Pours for a Purpose raises $415,000 for Bemidji emergency department

Sanford Health Foundation said its June 12 Pours for a Purpose event raised nearly $415,000 for an Emergency Department overhaul at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, money aimed at safety-enhanced behavioral health rooms, a dedicated law-enforcement entrance, new trauma and treatment rooms and a remodeled fast-track area for lower-acuity patients. A separate $1 million gift from retired Sanford emergency medicine physician Dr. Richard Stennes and his wife, Nilla, pushed the campaign farther toward its $2.6 million goal and will give the department a new name when the project is complete.

For Beltrami County residents, the stakes reach far beyond a single hospital project. Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, founded in 1898 and now operating with 118 licensed beds, is the only Level III Trauma Center within 70 miles and serves more than 176,000 people across seven counties and 16 communities. Sanford says its emergency department treats nearly 30,000 patients a year, including more than 26,500 visits in 2025, or about 73 patients each day, and nearly 1,100 patients with life-threatening conditions in 2024.

The renovation plan is built around the problems emergency patients notice first: crowding, delays, privacy and security. Sanford said the project will add care-transition spaces for patients waiting on next steps, renovate all existing exam rooms, improve storage and workflow efficiencies, upgrade equipment to support bariatric patients and add more restrooms and patient accommodations. Those changes are designed to move patients more quickly through triage, give behavioral-health patients safer space and give staff more room to treat trauma cases without the same bottlenecks that can slow care.

Sanford has also put a human face on the campaign through patient stories. In a June 15 foundation profile, 24-year-old Bemidji State University nursing student and Sanford employee Lexi Theis described arriving at the Bemidji emergency department in critical condition with blood clots in her lungs and legs before doctors flew her to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo. Her case reflects why the Bemidji ED has to handle high-acuity emergencies close to home when minutes matter.

The fundraising total and the Stennes gift leave the campaign about $1.185 million short of its goal. When the work is finished, the renamed Stennes Emergency Department will mark the point where community giving turns into visible changes in patient flow, security and treatment space.