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Welcome Board Member: Reed Bassett

Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation Welcomes New Board Member
The Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation is pleased to welcome Reed Bassett with US Bank to our Board of Directors. Reed is a well-known member of the Great Falls community and plans to help contribute to both the Foundation’s and the Great Falls Clinic’s success.

Reed Bassett

Reed Bassett

Reed is originally from Wyoming but his family moved to Montana when he was young and he grew up there. Reed made the move to Great Falls in 2009 when an opportunity presented itself. Reed and his family journeyed to Montana through Reed’s work, setting a priority for themselves to find the perfect family-oriented community. After spending some time in Great Falls, Reed and his family decided to stay. Reed secured a position with US Bank in 2012 and is now their Relationship Manager and Business Banking Officer. He enjoys meeting with business owners and helping them grow their business.  He has served on committees and boards throughout the community including Kiwanis, Lewis and Clark Foundation, Great Falls Chamber of Commerce, and the Montana SBDC. Reed met his wife, Carissa, at BYU-Idaho and they are the proud parents of four children. Reed enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the mountains.  He likes to hike and camp, and he has recently taken up hunting.  He also enjoys playing golf and board games. Reed has used the Great Falls Clinic for everything from his physical before his 50 mile hike in the Bob Marshall Wilderness to a tetanus shot after a camping accident that involved a hatchet. His wife and kids have also all been patients of the clinic since his move to Great Falls.

The Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), announced its plans for future patient housing last June. The Great Falls Clinic sees an average of 650 surgical and 400 cancer care patients per month, with approximately 42 percent of those patients traveling from out of town. Helping those patients and families from around Montana, seeking treatment at the Great Falls Clinic was part of the vision of the Foundation. Patient care and comfort is of the utmost importance to the Foundation, and patient housing is now their top priority.

“Our patients are our number one priority and helping to relieve some of the financial burden of medical care, as well as, housing and travel costs associated with out-of-town visits is important,” said Samantha Shinaberger, Executive Director. “The housing facility will reduce the amount of stress placed on our patients seeking medical care.  Knowing their housing and travel is taken care of for the duration of their treatment is meaningful to them,” she added.

The patient housing facility will feature 12 patient guest rooms, including double queen rooms and single king rooms to accommodate large and small families. The rooms will be handicap- accessible and patient-friendly. To accommodate all lengths of patient treatments, all rooms will have a kitchenette and other hotel amenities. Along with patient rooms, the facility will feature an entry atrium displaying a donor recognition tree, a self-serve kitchen and dining area, family gathering areas, a laundry room, and an exterior gathering area with a fire pit.

“The community of Great Falls and surrounding areas would benefit greatly from the proposed housing project, especially knowing they are helping some very ill, financially burdened patients. In some patient cancer cases, a course of radiotherapy may take as long as eight weeks to complete, with treatments given daily,” said Vicki Newmiller, CEO of the Great Falls Clinic and board member of the GFC Legacy Foundation. “Without patient housing available for these patients, they would be required to stay in a hotel, sometimes far away from their treatment center, which only adds to their financial burden,” added Newmiller.

The Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation, started in 2016, was created to help patients seeking treatment at the Great Falls Clinic. The Foundation’s mission is to bring hope and healing to Great Falls and surrounding communities, by providing the best access to healthcare possible. The Foundation seeks to achieve its mission of hope and healing through funding approaches that will result in: providing affordable housing and travel options for patients and families in need, increasing the level of care for all patients, promoting patient health and wellness, expanding opportunities beyond just housing and travel assistance that will bring hope and healing to the Great Falls community.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.gfclegacy.org or call (406) 771-3107.

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