Helmsley Charitable Trust grants $4 million to help Altru Health System purchase state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment

Grand Forks, N.D. — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted $4.2 million to Altru Health System in Grand Forks to purchase new state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment as part of a $27.4 million ultrasound initiative in North Dakota.

The initiative includes more than $21.8 million to help 69 North Dakota hospitals and health centers secure ultrasound imaging devices and nearly $5.7 million to boost sonography and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) training opportunities across the state.

At Altru, the $4.2 million grant award will support new ultrasound and echocardiogram technology for a vast array of services including general and specialty ultrasound, heart and vascular surgery, obstetrics, dialysis, and oncology, as well as emergency and sports medicine.

Kristi Hall-Jiran, Chief Philanthropy and Partnership Officer at Altru, emphasized the profound impact this will have on patient care in our region.

“This investment from the Helmsley Charitable Trust is nothing short of transformational in accelerating access to advanced medical technology for our community. This equipment will have a tremendous impact for hundreds of thousands of patients in the years to come, while also equipping our care teams with state-of-the-art technology to perform at their best. We cannot thank the Helmsley Charitable Trust enough for their outstanding partnership through this initiative, and we are deeply grateful for their continued laser focus on improving the quality of healthcare throughout our rural state.”

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside the body. This safe, cost-effective tool supports other clinical information to help providers make timely diagnoses and provide appropriate treatment.

Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grants will help improve access to top-notch medical treatment for North Dakotans, whether they live in Fargo, Bismarck, or Grand Forks, or a smaller rural community such as Bottineau, Rugby, or Hettinger.

“These grants will help ensure that hospitals and health centers across North Dakota have the latest in state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment and training,” Panzirer said. “Facilities need to stay current with rapidly advancing technology so they can continue to provide the very best healthcare close to home.” 

The majority (134) of the devices purchased through the grants are POCUS machines, which are used by providers at the bed or tableside for immediate assessment of a patient to quickly determine a course of action. The grants will also provide 57 general ultrasound systems and 24 cardiovascular ultrasound systems, which aid in imaging of the heart.

The initiative also includes nearly $1.9 million to North Dakota State University and nearly $3.8 million to High Quality Medical Education (HQMEDED) to expand sonographer expertise and provide comprehensive POCUS training to doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Additionally, more than $64,000 will go to individual facilities to boost sonographer training.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust has committed a total of $72 million to fund ultrasound equipment and training initiatives for rural communities and underserved populations in Nevada, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming.

(Additional information including photos and b-roll video can be downloaded from https://helmsleytrust.box.com/s/prhpsbah1ldnd5cun4lcyehhw5474zo9)

About the Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $750 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.

About Altru  
Based in Grand Forks, N.D., Altru is an independent, non-profit healthcare organization. We are physician-led, with over 300 providers and 65 specialties of care. Altru boasts an acute care hospital, specialty hospital, level II trauma center and twenty practice locations throughout northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. Altru was the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, extending Mayo Clinic expertise to the patients we serve. Altru employs over 3,400 staff and providers who are empowered to fulfill Altru’s mission – making a difference for those we care for. For more information, visit altru.org. 

About Altru Foundation
As an independent, non-profit health system, Altru relies on the generosity of our community to realize our vision of the relentless pursuit of excellence for the health of our community. Since 1983, Altru Foundation has aligned philanthropic strategy to support patient assistance programs, enhance our healthcare workforce, and secure state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Altru Foundation’s annual operating revenue has grown nearly 300% over the past five years and our net assets exceeded $23 million at the end of 2024. For more information, visit altru.org/foundation.