New equipment the focus for Freeman Regional Health Services fundraiser
Jan. 2—FREEMAN, S.D. — With a service area that covers portions of Hutchinson County, Turner County, McCook County and beyond, Freeman Regional Health Services is as vital a component in southeastern South Dakota rural health care as it has ever been.
And once again, the hospital and its associated clinics are looking to the greater Freeman community for support as it seeks to improve that level of health care through its annual fundraiser and gala, which this year is focused on acquiring a new Dexa bone density scanner. The fundraising push is continuing through January and will culminate in the annual gala Jan. 27.
The scanner should be highly useful in helping treat the hospital's clientele, which as the years go on is trending upward in age.
"With our aging population, it's important to be checking bones regularly for osteoporosis and for weakness so we can identify and treat it," said Tabitha Schoenwald, the foundation and marketing director for the Freeman Regional Health Health Services Foundation.
A Dexa scan is an imaging test that measures bone density and strength. Scan results can provide details about the risk for osteoporosis, bone loss and fractures and can also measure your body composition, such as body fat and muscle mass,
according to information on the device from the Cleveland Clinic.
The equipment should be particularly useful with older patients and diagnosing conditions like osteoporosis
Osteoporosis, which is more common in women, affects almost 20% of women aged 50 and over and almost 5% of men aged 50 and over. Many people with osteoporosis do not know they have it until they break a bone, so screening is important to find these people before this happens,
according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Currently, screening for osteoporosis is recommended for women who are 65 years old or older and for women who are 50 to 64 and have certain risk factors.
Freeman Regional Health Services currently provides access to a Dexa scanner by bringing in equipment and operational personnel on a monthly basis, but having its own equipment to use on site as needed will provide better treatment and diagnostic options for patients.
"Right now we have somebody who comes in monthly and performs Dexa scans, so this will provide that onsite availability for whenever we need it," Schoenwald said.
In addition to the scanner, money raised will also go toward support services that will be needed for the planned expansion and upgrade of the organization campus in Freeman. The process began in 2021 and is still a focus for the organization, Schoenwald said.
Located between Yankton, Sioux Falls and Mitchell, Freeman Regional Health Services, an affiliate of Avera Health, provides services through its hospital in Freeman, along with satellite clinics in Freeman, Bridgewater, Menno and Marion. Those outposts allow the organization to support patients throughout the area while reducing the need for them to take longer trips to bigger hospitals in other communities.
That's important in an era where some states are seeing their rural hospitals shutter their doors.
More than 60 million Americans — about one-fifth of the U.S. population — live in rural areas. On average, rural residents are older and generally have worse health conditions than urban residents. But while they may require more medical attention and care, they also might have more limited access to health care, according to the United States Government Accountability Office.
More than 100, or 4%, rural hospitals closed from 2013 through 2020. As a result, residents had to travel about 20 miles farther for common services like inpatient care, and 40 miles farther for less common services.
Those kinds of statistics are what makes it so important for hospitals like Freeman Regional Health Services to stay up to speed with easy access to top-of-the-line equipment and to be forward-thinking about the future of the hospital, as current leadership is doing with its desire to construct a new campus.
"A lot of the focus has been on bringing in dollars, too, so we can set ourselves up for success with the new campus," Schoenwald said. "But what is going to impact our area most — we have an elderly demographic (and we need to be able to support them) with them not having to go somewhere else."
As of Monday, the fundraising goal, tracked on the website
is at about $41,000 of a $60,000 goal, with listed donors ranging from small anonymous gifts to donations of over $1,000 from businesses and other individuals. In-kind donations of products or gift certificates will be used for live and silent auction items as well as prices at the gala.
The fundraiser is entering its final month before the gala is held Jan. 27 at the Freeman Community Center in Freeman. The final push with yearly fundraisers is always an anxious time, and this year is no different, Schoenwald said. But the Freeman community and surrounding area have been generous with their support in the past.
Last year, for example, the yearly fundraiser brought in $53,000 on a $50,000 goal. With nearly four weeks left to go with this year's drive, Schoenwald said she is again hopeful that the community won't let them down.
"Everyone says that it will come. It might come in late at the end, but it will come," Schoenwald said. "Freeman supports Freeman, and we all know that healthcare is important here. They're supportive of the things that will improve healthcare in our community."
Donations can be made and more information can be found at the
website or by reaching out to Freeman Regional Health Services Foundation, Box 370, Freeman, SD, 57029.
