Helmsley Charitable Trust grants $12.3 million to help Wyoming healthcare organizations purchase state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment.
Wyoming Community Foundation assists in distribution of several devices.
Laramie, WY — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted
$361,581.00 to the Wyoming Community Foundation (WYCF) to purchase ultrasound equipment as part of a statewide ultrasound initiative across Wyoming. The initiative includes nearly $13.9 million to help Wyoming hospitals and health centers purchase ultrasound imaging devices and boost sonography and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training opportunities across the state.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust has provided many hospitals in Wyoming with ultrasound equipment and training opportunities. WYCF was awarded a grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to assist in purchasing new equipment for the three remaining hospitals: Evanston Regional, SageWest Lander and SageWest Riverton hospitals.
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 for the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grants will help improve access to quality medical treatment for all Wyoming residents, whether they live in the heart of Cheyenne or Casper or in a smaller rural community.
“Our hospitals and health centers need to stay current with rapidly advancing technology so they can continue to provide top-notch healthcare close to home,” Panzirer said. “These grants help ensure that facilities across Wyoming have the latest and greatest ultrasound equipment and training.”
The grants were announced Thursday during a statewide news conference.
About two-thirds (97) of the 143 devices purchased through the $12.3 million in equipment 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 26 general ultrasound systems and 20 cardiovascular ultrasound systems, which aid in imaging of the heart.
The initiative also includes nearly $1.6 million for the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training Initiative, which aims to enhance patient care across the state by both broadening the scope of training in specialty ultrasound and bolstering access to quality POCUS services.
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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 about $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 $650 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.
About the Wyoming Community Foundation
The Wyoming Community Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization that has, for over 30 years, connected people who care with the causes they care most about. In 2023, WYCF granted over $8 million to charitable causes. For information call 307-721-8300 or visit their website at www.wycf.org.
For more information, contact:
Allison Renton, Associate Director of Programs
Wyoming Community Foundation
Cell: 307-721-8300
Email: allison@wycf.org
Wayne Booze, Rural Healthcare Program Officer
Helmsley Charitable Trust
Cell: 605-553-5686
Email: wbooze@helmsleytrust.org