event and platform which helps raise funds for nonprofits like West River Health Services (WRHS). This year, the foundation set a new record, raising over $220,000 from 448 people, businesses and organizations. 

The efforts from this year’s fundraiser surpassed the foundation’s $400,000 goal for their Physician Recruitment Endowment Fund, a fund to recruit new doctors and surgeons to the area. 

“We are just really grateful,” said Ted Uecker, the West River Health Services Foundation Officer. “It’s been a difficult year for everybody, but people really stepped up.”

According to Uecker, the record $220,000 also includes the $75,000 donation from the Ketterling family, which was used as matching funds for the fundraising event.

“Going into Giving Hearts Day, the Foundation had two goals,” said Uecker. “One was to match the Ketterling’s $75,000, and then our second fundraising goal was to surpass our Physician Recruitment Endowment Fund goal of $400,000.”

According to Uecker, the foundation surpassed both goals this year and the recruitment fund currently sits at roughly $422,000. 

With the goal achieved, Uecker said the hospital will set up a taskforce to start utilizing interest collected from the fund.

“The taskforce is going to figure which physicians we want to go visit with and determine how we are going to go about acquiring these physicians,” he said. 

Uecker said that the taskforce will likely use funds in a number of ways to attract new physicians, including through new physician signing bonus, student loan forgiveness for a new physician, and the hospitals ambassador program where current and retired physicians travel to attract new prospective physicians to West River Health Services.

“We feel like the onus is now on us,” he said. “The public has stepped us and reached our goal for us, so now it's up to us to bring in more top docs.”

With the Physician Recruitment Endowment Fund goal conquered, Uecker said the foundation will be moving onto new areas of fundraising.

“We’re looking at all the different areas,” said Uecker. “One area is our scholarship program. Last year we couldn’t host our annual turkey luncheon, which usually raises $8,000, so we need to replenish our scholarship funds.”

Although there are ideas on the table, Uecker said the next goal hasn’t been picked out just yet. 

“Our boards and administers are looking at all the possibilities, and when they determine what the number one priority is, whether it's the equipment, staffing, or scholarships or facilities, that’s what we are going to focus on,” he said. 

“In general, we are so thankful and so grateful for the area community stepping up during a difficult time period for our Giving Hearts Day effort,” he added.