On Sept. 7, Sioux Falls, S.D.-headquartered Sanford Health announced an additional $350 million philanthropic gift to create a virtual care center to provide accessible care in rural and underserved Midwestern areas. The news was announced in an article by Paul Heinert entitled, “New gift to Sanford Health will fund virtual care center.” This gift was additional to a previous investment.
Heinert writes that “This additional investment follows a $300 million initiative announced in March that included a significant expansion of graduate medical education and an investment in community health and wellness with 18 new sports fields at the Sanford Sports Complex.”
Further, “The state-of-the-art virtual care center will serve people from across Sanford Health’s network of hospitals and clinics, expanding opportunities to receive care in our communities as well as our long-term care locations. It will also house innovation, education, and research initiatives to advance digital health care solutions for the future.”
Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health, was quoted in the release saying that “It is crucial we continue to break new ground in how we bring the best of today’s digital world directly to our patients, with seamless, convenient and world-class care for the communities we serve. The virtual care initiative will accomplish this and deliver medical services to communities, patients and long-term care residents around the globe when and where they’re most needed.”
“Since March, Denny Sanford has committed $650 million to supporting Sanford Health’s groundbreaking initiatives, bringing his total giving to the nation’s largest rural health care system to nearly $1.5 billion,” Heinert writes.
According to Wikipedia, Thomas Denny Sanford is a South Dakota businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of First Premier Bank and the chairman and CEO of its holding company, United National Corporation.
Sanford was quoted in Heinert’s article saying that “I am committed to seeing this initiative become a reality. I continue to give to Sanford Health because I believe that supporting the people and communities in the regions they serve is the best investment I can make.”
Heinert concludes that “This gift announced today follows a legacy of transformational giving by Denny Sanford to the health system. His gift of $400 million in 2007 propelled the health system from a small regional provider to one of the largest health systems in the nation. It also sparked a spirit of generosity, inspiring thousands of other donors to annually support the mission of Sanford Health.”
