To help decide where some of the greatest needs are within our system, the Foundation’s Board of Directors looks to the experts: our team members. Each year, our care teams are invited to identify pressing needs they see every day in their work and share solutions they believe would be most helpful. In response to these needs, the Foundation Board awards small grants to financially support some of these projects in the coming year.
Once again, the Board received a record number of ideas to help provide the best possible experience for our patients, team members and community. While the decisions are never easy, the Board is pleased to share that more than $128,000 was awarded to fund 8 projects in 2024.
We are excited to announce the following grant projects for 2024:
- Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of the Swallow program
Purchase of a new endoscope will allow the Speech Language Pathology team at North – Robbinsdale Hospital to double the number of swallow assessments they can do each day—helping patients toward their recovery as quickly as possible. - LSVT BIG and LOUD training – Gold Standard Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease
Seven members of our physical therapy team will receive specialized training and be certified to treat patients with a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis—a new service for our clinic! - OB Hypertensive Initiative
Currently at North – Maple Grove Hospital, hypertension is the leading cause of postpartum readmissions within 30 days of delivery. This grant will provide blood pressure cuffs and educational materials for at-risk mothers so they can monitor their health at home and reach out to their providers for follow-up care more quickly. - Life Impacting Trauma Symposium
This grant will support a second, expanded trauma-focused community event that will also include intensive training for health care providers and team members so they can bring this focus to their work with their clients and patients. - Gender Care Program at North Memorial Health Clinic – Brooklyn Center
New programming will increase access to medically necessary care for our LGBTQIA+ patients, helping to reduce health disparities. - Schwartz Grand Rounds
This program supports the wellbeing and resilience of our care teams at both hospitals by offering a regular opportunity for them to come together and talk about the work they do, and how it affects them emotionally and spiritually. - Pastoral & Spiritual Care: Supporting Patients’ Families through Hospitality
With this grant, our pastoral care team will be able to offer extra support and connection to family members of patients going through a difficult time. - Pastoral & Spiritual Care: Resources to support the Muslim hospital community
With this assistance, the team at North – Robbinsdale Hospital will be able to offer prayer rugs, Qurans/recitation cubes, disposable hijabs, Qibla indictor signs and snacks for our Muslim patients to break their fast during Ramadan. It will also provide educational resources for our pastoral care team so they can best support all our patients and their families.