Elks Association Helps Montana’s Newest Patients Thrive

Montana State Elks Association Gift Strengthens Infant Care at St. Peter’s Health -

Donation Funds Specialized Syringe Pumps for Women & Children’s Unit

November 2025 – Helena, MT. — The St. Peter’s Health Foundation is pleased to announce a generous contribution from the Montana State Elks Association (MSEA) in support of the Women & Children’s Fund. This gift enables the purchase of two Medfusion 4000 Syringe Pumps, highly specialized medical devices essential for providing safe, precise care to fragile infants.

These syringe pumps are specifically designed to support NG (nasogastric) feeding for newborns and infants, delivering extremely small and accurate volumes of nutrition that standard adult pumps cannot safely provide. The new equipment will help ensure healthier starts for babies requiring advanced feeding support during their earliest days.

Last year St. Peter’s Health served 90 babies and their families in our Special Care Nursery. This equipment will assure that babies who need extra support with feeding can stay with their families, in their hometown. Our goal is to provide family centered care that helps our smallest patients grow and thrive.

The Montana State Elks Association, which represents 23 lodges statewide, has a long history of supporting community health, youth programs and service initiatives across Montana. Their statewide leadership’s decision to direct support to St. Peter’s Health highlights shared values of service and the strengthening of Montana families.

“I am so extremely grateful to the Elks Association for their thoughtful gift! Your emphasis on the health of babies and children in Montana is so important. The health of children shapes their foundation for a lifetime. Healthy children also contribute to healthier, happier, more productive parents. Which, in turn, creates more prosperous and stable communities.”- Betsy Williams, Director of Women and Children’s and A of the Day at St. Peter’s Health.

“We are so grateful to have received these feeding pumps and we cannot say thank you enough.  They allow us to feed tiny amounts of food at a set rate of administration to the youngest babies in our community.  This will provide better outcomes, and overall better care for our newborns!”   -Ashley Sterhan, Clinical Manager – Women and Children’s Unit

The new syringe pumps will be placed in the St. Peter’s Women & Children’s Unit, where hundreds of infants receive care each year. The equipment is expected to be in service immediately upon arrival.

The St. Peter’s Health Foundation would also like to thank Gordon Sirrine, Special Representative of the Montana State Elks Association, for visiting our facility and seeing firsthand how this donation will strengthen care for our youngest patients. His interest and commitment highlight the lasting impact this partnership will have on babies, families in our community and the patients we serve.

For more information about supporting the Women & Children’s Fund or other St. Peter’s Health programs, please contact the St. Peter’s Health Foundation visit foundation.sphealth.org or call (406) 444-2370.