It was a first for North Dakota recently when the Trinity Health Foundation received a $75,000 grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to support Trinity's rural cardiac care initiative.
It was the first time that the grant was awarded in North Dakota, said Amy Moen, director of the foundation.
The grant will help toward the $1.7 million campaign, called the North Dakota Cardiac Support Initiative, which was launched by Trinity in 2010. The initiative's goal is to link rural providers with Trinity's LIFENET early warning system that lets providers intervene more quickly in the event of a heart attack.
Extending the LIFENET system to the outlying region will lead to better outcomes for citizens who live in rural settings and experience heart troubles, said Dr. Jeffrey Sather, medical director of Trinity's Emergency/Trauma Center.
The initiative is designed to provide cardiac monitors, defibrillators and 12-lead EKG equipment to dozens of rural providers, including 41 rural ambulance services, 14 rural hospitals and 12 rural clinics in a 16-county radius surrounding Minot.
"A 12-lead EKG is what we use to identify a myocardial infarction or heart attack," Sather said. "The beauty of the system is that a first responder doesn't have to know how to interpret an EKG, they just have to know how to transmit it. Within 30 seconds, it will be read by a physician."
"Our purpose is to put lifesaving equipment in the hands of rural first responders so that intervention can occur as early as possible within the 'golden hour' that first hour when medical intervention has the greatest chance of producing the best outcome," Moen said.
The Hearst grant is among the many grants which Trinity hopes to acquire to help fuel the initiative. Grants like this are expected to make up 75 percent of the funding sources.
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Chiropractors give back to community
A chiropractic clinic in Minot is giving back to the community.
ChiroCare Family Center, in northwest Minot, has pledged to donate what it receives in exam fees to the Minot Area Flood Relief Fund.
After insurance, the exam fees come to "about thirty-some dollars," said Jesse Keogh, who is in the process of becoming a licensed chiropractor and is currently working with a temporary work permit under his proctor, Amy Borgen.
In addition to knowing about back pain, Keogh knows about the pain of losing ones home. A Wahpeton native, he moved to Minot this summer and two days after taking residency at his sister's home in Green Valley, the Souris River flooded, and they had to evacuate.
The promotional fundraiser is set to last until the end of November, but "we might extend it, depending on how much money we raise," Keogh said. To date, roughly $200 to $300 has been raised, he said, adding "we're thinking at least $1,000 would be nice to reach."
Patients will also receive a T-shirt with their logo to acknowledge their contribution.
ChiroCare Family Center is located at 309-27th Street NW, Minot. Appointments can be made by calling the office at 852-0596. Hours are Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.