Boundary Community Hospital and Fry Healthcare Foundation addressing the community’s needs By Jillian Chandler
Bonners Ferry is a wonderful place to call home, to work, play, and raise a family. Keeping our community healthy and being able to address health problems adequately, so residents of all ages can live their lives to the fullest, is a top priority for our hometown hospital, Boundary Community Hospital.
Boundary Community Hospital is always working its hardest to keep up with the community’s growing—and ever-changing—needs. And Fry Healthcare Foundation is instrumental in raising funds to meet those needs.
“BCH is having growing pains,” states Dennis Dinning, chief operations operator (COO).
“We are expanding our services and care, but we are maxing out our facilities’ capabilities. It is time that we look into how we can best expand to meet our growing community’s needs.”
In the fall of 2021, Fry Healthcare Foundation launched the Fund for the Future endowment fund to help with adding to the hospital’s infrastructure. Over the years, much progress has been made in the modernization of the hospital, and they are looking to expand the services they provide. Though they continue to constantly seek out multiple funding opportunities, such as grants and potentially secure loans, community support is always needed.
“The endowment fund strives to support the purchase, renovation, expansion and operations of Boundary Community Hospital to ensure that every person in Boundary County has equal access to quality, compassionate and personalized health care right here,” says Danielle Larsson, community relations and marketing director for Boundary Community Hospital.
BCH pays close attention to the results of Panhandle Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to make decisions based on what Boundary County’s needs are specifically. According to the 2018 CHNA, the top needs to be addressed in Boundary County are:
Access to Care. Access to care is the number one greatest need of Boundary County. The Fry Healthcare Foundation and Boundary Community Hospital are working together to expand their facilities and services to better care for the community.
Mental Health and Drug Abuse. BCH is actively seeking a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) to help people overcome problems like depression or addiction.
Obesity and Heart Disease. Both great hindrances to the community’s overall health, BCH has an Overeaters Anonymous group open to the public, and they have added several services, as well as new and upgraded equipment in BCH’s Cardiopulmonary Department.
Giving to the Fry Foundation ensures the legacy of the person giving the gifts, which can be in their name or in memory of, according to Dennis.
“FHF would encourage the community to give to the FHF because our vision is solely focused on improving and expanding care for our residents. When funds are donated to the FHF, they benefit our community directly. FHF has funded several projects like a van for our extended care residents, a state-of-the-art surgical table, and upgrades to our outpatient facility, but we want to use the Fund for the Future endowment fund for larger projects like expanding our facilities to care for more individuals right here at home or to add new service lines,” states Danielle.
“The funds stay local helping to ensure we have a strong and growing hospital. They help create new living wage jobs and keep our health-care dollars local. We all win when we partner as a community,” adds Dennis.
If you would like to donate to Fry Healthcare Foundation’s Fund for the Future, the simplest way is to log on to BoundaryCommunityHospital.org/fry-healthcare-foundation-donation. Or you can make a check out to The Fry Healthcare Foundation and mail to 6640 Kaniksu Street, Bonners Ferry, ID 83895. All donations to the FHF are tax deductible.
Let’s work as a community to ensure that each person living in this beautiful place we call home has the opportunity and access to the best quality health care. Your support to the Fry Healthcare Foundation will do just that.