Montana State Elks Gift to St. Peter’s in Helena Strengthens Infant Care

Gordon Sirrine, identified as Special Representative of the Montana State Elks Association, visited St. Peter’s Health in Helena as the hospital marked a $10,000 gift from the Montana State Elks Association that St. Peter’s Health Foundation says enabled purchase of two Medfusion 4000 syringe pumps for the Women & Children’s Fund. St. Peter’s posted the announcement on Feb. 26, 2026 and the foundation’s press materials also include a November 2025 header.

“The St. Peter’s Health Foundation is pleased to announce a generous contribution from the Montana State Elks Association (MSEA) in support of the Women & Children’s Fund. This $10,000 gift enabled the purchase of two Medfusion 4000 Syringe Pumps, highly specialized medical devices essential for providing safe, precise care to fragile infants,” the foundation wrote in its release.

The foundation and social posts describe the Medfusion 4000 syringe pumps as devices specifically designed to support NG, or nasogastric, feeding for newborns and infants by delivering extremely small and accurate volumes of nutrition that standard adult pumps cannot safely provide. St. Peter’s materials say the pumps will help ensure healthier starts for babies requiring advanced feeding support during their earliest days.

Ashley Sterhan, Clinical Manager of the Women and Children’s Unit at St. Peter’s, said the feeding pumps will change bedside practice for the tiniest patients: “We are so grateful to have received these feeding pumps and we cannot say thank you enough. They allow us to feed tiny amounts of food at a set rate of administration to the youngest babies in our community. This will provide better outcomes, and overall better care for our newborns.”

The donation arrives against a backdrop of local neonatal need. St. Peter’s Health Foundation reports that last year the Special Care Nursery served 90 babies and their families, and the foundation says the new pumps will help infants who need advanced feeding support remain close to home while receiving family-centered care.

The foundation also noted that the Montana State Elks Association represents 23 lodges statewide and has a long history of supporting community health and youth programs. “The St. Peter’s Health Foundation would also like to thank Gordon Sirrine, Special Representative of the Montana State Elks Association, for visiting our facility and seeing firsthand how this donation will strengthen care for our youngest patients. His interest and commitment highlight the lasting impact this partnership will have on babies, families in our community and the patients we serve,” the release states.

For Helena-area families seeking information or wishing to support the Women & Children’s Fund, St. Peter’s Health Foundation lists its office at 2500 E Broadway St, Helena, MT 59601, phone (406) 444-2370 and foundation.sphealth.org. The foundation says the pumps are intended to keep infants receiving advanced feeding support close to their families and to strengthen family-centered neonatal care in Lewis and Clark County.