History
Rhinelander Health Foundation History
1979
The Rhinelander Health Foundation was originally named the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation. When the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother identified unmet health care needs, they addressed it with a vision. The Sisters approached community leaders, including James Beck, Larry Springer and Dr. Schiek, Jr., to help them establish a Foundation to support health care needs at the hospital and in the community.
1981
The first major purchase by the Foundation was a trauma table for the new emergency unit for neck or spinal injury patients. This technology was advanced for its time and provided the benefity of allowing patients to be examined and x-rayed without having to be moved.
1989-1992
Larry Springer and Len Pehlke led a successful community effort to replace over 80 beds at St. Mary's Hospital with the latest patient beds. With a start-up contribution of $25,000 from James Beck, the community came together to raise over $340,000. This investment provided for the continuing care and comfort of every community member who needed to use a hospital bed.
In the Early 90s
The Foundation began to shift its focus toward community health outreach services for families and residents in the Northwoods. Hospice and Community Link were some of the first to be funded by the Foundation.
2004
The Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary - the same year that the Hospital moved to its current location. Milestones included the initiation of the LifeLine Emergency Response System, the Springer Memorial Free Clinic, the Beck Imaging Center and the continued support of Hospice and Palliative Care.
2004
James Beck, vital cornerstone of the Foundation passed. James & Carolyn Beck had recently gave their third million dollar donation to the Foundation. They invested their personal resources to help fund the purchase of advanced cancer equipment as well as state-of-the-art technology for the diagnosis and treatment of Cancer.
