Helmsley Charitable Trust Grants $682,498 To Help Avera And Access Health Purchase State-Of-The-Art Ultrasound Equipment
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted $682,498 to Avera and Access Health to purchase ultrasound machines as part of a $26.4 million ultrasound initiative in Minnesota. The initiative includes nearly $18.3 million to help Minnesota hospitals and health centers purchase ultrasound imaging devices and an additional $8.1 million to boost sonography and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) training opportunities across the state.
Seven new ultrasound machines will be purchased for three Avera hospitals and three Access Health clinics to provide patients and staff with better and more modern equipment and new technology which will translate into greater diagnostic reliability across many specialties. Sites include:
Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center
Avera Tyler Healthcare Center
Avera Granite Falls Health Center (two machines for general medicine and emergency)
Access Health – Marshall
Access Health – Windom
Access Health – Worthington
“We are grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for their generous grant that will help us stay in step with the newest technology, ensuring that patients across southwest Minnesota will have access to the important imaging capability of ultrasound,” said Debbie Streier, Regional President, Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center.
“Maintaining high quality ultrasound services in rural settings can be challenging. The generosity of the Helmsley Charitable Trust will allow Access Health’s clinics in southwest Minnesota to provide these services close to home and to many who may otherwise not be able to afford the testing without the sliding fee program offered through our FQHC locations. Through our shared commitment to providing quality primary care services, we look forward to the opportunity to enhancing the ultrasound services offered in the region as afforded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust,” said April Crago, PA-C, Chief Medical Officer, Rural Health Care, Inc.”
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. The new equipment will improve imaging quality and allow for faster and more accurate diagnostic capabilities, leading to faster results for patients and improved outcomes.
Walter Panzirer, a Trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grants will help improve access to exceptional medical treatment for all Minnesotans, whether they live in the heart of Minneapolis or a smaller rural or underserved community.
“Our hospitals and health centers need to stay current with rapidly advancing technology so they can continue to provide top-notch healthcare close to home,” Panzirer said. “These grants help ensure that facilities across Minnesota have the latest and greatest ultrasound equipment and training.”
The grants were announced Tuesday during a news conference at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis.
More than half of the 196 devices purchased through the grants (109) 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 69 general ultrasound systems and 18 cardiovascular ultrasound systems, which aid in imaging of the heart.
The initiative also includes more than $8.1 million to train new sonographers, offer continuing education to sonographers and ultrasound technologists, and provide comprehensive POCUS training to doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. The training grants include more than $917,000 to the Minnesota Rural Health Association to support sonographer training in rural and underserved areas of the state, more than $1 million to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to expand St. Cloud Technical & Community College’s sonography program, and nearly $6.2 million to the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians Foundation which will partner with High Quality Medical Education (HQMEDED) to provide POCUS training across the state.
“These grants are a game changer for rural hospitals across the state,” said Thomas Pahl, PA-C, an emergency department clinician, instructor with HQMEDED, and member of the Minnesota State Trauma Advisory Council. “Clinicians and sonographers will not only have access to the newest ultrasound equipment on the market, but they will also be able to pursue educational opportunities to become more proficient at use of the equipment, expand the studies they can perform, and incorporate these skills into their clinical practices.”