The St. Luke’s McCall Foundation has received two grants that support the current hospital expansion project and improved telehealth services.

The first grant awarded is for $300,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. These funds support the Foundation’s “Right Care, Right Here” hospital expansion capital campaign and are dedicated to support the new emergency department that is part of the new two-story structure that is currently under construction.

The second grant is from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Distance Learning and Telemedicine program for $153,000.

“The Foundation is grateful for both the financial support and recognition of the importance of the hospital expansion from the Murdock Trust and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Distance Learning and Telemedicine program,” St. Luke’s McCall Foundation Director Jenny Ruemmele said. “Their significant investment will ensure that the emergency department will be constructed to better serve the growing number of patients cared for at St. Luke’s McCall.”

Plans for the expanded emergency department includes more than doubling the current square footage and increasing treatment bays. This includes a modern trauma bay, a new triage area and a designated waiting area for patients and family members.

The Murdock award is a top-off grant, contingent upon completing the project as proposed and is scheduled to be paid out by Jan. 1, 2022.

The USDA funds support St. Luke’s McCall’s Advancement of Rural Telehealth project to improve access to specialty care via telehealth technologies. These funds will be used toward the purchase of equipment that will be installed as part of the hospital’s expansion project for the new emergency room treatment bays and inpatient hospital rooms.

St. Luke’s telehealth, also called telemedicine or virtual care, connects patients with health care specialists to St. Luke’s Virtual Care Center in Boise. They use live, two-way cameras and remote monitoring equipment that supports provider consultation, patient evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

St. Luke’s McCall’s currently has telehealth set up in two of its emergency department treatment bays giving access to neurology and behavioral health specialists. They also have telehealth set up at St. Luke's Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine, this allows patients to save time and money by not having to travel to Boise.

This grant is part of the USDA’s Rural Development program that helps communities with populations of 20,000 or less acquire the technology to connect medical professionals with medical providers who serve rural residents at the local level.