Submitted Photo Participating at the announcement of the $200,000 donation from Whiting Petroleum Corp. are, from left, Rep. Denton Zubke, Lynn Welker of McKenzie County Healthcare Systems (MCHS); Sen. Dale Patten, Patsy Levang of MCHS, Halee Dahl, Jennifer Fitzgerald and Darius Frick of Whiting, Dan Kelly of MCHS, Ashley McNamee of Whiting, Daniel Stenberg of McKenzie County Economic Development, Michael Curtis of MCHS and Leland Tong of Great Plains Women’s Health.

WATFORD CITY — Whiting Petroleum Corp. has donated $200,000 to name and help offset expenses for the Labor & Delivery Wing at the McKenzie County Health Systems.

The funding will assist in expanding the continuum of healthcare in a growing community. The wing is special because once deployed, it will be a service that hasn’t been provided in the county for decades.

In 2017, Whiting Petroleum Corporation had donated $50,000 to provide furnishings for an Obstetrics Room in the new medical facility.

“Whiting has always been a strong supporter of our community. Their continuous generosity toward local healthcare shows they are truly aware of how important it is to be able to provide top-quality healthcare and services to the community. Their contributions to our new medical facility and their continued efforts to remain actively involved and supportive of Watford City and its neighbors is greatly appreciated and does not go unnoticed,” said Dan Kelly, CEO of MCHS.

Whiting is one of the largest independent exploration and production companies in the country with an oil-focused asset base. The company controls one of the largest acreage positions in the Bakken and Three Forks resource play in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana with 469,752 net acres in the oil productive sweet spots of the basin. In the new and large oil prone sweet spot of the eastern DJ Basin of Colorado, they have 87,412 net acres.

“We are honored and excited to be able to contribute to such an important entity at the new medical facility. Whiting knows that in an area like Watford City, where the growing population consists of so many young families, it is a necessity to provide labor and delivery services close to home. We are extremely proud to be a part of this incredible community,” said Ashley McNamee, director of Government and Corporate Affairs at Whiting Petroleum Corporation.