Business View Magazine March 2023

224 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3 According to Mattson, “we want to be the provider of choice for those who live within our service area.” Community support is one of Lake Region’s six pillars of focus and philanthropic support is part of the system’s ecosystem. Healthcare is delivered locally not just through clinics and hospitals but in community educational programs and other direct outreach. “We strive to be a strong community partner and support local projects that tie back to our mission, and we’re also grateful for the generosity of our community back to us as a non-profit. The philanthropic support of our work through the Foundation and Auxiliary is both heart-warming and increasingly important to our success,” Mattson says. To help support the ongoing staffing challenges, Lake Region works with universities like Minnesota State and North Dakota State to provide opportunities and programs for students hoping to enter the healthcare field as a profession. One example is a phlebotomy certification program that serves as a “great entry point into the healthcare system,” according to Patterson. It also offers special nursing programs and general introductions for working with a patient population in a rural setting. “Running a (medical) practice in a rural area is much different than an urban setting, so we train (students) there as well,” Mattson says. “Providers working in a rural setting often need to provide a broader scope of services and we are well positioned to prepare them for what they will face.” PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Bremer Bank www.bremer.com Bremer Financial Corporation is a privately held, regional financial services company with $16 billion in assets. Founded in 1943 by Otto Bremer, the company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, and provides a comprehensive range of banking, mortgage, investment, wealth management and insurance products and services.