The Jans Family Makes Investment to Horizon Health Foundation to help maintain access to rural health care across South Dakota

Posted on February 13, 2017

(HOWARD, SD) – As the Horizon Health Foundation approaches their one year anniversary since being established, they have received a generous gift from a South Dakota family to secure a permanent office location for the Foundation.

 An investment was made by Dale and Diane Jans and Brian and Stacey Jans, all of Sioux Falls, to provide an office building on main street in Howard, SD for the Horizon Health Foundation to operate and grow in. The new Horizon Health Foundation building will be a collaborating, accommodating, and inspiring space to interact with people, as well as to offer a welcoming space for donors, business partners, and the community to gather and interact.

“The Foundation Board of Directors, along with our staff are grateful to the Jans family for this tremendous gift, which will allow us to focus on the needs of our 23,000 + patients across the state of South Dakota and not our operational needs,” said Tracy Pardy, Foundation Director of the Horizon Health Foundation.

The Jans family has many ties to rural South Dakota. Dale and Diane, were both born and raised in rural areas– Dale on a long-time family ranch near White River, South Dakota, and Diane in Claremont, a small town in northeastern South Dakota – and understand how powerful the presence of local health care is in our smaller communities. “When you’re living in Sioux Falls, you tend to take our health facilities for granted,” said Dale Jans. “With both of us growing up in rural South Dakota, we understand the importance of having health care present in our smaller communities and rural areas. These folks deserve the same access to care that we have grown accustomed to here and by supporting Horizon, we can help maintain that access.”

The Horizon Health Foundation kicked off their fundraising efforts in 2016 with an Employee Giving Campaign, which raised over $33,000 in cash and pledges. Learning of the philanthropic efforts by staff early on is what initially drew Brian towards supporting the foundation. “I was impressed to hear of the employees’ involvement in the early stages of the foundation and their commitment to their patients. Knowing how many of them have already come forward to support the Horizon Health Foundation was impressive and something we wanted to be a part of.  “Philanthropy is how our communities and country are able to move forward,” said Brian Jans. “It is the mentality that we were raised with, as well as our parents.”

An open house reception will be held by this spring or early summer to honor the Jans families and allow community members to view the new office space. As the Horizon Health Foundation settles into their permanent location and continues to grow, funds raised will be used to support Horizon Health Care and their patients in each of Horizon’s 19 communities across the 26,000 mile footprint of South Dakota.

To learn more about the Horizon Health Foundation visit our website at www.horizonhealthfoundation.co...

For 39 years, Horizon Health Care, Inc. has been providing personalized, affordable, high-quality medical, dental and mental health care through a rural, community-based network in South Dakota. Horizon is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves the medical, dental and mental health care needs of South Dakotans in rural, medically underserved areas through 83,000 patient visits annually in 26 community health centers in: Aberdeen, Bison, Bryant, De Smet, Eagle Butte, Faith, Fort Thompson, Howard, Huron, Isabel, La Plant, Lake Preston, Martin, McIntosh, Mission, Plankinton, Wessington Springs, White River and Woonsocket. For more information please visit www.horizonhealthcare.org.