Altru Health System Recognized Nationally for Telehealth Innovation Through American Heart Association Initiative

Grand Forks, N.D. - Altru Health System is celebrating the successful completion of its three-year partnership with the American Heart Association's Center for Telehealth Learning Collaborative and the continuation of that work through a new one-year sustainability and expansion agreement.

Three years ago, Altru was selected as one of only 12 health care organizations nationwide to
participate in the American Heart Association's Center for Telehealth Learning Collaborative.
Through the initiative, Altru received $96,000 in grant funding to strengthen and standardize
telehealth services across its health system, improving both the patient and provider
experience.

During the project, Altru was also selected as one of only five organizations nationwide to be
featured by the American Heart Association as a model for telehealth excellence, showcasing
its success in implementing standardized telehealth practices that can serve as an example for
health systems across the country.

Building on the success of the initial collaboration, the American Heart Association has awarded
Altru an additional $17,000 through a new one-year sustainability and expansion agreement.
The funding will support continued growth of the telehealth program, with a focus on
implementing the same standardized workflows, equipment, and training at Altru Hospital in
Devils Lake.

The original initiative focused on standardizing telehealth equipment, workflows, and training to
create more efficient and seamless virtual care experiences. Eight telemedicine rooms across
Altru's service region received technology upgrades and standardized equipment, including
digital stethoscopes, integrated examination cameras, professional headsets, and other tools
that support high-quality virtual care. Upgrades were implemented at clinics in Grand Forks,
Crookston, Devils Lake and Thief River Falls.

These enhancements help reduce barriers to care across Altru's largely rural service area,
making it easier for patients to connect with specialists closer to home while minimizing the
need for long-distance travel.

Altru's telehealth model combines advanced technology with in-person clinical support, allowing
patients to receive specialty care closer to home while still benefiting from hands-on assistance
during their appointments.

"When a lot of folks think about telehealth they think about sitting at their home at their kitchen
table with their computer," said Amber Stokke, Practice Manager at Altru Devils Lake. "Our
system is a little different where we're more of a hybrid system where we are bringing those
patients into the clinic, still giving them that one-on-one care that they require, but giving it to
them in a different way that provides them with the chance to save time, save money, save all
that extra travel to go see that provider close to home."

The project also included the development of standardized rooming guides, equipment catalogs,
and structured staff training to improve consistency across the health system. Throughout the
collaboration, Altru worked alongside health care organizations from across the country to share
best practices and help shape the future of telehealth-enabled care.

"Our partnership with the American Heart Association Center for Telehealth Learning
Collaborative has been incredibly valuable," said Jessica Piseno, Telehealth Services Specialist
at Altru Health System. "Through grant opportunities they've supported and established
telehealth programs like ours while also creating space for shared learning. We've been able to
grow our own services and also contribute to what we've learned through AHA-affiliated
programs. Being part of the collaboration allows us to learn from others, ask questions openly,
and share what's working in a real-world rural setting."

Altru's telehealth journey began in 2007 with regional renal dialysis care and expanded
significantly following a USDA grant in 2012 that helped establish the foundation for today's
robust virtual care program. Today we offer a wide range of virtual care services, including telestroke, eConsults, telepharmacy, remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, teleradiology, video
visits, eVisits, and telephone care. These services span 37 specialties, supported by 141
providers, and reach 53 partner locations, including clinics, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities,
and a correctional facility, extending access to care across northeast North Dakota and
northwest Minnesota.

"Success is less travel time for patients, better quality outcomes for patients, and keeping
patients at the center of our journey to get better with them," said Josh Deere, MD, President of
Altru Health System. "Ongoing investment in technology is really key. We've been early
adopters to technology at Altru. I think that's allowed our provider team, our care team, our
coordinator team, to continue to work and innovate and change and bring our patient population
along with it."

The new one-year agreement will allow Altru to build on the foundation established through the
Learning Collaborative, ensuring more patients have access to high-quality specialty care closer
to home while continuing to advance telehealth across the region.

About The American Heart Association Center for Telehealth® Learning Collaborative
The American Heart Association Center for Telehealth® Learning Collaborative is a national initiative that advances high-quality virtual care for chronic cardiovascular conditions by bringing together health
systems, clinical experts, and organizational partners. Through peer learning, expert guidance, quality
improvement strategies, and standardized data collection, the Collaborative helps health care teams
develop, test, and scale effective telehealth models for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes,
hyperlipidemia, and heart failure. Findings and best practices are shared broadly through educational
resources, workshops, conferences, and other dissemination efforts to improve access to quality
telehealth care nationwide. For more information, visit heart.org/en/.

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 currently exceed
$20 million. For more information, visit altru.org/foundation.