(GREAT BEND, KAS.) – All assets of one local non-profit entity are currently being transferred to another to ensure donors’ contributions will be used for their intended purposes.

The Central Kansas Medical Center/St. Rose Foundation is transferring its approximately $1.8 million in assets to the Golden Belt Community Foundation (GBCF).

In the near future, the plan is that St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center’s name will change to St. Rose Health Center; it will be co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health, which is St. Rose’s current umbrella organization.

“The upcoming changes at St. Rose will affect our Foundation,” said Foundation Executive Director Mark Mingenback. “We reviewed the options available to continue the Foundation’s mission, and the board of directors determined this transfer secures the future in perpetuity.

“This is good for St. Rose because the efforts of our donors and board members will continue to be recognized for decades to come,” Mingenback added. “This plan guarantees funds will be used for their intended purposes.”

The structure of the three newly established St. Rose endowment funds at GBCF is designed to honor the donors’ requests, he said.

St. Rose Health Center Endowment Fund money will be distributed annually to St. Rose Health Center for various St. Rose services, similar to the mini-grant process in the past. Distributions will be determined by the organization based on the most pressing needs each year.

A second fund is called St. Rose Health Center Endowment Fund for Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice. “This money will continue to support end-of-life medication and equipment needs for hospice patients,” Mingenback explained.

The third new entity is the Heartland Cancer Patient Care and Support Endowment Fund. Patients can apply for assistance and a local committee will decide how the money is disbursed.

“Cancer patients residing in Barton, Pawnee, Rush and Stafford counties who are experiencing financial hardship because of cancer and related treatments can request a grant,” Mingenback said, noting the counties represent GBCF’s service area. “The local committee will review online applications and award the funds.”

This cancer fund also will help finance support groups, educational programs and partnerships.

“Our board of directors wants to ensure that local oncologists and cancer patients continue to have access to educational opportunities afforded by support groups and the Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA),” Mingenback commented. “Therefore, half the cancer fund money will go to individual patients and the rest will help pay for our MCA membership.

“Many local people have already benefitted from St. Rose’s partnership with MCA and it will touch many more families in the future,” Mingenback added.

MCA is the outreach arm of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, which is affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. It allows local physicians and patients to have access to the most current developments in cancer care.
Mingenback cited a few examples of local MCA services to patients and families: coordinated second opinions via MCA interactive televideo (ITV); oncologist participation on the statewide KU tumor board; patient-centered support via ITV; continuing local medical and nursing education opportunities; community cancer-screening events; and access to nationwide clinical trials.

Christy Tustin, GBCF executive director, said her organization is pleased to establish these new endowment funds for St. Rose and area cancer treatment support.

“When an entity is facing changes but wants to continue its mission, we are here to provide support,” Tustin said. “GBCF will ensure donations go to their intended purposes, and we will build on what the donors and the St. Rose board started. The board should be commended for its thoughtful deliberation about this matter.”

GBCF also will benefit from the transfer of funds, which will live on in perpetuity. “This transaction will help our community foundation grow – not just in assets but also in our outreach,” Tustin said. “For example, we will reach into a new area by serving local cancer patients.

“This is a real solution for St. Rose and a welcome addition to GBCF,” she added. “The gifts to St. Rose are not going away; they are not changing. They will be supporting the same good causes. Past and future donors can count on this.”

St. Rose is part of Centura Health, which connects individuals and families across western Kansas and Colorado with more than 6,000 physicians, 15 hospitals, seven senior-living communities, physician practices and clinics, and home-care and hospice services.