November 2, 2021, New York  – Today, the Helmsley Charitable Trust announced its Rural Healthcare (RHC) Program will extend its grantmaking to Nevada. Nevada joins North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, and Montana as the eighth state where the RHC Program provides funds to ensure these communities have access to the highest quality healthcare. The RHC Program’s goal is to invest in programs that eliminate geographic barriers to quality health care, enhancing equity for rural communities.

“We know firsthand from our work across the Upper Midwest that rural hospitals and providers are too often overlooked when it comes to funding for both the basics for quality health care, as well as the innovations that can drive better patient outcomes,” said Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley Trustee. “Our expansion into Nevada will allow us to extend our impact and help improve and save lives in another state, one with vast expanses between health care centers, many of which lack modern equipment.”

Helmsley will focus initially upgrading diagnostics tools in hospitals and other medical facilities, some of which have radiology equipment from the 1970s or before.

To date, the RHC Program has granted over $500 million in funding to improve access to high-quality healthcare in the upper Midwest. Through investments in telemedicine, behavioral health services, equipment for first responders, and training for healthcare workers, Helmsley has dedicated time and resources to advancing the standard of healthcare in the country, especially for rural and underserved communities.

The first round of Helmsley grants include:

• $736,000 to Boulder City Hospital for 3D mammography and mobile C-arm fluoroscopic x-ray equipment
• $667,000 to Grover C. Dils Medical Center in Caliente for a fixed x-ray device and a CT scanner
• $402,000 to Pershing General Hospital in Lovelock to purchase a CT scanner
• $959,000 to William Bee Ririe Hospital in Ely for a CT scanner and fixed x-ray device with fluoroscopy
• $1.8 million to Incline Village Community Hospital for a CT scanner, fixed x-ray device and related costs
• $3.6 million to Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville to build and equip a hybrid cardiac cath lab/interventional radiology lab and purchase a new fixed x-ray device
• $518,000 to South Lyon Medical Center in Yerington for a CT scanner and a fixed x-ray device
• $462,000 to Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson for a state-of-the-art medical simulation center, featuring six high-fidelity patient simulators, beds and equipment
• $2.2 million to the Nevada Community Foundation to fund a fixed x-ray device with fluoroscopy for Desert View Hospital in Pahrump and 3D mammography equipment, a CT scanner, a fixed x-ray device and a portable x-ray machine for Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite

Recently, the RHC Program has funded projects like the Montana Psychiatry Residency Program, the Avera Behavioral Health Center, an EmPATH Unit for CentraCare Health System, and various grants to equip law enforcement organizations throughout North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska with Automated External Defibrillators (AED). Helmsley also supports a public awareness campaign to promote mask wearing and vaccination while combating vaccine misinformation across its original seven states of focus.

Helmsley looks forward to funding similar initiatives in Nevada.

About Helmsley

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the United States and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $3 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes.

Contact:

Carey Meyers, cmeyers@helmsleytrust.org