Memorial Medical Center Foundation earns top transparency ratings again

Memorial Medical Center Foundation in Jasper has again earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, two marks that put its finances and disclosures in front of the donors and patients who rely on it.

The foundation, the fundraising and philanthropic arm of Deaconess Memorial Medical Center, said the recognition matters because it speaks directly to donor confidence, accountability and stewardship. Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating is its highest distinction and is tied to accountability, transparency and financial health, while Candid’s Platinum Seal reflects a nonprofit’s sharing of board details, mission-driven goals, strategies and measurable results. The foundation has served since 1974.

Deidra Church, the foundation’s director, said the recognitions “reinforce donor trust and demonstrate the foundation’s commitment to using every dollar responsibly and effectively for patients and families.” That message carries weight in Jasper and across Dubois County, where the foundation helps channel charitable dollars into care for people in financial need, new technology and scholarships for future health care workers.

The foundation’s fiscal 2024 impact report shows how those dollars reached the community. It raised $1,596,645.66, awarded 29 health care scholarships, distributed 2,000 Stop the Bleed kits to local schools, supported 10,576 patient assists and counted 1,074 total donors. On Sept. 19, 2024, it also announced a $6.25 million gift from the Little Company of Mary Sisters-USA, the largest charitable donation the foundation had ever received.

Deaconess Memorial Medical Center serves patients from Dubois, Pike, Spencer, Martin, Daviess, Orange, Crawford and Perry counties, and the system says the Jasper hospital has grown to more than 30 specialties, about 250 physicians and advanced practice providers, and 33 health care offices in seven counties. The hospital opened in Jasper on July 11, 1951, and officially rebranded as Deaconess Memorial Medical Center at a ceremony on Aug. 1, 2025, preserving a local legacy that now stretches back nearly 75 years.

For donors in Dubois County, the ratings offer a public check on how charitable dollars are handled at a time when health systems face rising costs, patient need and pressure to prove impact. The foundation’s latest disclosures show a fundraising arm that is not only raising money, but documenting where it goes, which patients it reaches and how it supports care across the region.