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Rural Healthcare

Improving Access to Quality Healthcare in the Upper Midwest and Beyond

About

Over the past decade, Helmsley has been dedicated to making sure that the vibrant, tightly-knit communities of the rural, upper Midwest – many of which help feed the United States and the world – have access to the highest quality healthcare.

We invest in telemedicine, fund programs that increase access to behavioral health services, and support hospitals and first responders to make sure they have the best equipment to treat their patients. We do this by working hand-in-hand with a range of partners across the region – including but not limited to non-profits, health systems, law enforcement agencies, universities, first responders, and public health services.

To date, we have worked closely with partners across eight states – North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, and Nevada. The models that are proving to be successful in this region hold the promise to transform care in other rural communities across the country.

Pillars

Investing in Telemedicine

Investing in Telemedicine

Telemedicine is an essential solution for addressing our country’s healthcare crisis, especially for rural America. We partner with organizations to make it more accessible for patients, healthcare professionals, and providers.

Our grants have helped develop the first-ever national telehealth certificate program to make sure telehealth care is high quality and consistent.

We bring specialized care to emergency rooms and enable virtual training for healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 care.

Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Services

Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Services

Our investments have helped build a 24/7 telemedicine behavioral health team. We fund training fellowships as well as telehealth.

We support a pilot initiative that uses video conferencing to help law enforcement connect people with mental health professionals during an emergency.

We’ve pledged $13M to help create an adolescent behavioral health center that will serve four states and include a first-of-its-kind behavioral health urgent care.

Ensuring Availability of Modern Equipment and Technology Wherever It Is Needed

Ensuring Availability of Modern Equipment and Technology Wherever It Is Needed

Our grants aim to provide connected-device Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to every first responder, as well as state-of-the-art diagnostic tools to hospitals across the upper Midwest. We’ve also helped deliver nearly 400 LUCAS mechanical CPR devices to rural hospitals to help respond to cardiac events during COVID-19 as well as in the future.

We brought the first-ever Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) with a game-changing, super ambulance-mobile ER to the region.

Rural Healthcare by the Numbers

$600+

MILLION

committed

593

GRANTS

awarded

8

STATES

reached

Recent Grants

Bipartisan Policy Center, Inc

Amount: $ 1,866,002.00
Term of Grant: 36 Months
Date of Award: 08.23.2023

Cozad Hospital District No. 2

Amount: $ 194,398.00
Term of Grant: 36 Months
Date of Award: 07.12.2023

The Legatum Institute Foundation

Amount: $ 71,831.00
Term of Grant: 12 Months
Date of Award: 07.12.2023

Sheridan County Memorial Hospital Foundation

Amount: $ 2,500,000.00
Term of Grant: 12 Months
Date of Award: 04.26.2023

American Heart Association, Inc

Amount: $ 15,977,071.00
Term of Grant: 36 Months
Date of Award: 04.26.2023

Our Team

Mitchell Krebs

Mitch Krebs is the Program Director of Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program which seeks to improve access to and quality of care in the upper Midwest.   Prior to joining Helmsley, Mi ...


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Mitchell Krebs

Program Director

Wayne Booze

Wayne Booze is a Program Officer for the Helmsley Charitable Trust's Rural Healthcare Program. Currently, he is focusing on the expansion of access to the best standard of diagnostic care for wo ...


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Wayne Booze

Program Officer

Kristen Bunt

Kristen Bunt is a Program Officer for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program. Kristen brings more than 25 years of healthcare experience to her role as Program Officer. In th ...


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Kristen Bunt

Program Officer

Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson is a Program Officer for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program. In this role, Scott assists with Helmsley’s efforts in rural behavioral healthcare.   ...


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Scott Johnson

Program Officer

Elizabeth Ruen

Elizabeth Ruen is a Program Officer for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program. In this role, she oversees a growing portfolio of healthcare delivery, cancer care, and conser ...


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Elizabeth Ruen

Program Officer

April Dewey

April Dewey is an Associate Program Officer for Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program which is dedicated to ensuring communities of the rural upper Midwest have access to the highest quality hea ...


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April Dewey

Associate Program Officer

Alicia Cotton

Alicia Cotton is the Executive Assistant for the Rural Healthcare Program in Helmsley’s Sioux Falls office.   Born and raised in South Dakota, Alicia has been dedicated to many loca ...


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Alicia Cotton

Executive Assistant

Maria Nevarez

Maria Nevarez is the Administrative Assistant for the Rural Healthcare and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Programs. She provides scheduling, travel, and expense reporting support for ...


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Maria Nevarez

Administrative Assistant (also Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa)