Altru’s Gala 2018 raises more than $387,000 for Altru’s Home Visit Program

Grand Forks, N.D. – Altru Health Foundation, along with main event sponsor Alerus, hosted 750 guests at the fourteenth annual Altru’s Gala on September 29, 2018, at the Alerus Center. More than $387,000 was raised to support Altru’s Home Visit Program.

Going home after being in the hospital can be scary and confusing. “The amount of information that patients take home can be overwhelming”, explains Dr. Marc Nielsen, a champion for Altru’s Home Visit Program. “Healthcare needs to continue in the home for any patient, of any age, with any diagnosis.”

Through Altru’s Home Visit Program, respiratory therapists, nurses, paramedics, and residency doctors visit the homes of patients in need who have recently been discharged from the hospital. The team helps patients become comfortable with care in their homes after being hospitalized. This is done through answering any questions the patient and family may have, checking that the patient is taking medications correctly, making suggestions to improve quality of life in their home, and in some situations, setting up a home monitor to keep their doctor updated on vitals such as blood pressure and other important healthcare information.

"The community's response to this year's gala was just phenomenal, from my standpoint," he said. "It's so much fun to be a part of this community because they really care. This community always steps up when there's a need."

About Altru Health System

Altru Health System is a regional-owned, integrated system with an acute care hospital, a specialty hospital, more than a dozen clinics in Grand Forks and the region, and a large home care network. It employs nearly 200 physicians and 4,000 staff. As the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Altru’s providers have access to clinically integrated tools extending Mayo Clinic’s knowledge and expertise to patients.