Make a Difference

When Carl Petersen passed away in 2002, he left behind his legacy and that of his wife Ihla through a $4 million gift to charity. OMC Regional Foundation receives one-third of the proceeds from a trust designed to help financially disadvantaged residents of Olmsted County. Carl made this gift in appreciation for care provided to Ihla at OMC before she passed away. With the trust proceeds, OMC Regional Foundation established the Carl and Ihla Petersen Patient Care Fund to enhance OMC’s ability to provide financial assistance to people with fixed incomes, multiple jobs, and/or insufficient insurance coverage to obtain healthcare. In addition to the distributions from the Petersen Trust Fund, OMC employees have generously contributed to this fund as they see first-hand the benefit to patients in need.

Whether it is an investment in hardware or software, state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology allow Olmsted Medical Center to provide the best possible care.

• Investments in technology at OMC include major projects such as an electronic medical record system, the picture archiving and communication system, voice recognition capabilities for transcription, or information systems for radiology and laboratory, which improve our staff’s ability to spend more time with patients. They also help our clinicians—regardless of OMC location—quickly connect with colleagues and securely share information to ensure the best possible patient care.
  
  
• We have also received gifts for other technology upgrades, such as wireless internet access in patient rooms and a computer kiosk for family member use, to improve communication with family and friends when a loved one is hospitalized.

OMC has a long-range investment plan for buildings and facilities in all current OMC communities as well as at locations yet to be established. Current priorities include the Women's Health Pavilion expansion at OMC's hospital, which will double the size of the current building and serve as a one-stop shop for primary and specialty women's health services.

View a webcam feed of the Women's Health Pavilion construction progress.

View a site map of the expanded hospital campus.

OMC Regional Foundation’s endowment provides a source of future support for Olmsted Medical Center. Your gift becomes part of the principal and remains intact, while income from the fund is used to meet various needs at Olmsted Medical Center.

Gifts of $25,000 or more to endowment have the privilege of being named separately and having a designated purpose, such as the Michael and Nancy Domaille Endowment Fund, which supports current priorities of Olmsted Medical Center. Nancy Domaille has a long history of volunteer service to Olmsted Medical Center, having served on the OMC Board of Trustees from 1997-2003 and as a founding board member and first president of OMC Regional Foundation from 2001–2007. Mike and Nancy Domaille were among the first supporters of OMC Regional Foundation and have remained interested in how philanthropy can positively impact patient care at OMC.

You can support health education and wellness programs designed and delivered generally for the region, which emphasize disease prevention, and specifically to meet the needs of patients managing chronic disease. OMC Regional Foundation also publishes, on behalf of Olmsted Medical Center, HealthNotes, a free, patient health education newsletter sent to more than nearly 50,000 patient households, and Health-e-Living, a free, e-newsletter offered to anyone interested in better health.

We take your privacy very seriously, and protect your contact and personal information accordingly. We do not share your subscription information with any other organizations.

• If you would like to subscribe to our FREE print newsletter, HealthNotes, e-mail your (postal) mailing information to foundation@olmmed.org or call 507.292.7202.

Keeping OMC staff on top of the latest information in their fields of medical practice is critical to exceptional patient care. Olmsted Medical Center is an accredited provider of continuing medical education through the Minnesota Medical Association and provides regular programming for healthcare professionals seeking education in the fields of medicine and medical research. OMC Regional Foundation and Olmsted Medical Center work together to provide excellent educational opportunities onsite for OMC clinicians and others in the community working in healthcare.

• Through philanthropy, OMC Regional Foundation has established an online library of medical resources. The Dr. Harry F. Burich Online Clinicians Library was established with an initial endowment gift of $100,000 from OMC’s first surgeon, Dr. Burich, and his wife Grace. OMC clinicians and retirees also have contributed to support this library, which is available on every OMC computer workstation.

• The Noel R. Peterson Founders Lecture Series, created through the generosity of Dr. Noel and Ann Peterson, is a continuing medical education opportunity which is open to the public. The lecture series provides a local forum for healthcare providers and other community members to discuss issues including healthcare reform, bioethics, the impact of philanthropy in healthcare, and other important topics. Dr. Peterson, urologist and a past president of OMC, has been active in the Minnesota Medical Association and other organizations which suggests the importance of partnerships between healthcare providers and community. In addition to Dr. and Mrs. Peterson’s endowment gift, many other gifts have been received in support of this program.

• The Healthcare Professional Scholarship Fund provides a source of support for Olmsted Medical Center to continue to provide tuition assistance and other support for OMC employees who are improving their credentials and ability to provide exceptional patient care. Supporters of this fund understand the critical importance of ensuring a strong workforce in healthcare who will carry on OMC’s tradition of quality healthcare with a personal, friendly, and caring touch.