Asante Foundation hits $35 million mark in fundraising campaign
The Asante Foundation announced this week it hit a $35 million milestone four years into its 10-year campaign to raise $50 million for new medical buildings and services.
The foundation said it reached that mark thanks to 9,335 donors who contributed to improve the lives of people in the community today and for generations to come.
“The community continues to amaze us with its generosity and commitment to transforming health care in Southern Oregon,” said Andrea Reeder, director of campaign and operations at Asante Foundation. “Philanthropy enables Asante to expand its facilities and services for patients and enhance the programs and capabilities that happen within our walls.”
In 2021, Asante received the largest gift in its history — $5 million from Mary and Dick Heimann. Asante’s new regional cancer center in Medford was named in honor of the couple.
The Asante Foundation said other community leaders recently came forward with three significant gifts for the fundraising campaign called AsanteForward:
- George and Susan Alameda donated $1 million toward the new patient pavilion under construction on the Rogue Regional Medical Center campus in Medford. The intensive care unit will be named after them.
- J. Paul and Geertje de Vos donated $1 million toward the Heimann Cancer Center, where the healing garden will be named after them.
- Wanda Olsrud donated $1 million toward the Heimann Cancer Center and the children’s hospital-within-a-hospital in the patient pavilion.
“These investment opportunities don’t come around every decade. The need is there. I can point at that (pavilion) and say, ‘We were a part of that,’” said George Alameda. “Asante is a cornerstone of the community. We’re glad to be able to support the AsanteForward campaign with our gift. We encourage everyone to take a moment to consider how they, too, can contribute their time or resources in creating a lasting legacy for our community.”
Since 2019, Asante and the community have carried out several facets of the AsanteForward campaign goals:
- Implemented the first two phases of the Behavioral Health Initiative, including a new Behavioral Health Unit at Rogue Regional Medical Center, which opened in June 2020, and rolled out trauma-informed care education and training called The Sanctuary Model.
- Expanded the Three Rivers Medical Center Emergency Department in Grants Pass and installed a new helipad. The expanded department fully opened in December 2020, and the helipad was installed in August 2021.
- Built the new Mary and Dick Heimann Cancer Center in Medford and expanded the Helen K. Spears Cancer Center in Grants Pass. Both facilities opened in January 2022.
- Broke ground on the new six-story patient pavilion at Rogue Regional Medical Center in November 2020. The facility will be home to a new children’s hospital-within-a-hospital, cardiac care, critical care, intensive care and advanced surgical services. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.
- In 2021, a new campaign component was launched for Ashland Community Hospital to become an age-friendly health system, addressing the unique care needs for the aging population in Southern Oregon.
Fundraising continues for all campaign initiatives, including programs and support services that will help patients who receive care within the new and enhanced facilities, the Asante Foundation said.
“When you look at what it takes to make advancements like this possible, community investment is an important piece of the puzzle that allows Asante to continue our expansion efforts, even during challenging times,” said Scott Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Asante. “As your local, nonprofit health system, we believe it is our duty to be here for the community, and we’re grateful the community trusts Asante with its health care and financial contributions.”
To learn more or get involved, see asantefoundation.org.