Donors provide record $4.2 million to LMH Health Foundation in 2019

Donors to the LMH Health Foundation committed a record $4.2 million of philanthropic support to benefit LMH Health patients, programs and initiatives throughout the fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31, 2019.

“We are fortunate to be part of a community that values healthcare, and this exceptional philanthropic support ensures our community hospital is among the very best in the country," said Rebecca Smith, executive director of LMH Health Foundation and vice president of strategic communications for LMH Health. "From investing in strategies that ensure our ability to provide care for all—regardless of ability to pay—to procuring the very best in technology and medical equipment, our donors have had a tremendous impact over the past year.”

LMH Health Foundation, formerly LMH Endowment Association, is a 501(c)(3) that leverages nearly $15 million in philanthropic assets to provide average annual donor support of more than $3.8 million to LMH Health. The organization is governed by a board of directors, which guides programs to grow investments in patient care, community education, charitable care, wellness and more.
LMH Health Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019.

This record year was made possible by nearly 1,570 donors whose combined contributions outpaced the previous record of more than $3.4 million in gifts, set in 2018.

The foundation announced the largest single gift in hospital history at the beginning of 2019, a $2 million pledge from the Kansas City-based Sunderland Foundation to support LMH Health West Campus. Donors in 2019 included Sue and Dana Anderson, who made an $850,000 challenge gift to support patient-centered technology initiatives, including robotic surgery and a second cardiac catheterization lab.

“The work our doctors do is important to our entire community,” Dana Anderson said. “Sue and I are happy to do what we can to provide them with the very best technology they need to perform at the highest level.”

Donors provided support to several major initiatives, including:

• Robotic Surgery: Donor gifts are supporting the purchase of an orthopedic surgical robot and a second da Vinci surgical robot, which will improve patient outcomes and lessen recovery time.
• A second Cardiac Catheterization Lab: Donors contributed $1.2 million to renovate and upgrade this facility in 2019, where nearly 500 lifesaving procedures are performed annually. This new initiative will support the creation of a second lab in 2021.
• LMH Health West Campus. Donors have committed more than $4.5 million since 2018 to this new state-of-the-art outpatient campus, which will have a strong focus on orthopedic and sports medicine, will include surgical capabilities, a full outpatient therapy area for traditional and sports-oriented services, a breast center, and outstanding primary care from both family practice and internal medicine.
• LMH Health East Heights Family Care:  LMH Health opened a new medical clinic serving the residents of East Lawrence and beyond. The clinic, which was largely funded through private gifts, is located in the Independence, Inc., building near 20th Street and Haskell Avenue.
• The Help & Healing Fund: This fund helps patients in need with expenses for medications, medical equipment or other necessities for healing and recovery after a hospital stay. In 2019, the Help & Healing Fund supported our community members in 612 cases.

Since 2000, the foundation has distributed more than $30 million to support LMH Health programs and care in the community, including direct patient care, education, hospital programs, equipment and services.

“We will continue to invest in clinical excellence, which is supported by our incredible partners in philanthropy around the community,” said Russ Johnson, President and CEO of LMH Health. “Donors provide a huge boost to our ability to maintain the best in technology, facilities and services.”