Samaritan Foundation raising money for residency program

May 27-MOSES LAKE - The Samaritan Foundation will be working to raise at least $2 million for a physician residence program currently under development by Samaritan Healthcare and the new Washington State University medical school.

Roberta Bigalk, the new foundation director, told Samaritan commissioners Tuesday that the hospital is working with the Washington State University Foundation. The goal is to accept the first residents by 2029, said Theresa Sullivan, former chief executive officer, in an earlier interview.

"Right now, we are tasked with raising, between us and the WSU Foundation, $4 million dollars," Bigalk said. "So far, we have already raised close to half a million."

The 2026 Bourbon and Bowties fundraiser will add about $253,000 to that, Bigalk said.

The residency program will be offered in conjunction with the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. The goal is to provide instruction for medical students interested in practicing in rural areas in general and Eastern Washington in particular.

Gretchen Youngren, Samaritan's chief development and communications officer, said the goal is to pay for the initial startup in part through donations and fundraisers.

"The total initial project cost was $10 million, and then jointly, the two fundraising entities said we would go for four (million)," she said. "We also got the $2 million grant from Senator Maria Cantwell, so we have essentially $6 (million) of the total $10 (million) covered right now. We feel fairly confident that we will beat the $4 million."

Youngren said money raised by each foundation will go to different parts of the project.

"Now that the master services agreement is finalized between the district and WSU College of Medicine, we're finalizing the fundraising agreement for fundraising services," she said. "If dollars come to Samaritan, they go to capital (expenses). If dollars come to WSU, they go towards operational costs and faculty costs, and all of that."

Hospital commissioner Tom Frick asked if the Samaritan Foundation would continue to have a role in supporting the residency program once it's launched. Bigalk said that's still to be determined.

"We work at the direction of the hospital, and our goal and mission is to support the activities and the programs of the hospital," she said. "Right now, the direction that we've been given is to raise this $4 million for the WSU residency campaign. But that's one reason why I was hired, is to talk about increasing our legacy and planned giving program, increasing our personal endowment for the foundation, so that we can raise money into perpetuity for the hospital district and make sure that we have resources to support all of the programs that you guys can see coming down the pike. I know they'll be doing some strategic planning down the road, and we in turn will follow their lead and make sure that we can support the activities at the hospital."

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