HMC campaign pushes to reach $1.5 million fundraising goalby end of year

By MICHELLE MCLEAN
Bolstered by more than 500 donations, Hillsboro Medical Center Foundation is making a final push to reach a fundraising goal of $1.5 million by year’s end. Their target — $350,000 in gifts and pledges before we ring in 2008.
The fundraising campaign — the largest community effort ever undertaken in Hillsboro — will help finance a $12.5 million construction project at HMC — a new nursing home, new assisted living apartments and a remodeled hospital.
As construction workers push to “button up” the structure for winter, fundraisers are working to “nail down” more donations by Dec. 31.
A little more than a year ago, the foundation turned to a 12-member steering committee to spearhead a $2 million capital fund drive — under the direction of HMCF director Angela Kritzberger and committee chairs Dallas and Mary Ann Boeddeker.
Working primarily as a “private campaign” during the fall, winter and spring, the committee met one-on-one with potential donors. A more public push came after May 1, when groundbreaking ceremonies created a broader awareness of the project.
To date the far-reaching fundraising has produced $1,157,000 in donations from individuals, businesses and estates, Kritzberger reported. Contacts will continue to be made. Before the end of the year, the campaign aims to raise another $350,000 to top the $1.5 million mark.
Kritzberger says she is “pleased with the broad-based support” the campaign has garnered. The average individual gift is $3,500, not including memorials and grants. Individuals have made donations large — $50,000 — and small —$100.
“Every dollar helps” reach the goal, Kritzberger pointed out. Donors have been asked to consider a five-year pledge — a real commitment to the project, Kritzberger added. The response has been “encouraging.”
“It can be done,” Kritzberger said of the $2 million goal. “If we all work together we can do it. Hillsboro is progressive and we make things happen here.”
In addition to donations, Kritzberger has helped secure $50,000 in grants for equipment. The latest is a $45,000 grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota’s Rural Health Grant Program. The funding will go toward implementing an electronic medical records system that will be shared with other health care facilities, providers and patients by purchasing a picture archiving and communication system. The completed system is expected to cost $700,000 and is included in the $12.5 million construction project.
Hillsboro Medical Center is building a new two-story 36-bed nursing home, a 16-apartment assisted living facility and a renovated hospital. HMC traces its deep roots in the community back to 1892 when the first hospital opened its doors in Hillsboro. Over the decades, community support has sustained the facility as it has grown, relocated and changed to meet the needs of local residents.
A modern community hospital was built in 1953 on what was a park at the corner of Caledonia and 3rd Avenue SE. A nursing home was added in 1964. A clinic addition was completed in 1997.
Today the same block is “under construction” — where workers are creating a state-of-the-art medical facility that will continue to emphasize individual care.

Construction
pace quickens
Patricia Dirk, administrator at HMC, says periods of wet weather this summer have caused some construction delays.
“We’re about a month behind,” she noted.
In recent days, the most visible progress was the placement of metal roof trusses. Since June, passersby have watched as the work below ground was completed and slowly moved upward to the first floor, the second floor and now the roof.
By December 1, the general contractor, Nor-Son of Baxter, Minn. and Fargo, N.D., expects to have the building “buttoned up” or enclosed. Work will continue indoors — out of the elements — for the winter season.
When construction started in May, the contractor scheduled a year’s worth of work on the new construction phase, completing the nursing home and assisted living by May 2008. Remodeling the hospital will take another six months to a year.
Dirk said she’s appreciated the community’s cooperation as the project has impacted traffic on streets that surround the medical center.
“We haven’t had any complaints,” she said. “People have been very understanding.”
She said nursing home residents and medical center staff have been keeping a close eye on the daily progress at the work site. “They’re very excited to soon live and work in a brand new facility.”
Residents and staff have been given the privilege of naming the new assisted living complex. A contest is underway to pick a winning name, Dirk said.

Designed to meet changing needs
In the works for more than a decade, the large scale project has a three-prong goal: 1) Renovate the hospital to meet today’s needs for efficiency, safety and privacy; 2) build a new nursing home based on a new philosophy of individualized care; and 3) build a new assisted living facility with exciting options for seniors.
Mary Ann Boeddeker, who is leading the capital campaign steering, said the project addresses the needs of the community.
“The community sees the need for this and is working together to accomplish it,” she said.
“It can’t be built fast enough for the people it will help,” she added.
Boeddeker praised the community’s generous and caring attitude.
“We hope people will dig a little deeper and help us reach our goal.”

Community unites behind campaign
A community event related to the fundraising campaign is an “Old Fashioned Church Supper” served by more than a dozen local congregations.
The church supper is — of course — a smorgasbord of homemade hotdishes, salads and desserts. It will be served by volunteers Sunday, Nov. 4 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hillsboro Elementary School lunchroom. Starting at 7 p.m., diners can move down the hall to the Hillsboro Events Center for a Gospel Music hour. Performers scheduled to appear include Nancy DickHoff and Dennis Halvorson, Seth Mulder, Diane Mayer, Leif Heskin and Colin Lovedahl.
Free will donations will be accepted at both events. The proceeds will help furnish the new chapel in the nursing home and assisted living complex now under construction.