Gundersen Lutheran recently announced that $38 million has been pledged for their Campus Renewal project in La Crosse. In the background progress can be seen on the project which will include private rooms for all patients, along with a new in-patient behavioral health building and new trauma and emergency center.

Gundersen Lutheran recently announced that $38 million has been pledged for their Campus Renewal project in La Crosse. Jenna Flick, a freshman at Holmen High School, was the emcee for the news conference. Flick says she contributed to the project because she hopes to one day be a pediatric nurse practitioner at Gundersen Lutheran and wants future generations to receive the same great care that she has received.

Jenna Flick (right) a freshman at Holmen High School gives hands Dave Skogen, (left) Gundersen Lutheran Campus Renewal Co-chair and chairman of Festival Foods, her jar of change she has been collecting to donate towards Gundersen Lutheran’s Campus Renewal project.

One year ago, Gundersen Lutheran broke ground on a new Hospital that will allow the health system to continue to provide exceptional high-value healthcare to families in the Tri-state Region for generations to come. On Feb. 8, the health system announced the start of their public capital campaign for Campus Renewal. With $38 million in commitments from Gundersen Lutheran medical staff, employees, corporate donors and private donors, they are more than halfway to reaching their $70 million campaign goal for Campus Renewal projects such as the new Hospital and an inpatient behavioral health building.

“We believe people have made generous contributions because they understand that Campus Renewal at Gundersen Lutheran is not about bricks and mortar. It is about investing in our region so families in the Tri-state Region have access to the exceptional healthcare they deserve now and in the future,” says Dave Skogen, Campus Renewal campaign co-chair and chairman of Festival Foods.

“We’re now asking for our community to show their support by making a contribution to Campus Renewal. At some point in our lives, we will all have a loved one in the hospital, whether for the birth of a child or for the care of an ailing loved one. By joining together and giving what we can, we can all have a hand in impacting the future of healthcare for our friends and family,” Skogen adds.

According to Gundersen Lutheran community board member Greg Prairie, Campus Renewal will allow the health system to continue to provide the exceptional care that people throughout the region have come to expect and deserve.

“Gundersen Lutheran has been serving the people of our region for more than 100 years, and Campus Renewal is a true investment in the future of healthcare in our region for the next century. It is humbling to hear about the early support from our community towards Gundersen Lutheran’s fundraising efforts, and I know this is just the beginning of amazing support from the communities Gundersen Lutheran serves,” says Greg Prairie, Gundersen Lutheran community board member.

One of the supporters of Campus Renewal is Jenna Flick, a freshman at Holmen High School, who donated some of her own money to the cause.

“I may only be 14 years old, but I believe Campus Renewal is something great that is happening for my generation, and not just because my dream is to someday work at Gundersen Lutheran as a nurse practitioner in Pediatrics,” she says. “When my family talked about Campus Renewal, we talked about how this project will allow all people in our community to have the opportunity to receive the best possible healthcare now, and when I’m my mom’s age. That’s why my family chose to contribute to Campus Renewal at Gundersen Lutheran. I hope that for my family, my friends and our community, other people will, too.”

Among other benefits, Campus Renewal at Gundersen Lutheran will:

• Provide private rooms for all patients, offering much needed privacy.
• Allow for new technology and innovation, and promote efficiency.
• Enhance and expand inpatient behavioral health services at a time when many are stepping away from providing this care. The new inpatient behavioral health building is scheduled for completion at the end of 2012.
• Help Gundersen Lutheran continue to attract world-class physicians and staff who provide life-saving care for families in the Tri-state Region.

A website (www.gundluth.org/campusrenewal) has been set up to allow people to make a donation or learn more about Campus Renewal. Additional information is available by calling Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation at (608) 775-6600.