Sanford Health Pledges $1 Million To Health Care Programs At BSU, NTC & BHS

Health care providers are becoming more and more scarce in the country. Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota wants to ensure the region never runs out of resources, which is why the organization is pledging $1 million to support local health care opportunities and programs at Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College and Bemidji High School.

“The Sanford CARES project really builds upon our already close relationship between Bemidji School District, Northwest Technical College, Bemidji State University and Sanford Medical Center, so it’s really about encouraging folks to pursue career paths in the health career field,” says Darrin Strosahl, the vice president of academic affairs for NTC.

“We’re giving the students what they’re desiring as their goal and also providing the health system with what they need to care for our patients, so whether that’s a CNA, a phlebotomist, a technician or a technologist, a nurse,” says Kelly Hagan, the vice president of nursing and clinical services for Sanford of Northern Minnesota.

The program is collectively called Sanford CARES and is already providing support in the region. In addition to the new programming, Sanford CARES will also provide scholarships, tuition reimbursements and internships.

Hagan says, “We support that by providing instructors to go to their site to provide curriculum around health care to bring them on site as volunteers and also to gain experience in some of the areas that they might be interested in the future.”

“We will actually expand and add an additional section of nursing assistant courses, as well as additional sections of our licensed practical nursing program and hopefully to be able to expand in the students who are in the health career academy at the Bemidji High School,” adds Strosahl.

The four different groups may all be a part of the Bemidji area, but the program is meant to reach the entire region.

Stosahl says, “We believe this program will bring lots of highly skilled folks into our area and the Bemidji area, and part of the program is specific for the health career camps that help students from Hubbard, Beltrami, Koochiching and Clearwater counties into the program.”

“Four organizations coming together to impact that is pretty powerful, and I think the power comes in harnessing the community resources and the health system together to make that all happen,” says Hagan.

To learn more about getting involved with the Sanford CARES program, you can reach out to any one of the four organizations.