If you live in the Park Rapids area, by now you should have received an envelope from St. Joseph's Area Health Services with information about expansion plans for the hospital and Dakota Clinic of Park Rapids. The envelope also came with a letter from St. Joseph's Area Health Services Foundation, which was formed to lead a campaign to raise $2.5 million locally toward the $26 million commitment to complete the project.
A number of donors - large and small - have stepped up to help reach the goal, including physicians and staff, the hospital auxiliary, local banks and other generous community members. Now it's time for the rest of us to consider what we might be able to do.
It is easy to find a reason to give.
The excellence of medical care has been a recurring theme in reasons people give for relocating to our area. The expansion will help our community continue to grow and attract visitors, confident in the range of services available to them, including emergency care.
Bigger, better health care facilities will help in recruiting staff, including specialists. As the area's second largest employer, St. Joseph's has a financial impact of approximately $35 million a year. As community members, a donation can represent our shared commitment to valuing an important employer.
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Or perhaps you or a member of your family has benefited from programs made possible because of St. Joseph's commitment to provide other services, such as charity care, support for seniors, grief support, health education and awareness, youth programs, the Community Dental Clinic and others.
The obvious reason may be that we never know when having the best possible medical care may save our lives or at least help us through an illness. The plans call for doubling the size of the emergency room, remodeling the intensive care unit and expanding surgery and imaging space. On a less intense scale, improved parking and a new hospital and clinic registration area will be a bonus.
At a personal level, many of us have a relationship with our community's health care facilities and providers. Many of our children and grandchildren were born at St. Joseph's. Many of our loved ones have died there, too. We may have friends and family who work there. These are reasons to give.
A long journey begins with the first step, but others have started this walk to raise money for needed improvements in health care services in our community. We may only be able to give or pledge a lesser amount, but giving something means we have done our part to "helping our growing area grow healthier."
