Sanford Health Announces Sanford Children’s Clinic in Klamath Falls, OR
A new Castle of Care™ will bring together current pediatric physicians from southern Oregon into one convenient location. Sanford Health announced today plans to open a Sanford Children’s Clinic in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Sioux Falls, SD, and Klamath Falls, OR (Vocus) June 13, 2010
A new Castle of Care™ will bring together current pediatric physicians from southern Oregon into one convenient location. Sanford Health announced today plans to open a Sanford Children’s Clinic in Klamath Falls, Oregon. As one of five Sanford Children’s Clinics around the world, it will serve a community and broader metropolitan area of 45,000, including more than 5,000 children. The clinic will also serve the four-county market service area that includes children and young families in Oregon and California.
“Like many of the communities Sanford currently serves, Klamath Falls is a growing area that is geographically isolated from other larger cities. Paired with local physicians and partners, the services we provide will allow for a solid foundation from which pediatric care can match the growth of the community,” said Dave Link, Sanford Health-MeritCare Senior Executive Vice President.
Sanford Children’s will work with a variety of individuals and organizations in the development and on-going operations of the clinic. Partnerships will include the region’s largest hospital, Sky Lakes Medical Center, and the Klamath Pediatric Clinic. The Sanford Children’s Clinic physician team will include two pediatricians from the Klamath Pediatric Clinic and one from Sky Lakes and will grow through recruitment in subsequent years. Additionally, the clinic will employ administrative and nursing staff to support the physician team. Opening in 2012, the clinic will include approximately 9,000 square feet and will include the Castle of Care™ features of other Sanford Children’s facilities.
“Having served local families for years, I am honored and excited to help solidify the future of pediatric care in Klamath Falls,” commented Tracy Graham, MD, who will join the Sanford Children’s Clinic team in Klamath Falls.
One of the site selection requirements for a Sanford Children’s Clinic is local contribution to match the approximately $2.5 million investment that Sanford Health will bring to each project. In Klamath Falls, the JELD-WEN Foundation is leading an effort and coordinating response among the grant-making community foundations of the state to garner this matching support. Current commitments from Oregon-based community partners exceed $1.225 million. Sky Lakes Medical Center will help facilitate the donation of land on which the clinic can be developed and will also provide ancillary lab and imaging resources when the clinic opens.
“We are pleased to partner with Sanford Health on the development of a pediatric clinic in Klamath Falls,” stated Paul Stewart, CEO of Sky Lakes Medical Center. “The necessary services that will be provided will benefit children and young families for years, and we look forward to the growth both organizations will experience together.”
TEAM Klamath, a public/private partnership organization that fosters the development of services for the community, and the American Academy of Pediatrics played integral roles in Sanford’s selection.
“Sanford Health’s mission to develop clinical services for children met the single, most pressing need TEAM Klamath was hoping to meet,” stated Cheryl Hukill, Klamath County Commissioner. “The coordination of care that will come from this project, and the growth that it will allow, will have tangible and lasting impacts on this community.”
The development process will include a formal ground-breaking ceremony in Klamath Falls on Thursday, September 9, 2010.
“By pairing the clinical model and expertise Sanford Health will bring, the pediatricians that have provided high-quality care in the community and support from incredibly generous Oregon-based community foundations, this truly sets the stage for growth well into the future,“ said Toby Freeman, Regional Community Manager, Pacific Power.
The Sanford Children’s Clinic in Klamath Falls will be connected to a comprehensive team of pediatric subspecialists with Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. It is one of five Sanford Children’s Clinics announced by Sanford Health as part of the initiatives outlined after a transformational donation from South Dakota businessman and philanthropist Denny Sanford in 2007. A portion of the donation is being used to establish a network of Sanford Children’s Clinics in communities around the world in order to expand access to pediatric care for children who might otherwise go without.
“TEAM Klamath has worked to identify partners that are interested in helping to grow our community,” said Trey Senn, Director of the Klamath County Economic Development Association, “and fostering health in children is exemplary of the core services we have hoped and dreamed of building here.”
Sanford Health recently announced plans to build a clinic in Dublin, Ireland, bringing pediatric care closer to families. The first Sanford Children’s Clinic opened in Duncan, OK in August 2009; Sanford Children’s Clinic in Belize City, Belize broke ground May 2010 and will open in 2011; Sanford Children’s Clinic in Oceanside, CA will share space with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego in a facility set to open in spring 2011.
About Sanford Health-MeritCare
Sanford Health-MeritCare consists of two long-standing health systems in the Dakotas who merged in 2009; Sanford Health based in Sioux Falls, SD and MeritCare based in Fargo, ND. The largest rural not-for-profit healthcare system in the nation, Sanford Health-MeritCare serves six states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma). It includes 30 hospitals with a total of 1,600 beds, as well as more than 800 physicians in numerous clinics in more than 70 specialty areas of medicine. With more than 18,000 employees, Sanford Health-MeritCare is the largest employer in North and South Dakota. For more information, visit http://www. sanfordmeritcare. com.
Photos are available from the Sanford Children's announcement.
Contact: Stacy Bauer Jones | Media Relations Coordinator
(605)328-7056 | jonesst(at)sanfordhealth(dot)org
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