Helmsley Charitable Trust grants $68,591 to help West River Health Services purchase state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment

 The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted $68,591 to West River Health Services to purchase ultrasound-imaging devices as part of a $27.4 million ultrasound initiative in North Dakota.

The initiative includes more than $21.8 million to help 69 North Dakota hospitals and health centers purchase ultrasound imaging devices and nearly $5.7 million to boost sonography and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) training opportunities across the state.

About West River Health Services

West River Health Services stands as a nationally acclaimed rural healthcare organization. Comprising a fourteen-physician multi-specialty group practice, along with thirteen advanced practice providers and five visiting specialists, it operates independently to deliver professional services within a contemporary rural healthcare system. The system includes a hospital, six community clinics, eye center, visiting nurse, ambulance service, behavioral health therapist, assisted living facility, skilled nursing facility, and supporting foundation.

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust grant allowed us to purchase needed imaging devices: One Tympanometer for the ears, Two Butterfly Ultrasound, five Butterfly Bladder Ultrasound Scanners, four Sonicaid Fetal Ultrasound Scanners, and five Doppler Ultrasound Vascular Scanners for our medical facilities. "We are so thankful for the generous grant of $68,591. Our rural providers will have the needed diagnostic tools to serve our rural patients, which make a significant difference in the lives of those we serve," comments Alyson Kornele, CEO.

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside the body. This safe, cost-effective tool supports other clinical information to help providers make timely diagnoses and provide appropriate treatment

Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grants will help improve access to top-notch medical treatment for North Dakotans, whether they live in Fargo, Bismarck, or Grand Forks, or a smaller rural community such as Bottineau, Rugby, or Hettinger.

"These grants will help ensure that hospitals and health centers across North Dakota have the latest in state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment and training," Panzirer said. "Facilities need to stay current with rapidly advancing technology so they can continue to provide the very best healthcare close to home."

The majority (134) of the devices purchased through the grants are POCUS machines, which are used by providers at the bed or tableside for immediate assessment of a patient to quickly determine a course of action. The grants will also provide 57 general ultrasound systems and 24 cardiovascular ultrasound systems, which aid in imaging of the heart.

The initiative also includes nearly $1.9 million to North Dakota State University and nearly $3.8 million to High Quality Medical Education (HQMEDED) to expand sonographer expertise and provide comprehensive POCUS training to doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Additionally, more than $64,000 will go to individual facilities to boost sonographer training.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust has committed a total of $72 million to fund ultrasound equipment and training initiatives for rural communities and underserved populations in Nevada, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming.

News Release and photos submitted by the Program Officer, Rural Healthcare Program
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

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About the Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley's Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $750 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.