Northwest Minnesota Foundation Awards Grant to UMC for RuralCare Partners Project 

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NWF) recently awarded a grant for $32,500 to the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) to launch a sustaining financial model for health care coverage in seven counties of northwest Minnesota.

RuralCare Partners, a collaborative that is comprised of the Northwest Minnesota Health Care Purchasing Alliance and the North Region Health Alliance, will implement the project.  The funds will be used to market insurance coverage, for education about the project, for technology support and for a vital aging initiative. 

Tom Jorgens (left), President of Polycell Technologies, and  NMF Executive Director John Ostrem (middle) present the grant check as UMC Chancellor Don Sargent (right) looks on.

Health care in the seven counties of Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau is at risk.  There is evidence to suggest that the future challenges will be more than the health care infrastructure of the region can handle.  Citizens have rallied around the opportunity to create a new health care option, and if successful, this new option will be launched through the project. 

The RuralCare Partners model has the potential for providing affordable, accessible, quality health care for small employers, self-employed, farmers and others who are joining the ranks of the uninsured and underinsured.  Among other projected outcomes are improved overall health and economic well being of the region and a new model for rural health care with potential for expansion and replication in other regions. 

NMF Executive Director John Ostrem said RuralCare Partners represents a serious and ambitious attempt to respond to a critical issue affecting rural Minnesota.  "The potential impact of the project is significant," he said, "and could affect the well being of thousands of residents in northwest Minnesota." 

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is a charitable foundation committed to improving the quality of life for residents in the twelve counties of northwest Minnesota by investing resources, creating opportunity and promoting philanthropy.

 

Posted  08/14/2001
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8435

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