When Marcy Smith’s oncologist told her she needed radiation treatment for breast cancer, her first response was no. She’d already had a lumpectomy and four rounds of chemotherapy, and treatment would require six weeks in Billings, Montana—220 miles from her Glendive home. She couldn’t miss work or leave her foster children. But when a cancer center opened at the hospital in Miles City, an hour away, Smith changed her mind. For six weeks, she picked up her foster daughter from kindergarten, received treatment, and was home in time for dinner. A year later, Smith is cancer-free.
Helmsley’s Impact on Rural Healthcare
Much of the support for this cancer center came from an unlikely source: the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Leona Helmsley, the “queen of mean” hotel owner, has enjoyed a posthumous reputation boost in the Upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Since 2009, the trust has spent more than $850 million on rural health care in these regions, supporting innovative work in telemedicine and psychiatric, cardiac, and cancer care. The trust provided $6 million of the $17 million needed to create the new cancer center at Miles City’s hospital.
Rural healthcare systems face intense strain. From 2005 to 2023, 81 rural hospitals shut down. While Congress allocated $50 billion over five years for rural health care, independent estimates indicate this is only a third of what rural hospitals will lose due to Medicaid cuts. Though philanthropic efforts like Helmsley’s cannot make up for lost federal funds, when done well they help close the gap with urban hospitals. Helmsley expects to spend $84 million on rural health care in its fiscal year ending in March.
Strategic Programs
Walter Panzirer, the Helmsley trustee who started the rural health program, explains the foundation’s philosophy: “Your ZIP code should not determine your health outcomes.” The trust has granted $60.4 million for more than 24,000 automated external defibrillators for first responders, with more than 600 known cases where Helmsley-funded devices helped save lives. It provided funding for more than 70 mammogram machines throughout the region, ensuring patients wouldn’t need to travel more than 60 miles for breast cancer screening. Helmsley has also invested more than $100 million in telemedicine and started “virtual crisis care” programs in South Dakota, Nevada, and Wyoming, providing police officers with tablets to connect people in crisis with remote mental-health counselors. Over 20 health centers and five new ones have received $128 million to expand access to chemotherapy and radiation services.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/how-notorious-billionaire-leona-helmsley-s-foundation-is-81371719