BGH announces Virtual Heart Ball date

SANDPOINT — You're invited to save the date for the upcoming Heart Ball.

The virtual event is planned for Feb. 12, 2022, and will raise funds for a new trauma radiology room and the subsequent equipment, Bonner General Health officials said in announcing the event. The community's participation and support will give the hospital the ability to swiftly diagnosis patients for the care they need, but also to ease the difficult decision-making process as to which patient has a more critical need for these life-saving machines.

"I’m extremely proud and thankful of our hometown hospital, it’s staff and the Foundation Board," Justin Dick, a member of the board. "We have navigated unprecedented times over the last 20-plus months, overcome many obstacles, and have remained steadfast with our mission to keep the highest quality health care and health care services close to home. I’m inspired by the support that we have received from our community."

He invited the community to join the 14th annual Virtual Heart Ball to give to back to the hospital that has given so much to the community.

"As you can imagine, it has been an astonishing and challenging couple of years for Bonner General Health," hospital officials said "We are incredibly grateful to our staff for all they have done, working countless hours to care for our community under circumstances they could never have imagined. We commend their dutifulness and courageous spirit.

Last year around this time, BGH officials said they were launching into the unknown with its first virtual event.

"We had so much fear and anxiety around not being able to see [everyone] in person," they said in the announcement. However, your unwavering support showed us that our partnership is much deeper than ball gowns and cocktails (although we love that too). We feel immense gratitude that you made the 2021 Virtual Heart Ball such an incredible success."

With the tremendous growth of this community, we have experienced an influx of Emergency Department visits. However, thanks to the community's generosity, its Emergency Department remodel and equipment upgrade could not have come at a better time.

"Your contributions enabled our staff to come to work every day, confident that they have the tools and resources to provide the absolute best care to our community, m" they said. "The trust you have placed in the Bonner General Health Foundation has made our Hometown Hospital more comfortable, more educational, and empowering to our patients and staff. Your support inspires our pursuit of the highest quality health care and health services close to home."